Royals already seeing benefits of key offensive changes from 2026 bounce back hopeful

The Kansas City Royals started this season with two new voices leading the hitting charge, adding hitting coaches Marcus Thames and Connor Dawson this offseason. Unfortunately, the early impressions at the plate have not been strong, as Kansas City still ranks among the worst run-scoring teams in MLB, fueling its last-place standing in the AL Central. For a team with postseason aspirations and a pennant-worthy rotation, that is a deep early hole to climb out of.

But there are still some process positives for fans looking for one. Things like chase rate or hard-hit rate cannot provide much comfort when compared to what shows up in the box score, but if you are a real silver linings person, there are at least a few shimmering edges.

One of those process changes I have been curious about is how second baseman Michael Massey has changed at the plate. After he hit a game-tying home run on April 21 against the Baltimore Orioles, Massey called into 96.5 The Fan's postgame show with Josh Vernier. Massey played an integral role in helping Kansas City snap its losing streak with that swing, and one thing he noted during the call was how he changed his swing from last season.

Michael Massey's changes at the plate should help the Royals in no time

Massey is still not a bat-first powerhouse, evident by his 87 wRC+ and .243/.256/.459 slash line. But that is much better than where he was during an injury-riddled 2025 season, when he posted a 57 wRC+ and a .244/.268/.313 line. Notice that the improvement has primarily come in his extra-base production, where his six extra-base hits in 15 games in 2026 are already half of his total from 77 games in 2025.

So the results have been better, including a huge jump to a 55.6% hard-hit rate and a 91.8 mph average exit velocity. Massey is swinging and missing much more this season, but he is trending in the right direction when it comes to turning a more powerful swing into more power. Royals fans would absolutely like to see 2024 Massey back in the lineup, and this season's version looks a lot closer to that player. So what changed?

First of all, Massey is swinging the bat much harder. His average 72.2 mph bat speed is above league average and represents a 2 mph jump from his 2025 mark, by far the highest of his career. According to Driveline Baseball, "for every one mph of bat speed added, you will be able to hit the ball +1.2 mph harder," and harder-hit balls usually produce better outcomes. Physicist and SABR Chadwick Award winner Alan Nathan has a great lecture on this as well, for readers who want to get into the nitty-gritty of how the math works.

Second, Massey's setup at the plate is noticeably different. He is not standing as deep in the batter's box, moving up nearly six inches and off the plate by more than five inches. It is a noticeable shift, and one of the bigger year-over-year changes in MLB. These changes, measured in inches, may not seem like much, but for ballplayers who get set in their ways, change in any form is notable and was clearly made with intention.

Lastly, Massey is also meeting the ball at a more advantageous point. His swing attack angle has seen a slight increase from 13 degrees to 15 degrees, both above league average for their respective seasons. Massey is not pulling the ball nearly as much, with a 1-degree opposite-field batted-ball attack angle, while the 6-degree pull angle likely got more out of his power in 2025. Massey is also showing a steeper swing path tilt, going from 31 degrees to 34 degrees. He is uppercutting the ball more, marginally decreasing his groundball rate and increasing his flyball rate. That could have been the difference between his home run being a flyout to right or a game-tying shot.

While these may sound like minor changes, and the weather can always play a role in how far a ball carries, think about it like this:

That ball left Massey's bat at a 34-degree angle after a 72 mph swing speed and 104 mph exit velocity. It traveled 412 feet on an April night. Balls with that launch angle and exit velocity combination have a 68.4% chance of being home runs. But if Massey's 2025 bat speed of 70.1 mph had been there instead, that would have led to decreased exit velocity and lowered his home run odds to 42.9%.

Too many numbers? Here is the takeaway: 2025 Massey likely keeps that ball in the park. 2026 Massey likely puts it over the fence. 2026 Massey is a better version than last year's iteration.

This could be the product of a litany of offseason changes coming from different voices. The Royals have become much more open to new-school analytics and player development techniques in recent years. That could have led the team to find something for him to work on over the winter, or perhaps a third-party company helped Massey with offseason strength training and swing evaluation.

No matter where the changes came from, the process should help Massey's results in 2026. How far he goes this season, and how much he helps his club, only time will tell.

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