Royals John Rave Primed for Fourth Outfielder Role in 2027
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While the 2026 season got away from the Royals, there were a handful of positives from the "evaluation" period of the season. One of those positives came from John Rave as he put together a solid second cup of coffee at the majors. With impact outfield bats being a major need for the Royals, again, Rave could easily slot in as the fourth outfielder on the 2027 roster.
In 161 plate appearances, Rave slashed .232/.314/.430 for an OPS of .744 and a wRC+ of 105. Those may not be the flashiest numbers, but it is a stark difference from his 2025 where he had a 65 wRC+ in 175 plate appearances. Let's dive into the profile of John Rave to see what he brings to the table as a bench piece.
Potential Late Bloomer with Intriguing Profile
The soon-to-be 29-year-old is looking to become a key contributor as a late bloomer, and he has a profile to build on that could make him that contributor. Starting with his strengths, Rave has shown throughout his first two cups of coffee that he can draw walks at an above-average rate, with a career 10.4% walk rate. Even in the minor leagues, Rave has always drawn walks with an above-10 % walk rate in every minor league season.
In the minor leagues, he also was able to show some pop with ISO's hovering from .150 to .200, but that never translated in 2025 during his first cup of coffee at the majors. In 2026, that pop began to show through as he finished the season with an ISO of .197. What helped him was his 10.5% barrel rate and his 24.5% pull-air rate.
The power surge also came from the fact that he has an extreme batted ball profile, which shows his highest batted ball rate being fly balls at 43.4%. While that has negatives, mainly with his IFFB% (infield fly ball rate) being 11.6%, it has a major positive in his HR/FB% being 14.0%. Going into his splits, on fly balls he has a wRC+ of 214 due to a .302 average and .860 slugging.
However, his batted-ball profile has issues. He hits grounders at a 42.4% rate and, based on his splits, has a wRC+ of 3 on grounders despite his speed. Rave also doesn't hit line drives at a good rate, as it stood at 14.1% to close the season. While the extreme batted-ball profile worked for 2026, it is slightly concerning if his fly ball rate dips below 40%.
So, the walks and power showed out in 2026, what else can he bring to the table?
Top Notch Speed and Good Corner Outfield Play
While the bat was good in 2026, Rave showed that he can be a good baserunner and a good corner outfielder. On the basepaths, he had 8 stolen bases and was caught only once, and per FanGraphs, he was worth 1.9 BsR. Baseball Savant backs that up, as they have him worth 2 baserunning runs. He does this with an 87th percentile sprint speed.
In the field, he played all three outfield positions and showed his best work in the corners. Right field is where he showed his best work, with 5 DRS, 3 OAA, and 2 FRV. The issue is that he was pedestrian in LF with no DRS, no OAA, and 1 FRV, and below average in center field with -2 DRS, -1 OAA, and -1 FRV. Despite that, as a fourth outfielder, having a borderline Gold Glove RF isn't exactly the worst thing if he is slightly below average in LF and CF.
Conclusion
John Rave had a mini breakout season that put him as the 8th most valuable Royal by fWAR with 1.0. If he can put that value up in only 161 plate appearances. The Royals don't really have to look for a fourth outfielder in free agency, especially if Rave is the prime candidate for that role. With his profile showing some solid walk rates, power, speed, and fielding, he is the ideal fourth outfielder.
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Trey is no stranger to writing about the Royals as he has done it for 6 years now for various blogs (Kings of Kauffman, Inside The Royals, and Farm to Fountains). He is a graduate of Baker University with a degree in Mass Media with an emphasis in sports media. He enjoys watching and researching sports as well as gaming.
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