Nick Pratto on First MLB Walk-Off Home Run: ‘Hard to Beat It'
Nick Pratto's home run in Saturday night's Kansas City Royals win over the Boston Red Sox didn't even crack the top 10 of hardest-hit balls on the night, yet it ended up being the biggest hit of the outing.
All tied up at 4-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Kansas City had no one on base and was down to its final out with Pratto coming up to the plate. Facing relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock — who hadn't allowed a hit in 22/3 innings leading up to that point in the game — Pratto worked an eight-pitch at-bat that ended in him drilling an 86 mph changeup for a walk-off jack in front of the home crowd. After the game, the 23-year-old said it was one of the best moments of his baseball career while also praising the fans at Kauffman Stadium for their support all night long.
"Hard to beat it," Pratto said of his experience. "The fans are so good here. Thank you guys, thank you. Hard to beat it."
Since being called up on July 14 and maintaining his full-time role with the club, Pratto has played in 18 games with the Royals. Of those 18, three of them have been losses by two runs or less. That's just a 16.7% piece of the pie, but a more nuanced look at things would point out how many games Kansas City was truly in before experiencing a minor collapse and ultimately losing by a wide margin. Those winnable contests stick out the most to Pratto, and he says positive energy beams from the clubhouse when he and his teammates manage to come out on the favorable end.
"Having us in close games lately, it hurts when we lose close games," Pratto said. "Today we were able to come through, the first game of the series we were able to come through. There's a good energy in the clubhouse, and it's exciting right now."
In his still-small sample size with the club this season, Pratto is hitting just .196. With that said, he's walking at a 13.4% clip and that's helped him to a .313 OBP. In 67 plate appearances, Pratto's 100 wRC+ has been league average. Strikeouts have been an issue for Pratto, although that's always been a part of his game. He makes up for it with his approach at the plate and his defense at first base. There's nothing wrong with that, especially for such a young player who has a ton of room to grow.
Speaking of youth, the Royals are fielding a ton of it in their lineup right now. Bobby Witt Jr., 22, is posting a 109 wRC+. MJ Melendez, 23, is at 110. Vinnie Pasquantino, 24, is at just 86 but has been hitting the cover off the ball and is due to break out at any moment. Even Kyle Isbel, 25, has been struggling immensely this season but clobbered a solo shot on Saturday that ended up playing a huge role in Kansas City's victory. Michael Massey, 24, will likely be getting more playing time as the season winds down. The youth movement is seeing tangible results early on.
This is what the Royals have been preparing for all season. Jettisoning aging veterans such as Carlos Santana and Whit Merrifield has opened the door for others to enter the fold. Trading Andrew Benintendi allowed for even more flexibility, and it's paying off by way of players such as Melendez and Pratto logging innings in left field. It's a relative unknown what the finished product will look like in regards to this batting order and fielding outline, but that's the point: there may not be a concrete plan. The Royals are adjusting and learning on the fly. If you ask Pratto, that's the exciting part.
"Like I said, it's exciting," Pratto said. "We have a good group of young guys, but we also have a lot of older guys who are embracing it. It's coming together pretty well, and it's exciting."
