Royals Insider Reveals Stat Showing How Unlucky KC's Offense Has Been In 2025
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Any fan who has watched a majority of the Kansas City Royals' games so far this season can attest to the fact that the offense is floundering.
Over their past nine games, the Royals have scored 17 runs, and it's no accident that they're 2-7 over that stretch. It's early, but Kansas City is allowing the Detroit Tigers, who beat them 6-1 on Thursday, to build a bit of a lead atop the American League Central.
There are plenty of individuals who could share in the blame, but when the offense as a whole isn't clicking, it's hard to snap out of the funk. But the Royals proved last season that even if this group isn't exactly Murderers Row, they're better than what they're showing.
Plus, over such a small sample, a few bad-luck swings can have a big impact on a team's overall statistics. MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers illustrated that very point after the team's loss on Thursday.
"Because it is so early in the season, it’s hard to tell completely if the Royals are unlucky, although the difference between their slugging percentage (.308) and expected slugging percentage (.383) was -.075, second most in MLB. Their .254 BABIP was tied for 26th entering Thursday," Rogers wrote.
"So there is some thought that the Royals’ luck will turn, although by how much remains to be seen. That’s why you hear hitters talk so much about the process rather than results."
Rogers also noted that the Royals currently rank 12th in MLB in average exit velocity (89.5 miles per hour), ninth in strikeout rate (21.9 percent) and 12th in line drive rate (19.4 percent). All of these things point to an eventual turnaround, even if they're not suddenly going to start scoring 10 runs per game.
The question, though, is how long the Royals will have to wait for things to start clicking. If they take too long, they could end up in a sizable hole in their quest to return to the playoffs.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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