Royals Writer Raises Concern Over 27-Year-Old Fan Favorite's Slow Start
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Too many Kansas City Royals hitters are struggling right now, and that includes the team's beloved first baseman.
Vinnie Pasquantino hit a huge home run on Opening Day, but ever since, he's been mired in a slump. He's currently slashing .188/.269/.333 through his first 78 plate appearances, posting -0.2 bWAR in the process.
Pasquantino bats third for the Royals and plays an offense-first position, so he needs to produce at the plate to help the team win. It's still very early and not everything in his offensive profile is worrisome at the moment, but a rational fan could be fairly concerned about the fan favorite.
How much concern is there in the underlying data? That's the topic Connor Moylan of Royals Review tackled on Friday. Moylan rated Pasquantino's "panic level" at a 2.5 out of five based on early results and observations.
"Vinnie is swinging at more pitches and missing at more pitches, both inside and outside the strike zone. His career contact percentage is 85.6%, his 2025 contact percentage is 77.2%. His 15.4% strikeout percentage is higher than his career average but is still a good number overall," Moylan wrote.
"Pasquantino has been an elite contact guy throughout his career and I like to bet on those guys to bounce back, but something just seems off with him right now and I think it’s related to his approach. I still would expect much better numbers from the first baseman, but I’m starting to wonder whether his rookie year really will be the best we see from him."
The 27-year-old Pasquantino posted a 135 OPS+ as a rookie in 2022, then dipped to a 106 in 2023 and 111 in 2024. The downward trend is concerning, particularly because last year was the first season in which he played over 100 games.
Fortunately for the Royals' long-term outlook, first base is the one position Kansas City has a perfect Plan B. Top prospect Jac Caglianone has only played first so far in the minors, and could be ready to debut by midseason.
Ideally, though, the Royals want Pasquantino and Caglianone to coexist in the lineup for years to come.
More MLB: Royals Insider Reveals Stat Showing How Unlucky KC's Offense Has Been In 2025
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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