KC Royals need Vinnie Pasquantino to fire up his cold bat before Game 2 of ALDS

There's no denying that when Vinnie Pasquantino's bat is hot, he's a fierce presence at the plate for the Kansas City Royals — but the team is now three games into their postseason campaign and still waiting for Pasquantino to turn it on.

Some five-plus weeks ago, the Royals suddenly found themselves in coveted territory they hadn't occupied for far too long. A day after snatching a share of the American League Central lead by beating Cleveland for the third straight time, they had the golden opportunity to claim the top spot for themselves with just one more win at Progressive Field.

It didn't happen. Kansas City threw away a late three-run lead, lost 7-5, and first place belonged to Cleveland for the rest of the regular season.

Don't, however, blame Pasquantino for that Aug. 28 loss. His first-inning home run — his 19th homer of the season — and three subsequent singles gave him the first four-hit game of his career, and his one RBI moved him within three of 100.

Unfortunately, that 4-for-5 effort marked the last of Pasquantino's significant contributions to his club's playoff push — the fractured thumb he suffered the very next night sidelined him for the rest of the campaign and triggered concerns that he'd miss any postseason play for which the Royals might qualify.

Now, almost miraculously, Pasquantino is back in the lineup. After watching him put on a nice batting practice show during their final series in Washington, it was mere days before the Royals declared him fit for postseason duty and included him on their Wild Card and Division series rosters.

But Pasquantino isn't swinging a good bat. If it weren't for his two singles in the club's Wild Card Series-clinching victory over Baltimore last Wednesday, he'd be hitless, and his 2-for-12 postseason performance just isn't what the offensively-challenged Royals need from Pasquantino after his more than respectable .262, 19-homer, 97-RBI, 108 wRC+ season.

A hot bat is what the KC Royals need from Vinnie Pasquantino

Don't think Pasquantino is the only Royals batter who needs to pick things up at the plate, because as the team's two extra base hits and eight runs in three playoff games prove, he isn't. And don't think any of this is to say that he hasn't made a difference this postseason, because he has — the big first baseman knocked in the first run in KC's 2-1 victory in Baltimore on Wednesday.

But the club needs more.

It's Pasquantino, after all, who manager Matt Quatraro has been batting third to ensure Bobby Witt Jr. sees some tempting pitches. And after Witt and Salvador Pérez, he has the biggest bat in Quatraro's lineup.

Admittedly, expecting him to return to top form immediately is too much to ask from Pasquantino, who missed live pitching for over a month. But the Royals wouldn't have brought him back to the active roster if they weren't convinced he could contribute at a valuable level.

Now down 1-0 to the Yankees after Saturday's ALDS opener loss and needing to win three of four remaining Series games to make the AL Championship Series, the Royals could use a homer or two, but a few RBI, from Pasquantino.

And don't be surprised if he delivers. That's who he is.

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