Royals Former 1st-Rounder Projected To Win Tight Battle For Opening Day Roster Spot
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With two weeks to go before final roster cuts, the pressure is ramping up across Major League Baseball spring training camps.
The Kansas City Royals may have some of the tightest roster battles in the sport. It was another active offseason for Kansas City, but some of the weak positions from last season were left relatively thin, bringing a handful of fringe roster candidates into the mix.
One such candidate is a former first-round pick: first baseman Nick Pratto, who never played in the majors last season after originally debuting in 2022. Now out of minor-league options, this spring could be Pratto's last shot to earn a full-time spot on the Royals' big-league roster.
Because Vinnie Pasquantino is the club's full-time first baseman, Pratto's only realistic shot to make the team is as a platoon outfielder/pinch-hitter. He's had a mixed bag of results so far in spring training, but one Kansas City insider believes he'll eventually have done enough.
On Monday, MLB.com's Anne Rogers projected that Pratto would make the Opening Day roster as a bench player, preventing him from being designated for assignment.
"Pratto, a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, is working in the outfield this spring to increase his versatility. He would represent a lefty power threat off the bench, but he will need to bring his strikeout rate down," Rogers wrote.
"Nelson Velázquez would be the righty power option. Complicating matters is that both Pratto and Velázquez are out of options."
So far this spring, Pratto is 3-for-19 at the plate (.158 AVG), but does have a home run and a double to his name. He's walked three times and struck out six. Strikeouts have been his bugaboo at the major league level, with a 38.7 percent K-rate in 527 career plate appearances.
Every last plate appearance between now and Opening Day matters for Pratto, Velázquez, and several other Royals roster candidates. Tuesday afternoon's matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks could prove consequential even if it means nothing in the standings.
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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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