New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals: Lineup preview

Sixth in runs scored and sixth in runs allowed, the Kansas City Royals were and are a better team than their 86-76 record might indicate. By Pythagorean record, a 91-71 mark is, in fact, more in line with their true ability. The American League Division Series is here, with the Yankees and Royals about to battle at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 tonight. My colleague Nick Sarnelli already broke down the pitching matchups, so now it's time to consider the Kansas City offense.

Those who followed the Royals' Wild Card Series win in Baltimore know that pitching is what helped the Royals advance. They allowed just a single run in a pair of one-run wins over the O's. That being said, an offense that scored the sixth-most runs in cavernous Kauffman Stadium is not one to be trifled with.

First things first, the Royals faced two righties against the Orioles, and so they sent out similar lineups in both games of that playoff series. Against the Yankees , they'll at least see southpaw Carlos Rodón in Game 2, so expect multiple changes because there are platoon options throughout this lineup for KC skipper Matt Quatraro.

Focusing strictly on the offense we saw take the field against the Orioles, things start off with Michael Massey as the leadoff man, something that'll probably change against lefties. While the baseball world has moved towards more walk-heavy, power guys at the top, Massey is a bit of an odd choice. He definitely brings a decent level of power (.449 SLG), but he doesn't have great plate discipline, walking less than five percent of the time. There's also zero speed to his game, with only one steal in 2024 and a 33rd-percentile sprint speed.

In the second hole, you have the likely AL MVP if Aaron Judge wasn't around, Bobby Witt Jr. The 24-year-old is the quintessential five-tool player in baseball. A 30/30 campaign with a .332 batting average tells you all you need to know about the type of bat that can carry a team over a short-term series. Witt can do it all, and the Yankees must beware.

While there are dangerous pieces around Witt, he doesn't have a Juan Soto-level partner to somewhat nullify pitching around him.

Vinnie Pasquantino follows up as a quality option at first base and or DH. The lefty hitter isn't the power threat you'd expect from a player of his stature, with only 19 homers on the year. However, his elite ability to put the bat on the ball is something to be mindful of, running a very low 12.7-percent strikeout rate. There's also the question of his health, as Pasquantino only just returned to the lineup for the Wild Card Series after missing all of September with a broken thumb. To his credit, he did go 2-for-7 in the two games.

Probably the first player that comes to mind when you think Royals, Salvador Perez, is coming off yet another All-Star campaign with the reliability of availability. However it came to be, Salvy has taken his game to a different level in 2024, courtesy of a career-high 6.8-percent walk rate, and the best OBP (.330) in a full 162-game season of his career. Perez will be aggressive in hunting mistakes, and his 27 homers tied for the second-most of his career.

The Astros are done with the playoffs in 2024, but it doesn't mean the Yankees won't see any of their former players across their run. At age 40, Yuli Gurriel was buried in the Braves' minor league system for much of the year until KC acquired him at the end of August with Pasquantino hurt. They DH'd the latter in the Wild Card Series and continued with Gurrel in the starting role at first. The oldest position player in baseball's .635 OPS in 54 at-bats isn't anything crazy, but he does bring a ton of playoff experience to a roster lacking in that department. Would it really surprise you to see a former Astro poke the Yankees in the eye one more time in October?

MJ Melendez and one of Hunter Renfroe or Tommy Pham usually start out that second half of the order, batting sixth and seventh. When facing lefties, Melendez takes a sit and the two righties get the start in both corner outfields. Melendez had his best month of the season in August with a .944 OPS, but has since taken a significant downturn, and overall, his 2024 campaign was a rather disappointing one, worth nearly 1.0 negative bWAR.

The Royals are Pham's third team in 2024 and by far the one with his worst production. His play just got worse and worse as he moved from the White Sox to the Cardinals to Kansas City. Much like Renfroe, he brings a decent chunk of postseason experience. Pham was one of the Diamondbacks' better hitters last October during their run to the National League pennant, notching a .772 OPS and separate four-hit games against the Dodgers and Rangers.

Starting primarily due to his defensive work, Kyle Isbel gets the nod in center and bats eighth, usually with Maikel Garcia rounding things out. The Royals' third baseman is a dangerous baserunner in the ninth-hole, Garcia stole a team-leading 37 bags in only 39 attempts.

The veteran Paul DeJong is an option off the bench if the Royals are looking to deploy his 24-homer power, and Quatraro isn't afraid to rotate capable backup catcher Freddy Fermin into the game with Perez moving to first base. Also, expect to see Dairon Blanco entering the game any time KC is looking to steal a bag late in the game. He's 56-for-68 (82.3%) across 162 career games from 2022-24, and he already stole a base in a playoff pinch-running situation against Adley Rutschman and the Orioles.