The Royals’ Nick Pratto Delay Is (Somewhat) Justified
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As the Kansas City Royals' standing in comparison to other Major League Baseball clubs continues to drop, they keep trotting out the likes of Carlos Santana and Ryan O'Hearn to record at-bats. An argument can be made that the organization's financial ties to Santana justify playing him in excess but in reality, his seat should be piping hot regardless of that. O'Hearn, despite his pinch-hit proficiency in 2022, has also run his course in regards to making a case for consistent playing time.
The fact that two of the Royals' premier prospects are first basemen makes this commitment to Santana and O'Hearn even more puzzling. Vinnie Pasquantino simply keeps producing, regardless of level, and Nick Pratto's power display over the past 12-plus months has been nothing short of remarkable. The former is presumably more likely to be called up soon than the latter, as his bat-to-ball skills are superior at this juncture. It doesn't make much sense to keep holding Pasquantino down in Triple-A Omaha.
While Pratto would very likely outproduce whatever Santana and O'Hearn are offering right now, Kansas City does have a justifiable case for giving him more minor-league at-bats. It's a frustrating case, but a case nonetheless.
Jul 7, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, United States; Kansas City Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi (27) is safe getting back to first base as first baseman Nick Pratto (88) attempts the tag during workouts at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Two words can be used here: strikeout rate. In 124 games back in 2019, before Pratto experienced a resurgence at the plate that injected new life back into his prospect profile, he struck out 34.7% of the time. Last year, when he clobbered 36 home runs across 124 games between Double-A and Triple-A, he posted respective strikeout rates of 29.1% and 28.5%. In 186 plate appearances this year, that number is back up above 30% at 31.7%. The swing-and-miss element of Pratto's game is legitimate, and it's fair to reason that it would be amplified at the highest level of baseball.
If Pratto were an impatient hitter, this would be more of an open-and-shut case. He isn't, though, as his walk rate has been in double-digits in all but one professional season thus far. This year, it's a very healthy 14.5% — a top-25 mark in the Triple-A International League. Despite ranking among the league leaders for worst strikeout rate, he's 68th in SwStr% at 11.2%. The aforementioned swing-and-miss problem doesn't look nearly as pressing anymore.
At his core, Pratto is a rare power hitter who can also be very selective with which pitches he wants to hit. He doesn't boast the highest batting average (and he probably never will), but he still manages to get on base at a good clip because of his ability to draw walks. The strikeout rate, while concerning, isn't quite as big of a deal as many are making it out to be. If anything, he should be swinging more on borderline pitches to hit.
So, to answer the initial question of whether the Royals' Pratto delay is justified... yes, somewhat. Giving him a few more weeks (or a month, or even longer) to fine-tune his approach at the plate and bring that K% down is a valid reason to keep him in Omaha. Is it the right move? Possibly not, but the logic is there.
Pratto projects to strike out often at the big-league level either way, so holding him in the minors may not see much more improvement at this point. The Royals have their reason(s) for not promoting him yet, however, and with Pasquantino likely coming up before him, their case should continue to be broadcast for a while longer. For better or worse, the traffic delay between Omaha and Kansas City has yet to be sped up.
