The Royals Offense Has Been Better In May, But Is It A Real Improvement?

The month of April was certainly one to forget for the Royals. The team finished the month with a 12-19 record, good for last place in the AL Central. While lackluster pitching didn’t help, it was the offense that caused most of the struggles. However, that all has mostly changed when the calendar flipped to May. The Royals so far have gone 7-3 to open the month and are now only two games back in the weak American League Central division. Much of the recent success has come from the offense stepping up. But can the Royals sustain this level throughout the rest of the season? Let’s find out. 

At first glance, the Royals had a pretty mediocre month, boasting a team batting average of .247 and an on-base percentage of .331. However, a deeper look into the numbers shows that the Royals’ real struggle on offense was scoring runs, especially in high-leverage situations.

The Royals thrived in low-leverage situations in April, with the team leading all of MLB in batting average (.303), OBP (.386), and OPS (.869). On the other hand, the Royals had a batting average of .231 with runners in scoring position and .219 in high leverage situations, meaning that the Royals were not producing hits when it really mattered. They also were not patient when it mattered, as the team produced a 7.3% walk rate and a 23.6% K rate. 

How have things changed? To put it simply, the Royals are finally driving in runs when it matters most. While their batting average of .242 is worse than last month, the Royals now have a batting average of .331 with runners in scoring position.

In terms of leverage, the team has almost flipped their averages: the Royals have a batting average of .154 in low-leverage situations compared to their high-leverage batting average of .294. The team has also shown patience as their walk rate has dropped to 8.6%, but they are still striking out at a 22% clip.  

So, can the offense continue to produce when it matters? The answer to the question remains to be seen. While it is promising to see the Royals hitting better when it matters, there is still a long season ahead. It is not guaranteed that the team will hit this well throughout the year, but hopefully the Royals will learn from April and continue to build upon their recent success in May and beyond.