Bobby Witt Jr., 5 other KC Royals on brink of personal milestones

Michael Wacha and Cole Ragans, two starters without whom the KC Royals wouldn't be closing in on their first postseason berth since 2015, reached key milestones during the club's exciting sweep of its just-completed three-game series with Minnesota.

Ragans achieved his big mark when his seven Friday night strikeouts pushed his season total to 204 and made him just the fifth Royals pitcher — and their first left-hander — to fan at least 200 batters in a single season. Wacha followed with a superb seven-inning, seven-strikeout, four-hit performance Sunday that propelled the Royals to their series sweep and him to the 100th pitching victory of his 12-year big league career.

And now, with Kansas City set to open a three-game set with the Yankees in The Bronx tonight, at least five other Royals are close to impressive achievements of their own.

Bobby Witt Jr. could reach 3 big milestones in New York

Witt needs only two RBI to reach 100 for the first time in his three-year career. He fell just four short of 100 last season, but is a cinch to get there this year.

He's also two stolen bases shy of 30. If he gets those two steals, which he certainly will, he'll have his second 30-30 season in a row: he swiped 49 last year to go with 30 homers. He's the only player in team history to join the prestigious 30-30 club.

And those two stolen bases will give Witt another record. When he swipes the second, he'll become the first major leaguer to reach the 30-30 plateau in two of his first three seasons.

Salvador Perez can also drive in 100 runs

We summarized here last month the personal marks Perez has reached this season and others still within his grasp. Immediately on the horizon as the Royals prepare to play the final 18 games of the regular season is Perez's chance to join Witt with 100 RBI — the Royals' nine-time All-Star needs only five more after driving in Freddy Fermin with a single Sunday.

Dairon Blanco can steal 30 bases for the KC Royals

Because he's a part-time player with only four home runs, Blanco won't join Witt with a 30-30 season. But look for the valuable reserve outfielder and pinch-running specialist to reach, and possibly surpass, 30 steals for the season. Going into tonight's game with the Yankees, he's only four away.

Seth Lugo may add to the impressive individual marks he's set this season

Should he beat the Yankees Tuesday, Lugo will tie Atlanta's Chris Sale and Detroit's Tarik Skubal for the major league lead in wins with 16; he already tops the Royals in that category with 15. But he's accomplished a lot more this season: those 15 wins and his 29 starts, 186 innings pitched, and 159 strikeouts are all career highs.

What more can he do? If he pitches well in the rest of his regular season starts, he has an excellent shot at finishing his first Kansas City campaign with an ERA under 3.00 — he currently owns a 3.05 mark. His best ERA for a season in which he served primarily as a starter is the 3.57 he posted for San Diego last year.

Brady Singer could set his personal win record

Singer won 10 games in 2022. Although he's been inconsistent this year, as his 9-10 record proves, he needs one pitching victory to tie his career mark and another to break it. He should get at least three, and maybe four, more starts, including tonight's at Yankee Stadium, so winning twice more is certainly possible.

James McArthur might reach 20 saves for the KC Royals

That he'd save 20 games this season was a foregone conclusion back on July 10 when McArthur notched his 17th in the second game of Kansas City's doubleheader sweep of St. Louis. But due primarily to his own inconsistency and the Royals' trade deadline acquisition of Lucas Erceg, McArthur's saved only one game since that twinbill with the Cardinals.

He could pick up the two he needs to reach 20 before the season ends. Erceg can't pitch every night, and manager Matt Quatraro might choose a time or two to use McArthur instead of Erceg.

Should McArthur save 20, he'll become the 16th Royal to do so.