3 KC Royals who need to be better in June

Listen, we all know how badly the KC Royals 2023 season is going so far. The boys in blue are at the bottom of the AL Central, with only the Oakland Athletics preventing them from being the worst in all of baseball. The Royals are 21 games below the .500 mark come Memorial Day, something that long-time fans are unfortunately used to. It is frustrating, but even the most optimistic fans knew this was not going to be a contending year. The front office was transparent with their words, telling fans about the evaluation year and their actions by not adding much major-league talent this offseason. 

The KC Royals performed better in May, but not by much.

Royals fans will drive themselves crazy if they do not try to find some positives in this season. Unfortunately, the team started off with a historic offensive drought, and then the pitching similarly struggled. The hole this team dug in April was deep, with a 7-21 record. Thankfully, the team improved their May record with double-digit wins. Still well below .500 on the month, though. Improvement is improvement, though, and I will take any positivity I can get at this point.

There were players, like infielder Michael Massey and catcher Salvador Perez, who had great May performances. But there were also those who struggled mightily. These three players are not only the ones that fell short statistically, but their struggles now have ripple effects throughout this season. Each one plays a different part, but all contributed to the Royals falling short this month.

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino

Let's get this out of the way. Pasquantino was not terrible in May. His .754 OPS, four home runs, and 16 RBIs this past month were still better than many on the Royals roster. But he just did not look like himself at points. He struck out more than he walked last month, but his .6 BB/K ratio in May was the worst month split of his career. His .255 BA and .310 OBP were noticeable drops from his April performance as well. The changeup continues to baffle Pasquantino, too. He whiffs at the changeup more than any other pitch, despite seeing it 19.2% of the time. Pasquantino will need to make adjustments to his approach at the plate if he wants to regain his early-season success. It will be interesting to see how he responds in the coming months and if he can bounce back from his struggles in May.

But his struggles at the plate only shed more light on his poor defensive metrics. Pasquantino was slightly above average as a defender in 2022, registering 1 OAA in 71 attempts, according to Baseball Savant. He performed better than the estimated success rate and showed that he could hold his own in The Show. Pasquantino's lackluster glove was noticeable while he progressed through the minor leagues. That version of Pasquantino is showing on the field this season, unfortunately. He already has a -3 OAA in 2023 in just eight more attempts than last season. That is tied for second-worst among all AL first basemen, ranking in the 10th percentile overall. Couple that with Pasquantino's arm strength ranking the worst among all MLB players, and the defensive metrics have not been kind to him whatsoever.

In May, Pasquantino was a Hunter Dozier-level player. A defensive negative, struggling at the plate. After all, Dozier had a better May at the plate than Pasquantino did, albeit in limited action. Bats wax and wane, though. Pasquantino's bat is one that the Royals should trust to make a comeback in June. He is now a crucial member of this Royals core moving forward after being somewhat unknown before the 2022 season. Pasquantino now being an above-average bat is what Royals fans now expect. If he continues to struggle in June, Vinnie's red flags will become impossible to ignore.

Reliever Aroldis Chapman

Yes, another player whose numbers look good would look even better if not for bad May performances. Reliever Aroldis Chapman is arguably Kansas City's biggest trade piece heading into the trade season, so his bounce back in June would benefit Kansas City's minor-league system the most.

Chapman was not a popular player after signing with Kansas City this offseason. Work ethic concerns in New York only added to Chapman's off-field issues. His 2022 stats were not going to have teams clamoring for his services, but the 35-year-old veteran improbably ended up in Kansas City. A single-year, incentive-laden deal made it clear that the Royals had no long-term plans for Chapman. This made him an intriguing trade chip before he threw a single pitch this season. That trade value has only gone up as the season has gone along. Chapman is performing at an All-Star level once again.

He is not relying on the fastball nearly as much in 2023, despite still having one of the best four-seamers in MLB. Chapman's fastball velocity is back in the 100th percentile for the first time since 2018. He tosses that pitch 56% of the time, the second-lowest amount of his career. Meanwhile, both his slider and sinker usage rates have risen to the second- and third-highest usage rates in his career, respectively. Chapman's whiff percentage, strikeout percentage, and several more metrics rank in the 95th percentile or better. But those great numbers hide a down May for Chapman.

In the season's first month, Chapman was on another level. He posted a 1.74 ERA, .871 WHIP, and a 6.33 K/BB ratio, which ranked 10th among all qualified relievers in that span. This past month, though, the walks started piling up and the hits started dropping. Chapman had 11 walks and nine hits in 10 innings in May, good for a 2.00 WHIP and a 4.50 ERA in that month. Through 22 games, Chapman has two saves and a 3.10 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Those numbers still make him one of the Royals' best relievers, but that is not what fans should want. Chapman should be one of baseball's top relievers, one that contending teams will covet and pay a hefty price to acquire ahead of the postseason push. The Royals keeping Chapman past the trade deadline will be shocking, as the contract and the team's last-place position make Chapman a prime trade candidate. But his performance on the mound will determine the quality of Kansas City's return. Chapman performing better in June will benefit the Royals and get him on a contending team sooner rather than later. If the money is not motivating enough, getting out of Kansas City should be a factor.