Brett Squires Is Turning Heads in Spring Training

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Safe to say, expectations weren't high for Brett Squires entering Royals Spring Training in Arizona.

Squires wasn't an official non-roster invitee, meaning that his starting outlook in 2026 would be in the Minor Leagues. A couple of seasons ago, the former University of Oklahoma product seemed to be making the case as a dark horse for a 40-man roster spot.

In High-A Quad Cities in 2024, the undrafted prospect posted a .309/.390/.481 slash with a .401 wOBA and 151 wRC+ in 270 plate appearances. He only had nine home runs, but he likely would've surpassed his 15-HR mark in 2023 in Columbia in 122 games had he not gotten injured. Despite the shortened sample, he stole 16 bases and collected 42 RBI.

 

 

There was some hope that Squires would make a run for a roster spot in 2025 despite not being added to the 40-man roster in the offseason. He went unselected in the Rule 5 Draft that December, but that didn't mean he didn't hold potential as a dark horse prospect in Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Unfortunately, the power didn't develop as hoped last season, and the overall metrics plateaued a bit as well over a larger sample of games. 

In 116 games and 496 plate appearances, Squires slashed .248/.327/.411 with a .341 wOBA and 105 wRC+. While those latter numbers are encouraging, he only hit 10 home runs and posted an ISO of .163. That latter mark was nine points lower than his 2024 mark in Quad Cities and his 2023 mark in Columbia. He also struck out 27% of the time, had a 0.36 BB/K ratio, and a contact rate of 67.4%, according to Fangraphs. 

The Texas-born corner infielder showed flashes, with this bomb hit against Wichita in May being a prime example.

 

That said, while Squires had those flashes of mammoth power, he just didn't do it enough consistently. As a result, he went undrafted again in the Rule 5 Draft this past December and wasn't listed as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.

And yet, despite his long odds and lack of at-bats, Squires is doing all he can to turn heads in Arizona.

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Squires Putting Up Solid Statcast Metrics This Spring

When it comes to Squires' Statcast profile from a year ago via TJ Stats, there isn't much because Double-A data isn't publicly available. However, the limited profile of his campaign in Northwest Arkansas last year is nonetheless interesting to see.

Squires' wOBA was decent, ranking in the 65th percentile. He also swung a LOT last year, as his 53.8% swing rate ranked in the 90th percentile. However, his whiff rate ranked in the 14th percentile, and his K% ranked in the 22nd percentile. Those two numbers aren't encouraging, especially for a hitter who swings as much as Squires. 

On the flip side, his walk rate wasn't terrible at 9.7%, which ranked in the 43rd percentile. Add that with a strong ability to pull the ball in the air (14.8%, 60th percentile), and one can see why Squires could be an intriguing fringe prospect to the more analytically inclined Royals fan. Still, the profile last year wasn't enough to garner Squire much love in most prospect lists, including ours at Royals Keep.

That said, here's a look at what Squires is doing so far in Spring Training.

Some things haven't changed for Squires. He still whiffs a lot, as his 35.3% whiff rate ranks in the 17th percentile and his 66.7% Z-Contact% ranks in the 8th percentile. However, everything else has been quite impressive. 

His 90th EV, Max EV, Barrel%, and Pull Air% rank in the 100th percentile. His wOBA, xwOBA, Average EV, and LA Sweet-Spot% rank in the 99th percentile. Lastly, his O-Swing% ranks in the 98th percentile, and his hard-hit rate ranks in the 78th percentile. While it's not a whole lot of plate appearances or batted ball events (just 5), he is locked in, and it's been fun to see in Spring Training, as illustrated in the video of his homer below.

 

Squires saw a 100.3 MPH four-seamer from Colorado's Seth Halvorsen and absolutely launched it. Here's what the exit velocity and distance on Squires' home run looked like via Savant. 

Furthermore, here's a look at the pitch chart matchup between Squires and Halvorsen. Notice the location of Halvorsen's pitch below.

That's not an easy pitch to go yard on, especially at 100+ MPH. And yet, Squires got his hands around the pitch and launched it 393 feet with an exit velocity of 103 MPH. 

And it's not just that particular home run where Squires has succeeded. According to TJ Stats' Statcast leaderboard for Royals players, Squires ranks third in average EV (100.8 MPH), third in 90th EV (115.8 MPH), and second in Max EV (115.8 MPH). Again, it's a small sample, but it shows the kind of impact Squires has made at the plate in Spring Training. 

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What Does This Mean for Squires?

 

Squires likely will begin the year in Triple-A Omaha, probably splitting time at first base with Abraham Toro, who is a non-roster invitee. However, while Squires will begin the year with the Storm Chasers, he will still be one to watch in Spring Training, especially with players like Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, and Salvador Perez, all of whom play first base, participating in the World Baseball Classic.

 

 

Thus, Squires will get at-bats for the next week or two, simply due to so many Royals playing in the WBC. If Squires can continue this exit velocity and barrel trend over the next two weeks, he could not just earn a starting spot in Omaha, but also put him on the radar of some other teams looking to acquire cheap power at first base.

With Pasquantion locked in at first base for the foreseeable future, Squires may be more of a trade asset than one who can matriculate to the Major Leagues and have an impact with the Royals.

His situation feels similar to CJ Alexander in 2024. Alexander was launching balls as a fringe prospect, especially in Triple-A Omaha (as seen below in his Statcast profile), but he showed in a short call-up that he wasn't ready for MLB competition.

The former Braves draft pick was designated for assignment later in the season by Kansas City, but he could've been a player that the Royals could've utilized in a trade with a team desperate for offensive help. However, because Kansas City exposed him to MLB competition, his trade value plummeted. The Royals learned their lesson with Cam Devanney: not exposing him to MLB pitching, but instead utilizing him in a midseason trade for Adam Frazier. 

Maybe Squires is a Four-A player like Alexander, or he finds success in the NPB (Japan) like Devanney. That said, I think there's a player in Squires who can generate some serious buzz in Omaha, especially in their hitter-friendly environment. If he can build on this spring and continue to mash in Triple-A, he could build himself up to be a throw-in piece to a trade later in the season, which isn't a bad asset for the Royals to have. 

 

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[Lopsided]

Excellent article!  I am glad I came upon Royals Keep. You have so much meaningful and great information.  Thank you very much!

[Kevin O'Brien]

21 hours ago, Lopsided said:

Excellent article!  I am glad I came upon Royals Keep. You have so much meaningful and great information.  Thank you very much!

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