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benp28 · 06-25-2025, 11:05 AM

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Catcher

Nelson Saiz continues to be a great investment by the Royals, a 138 wRC+ with 23 HRs providing 4.8 WAR. Arturo Ruano was the best backup the Royals have given Saiz, a 117 wRC+ in 165 PA, with a 3.0 FRM rating meaning Stewart expects to Royals to run this duo back in 2051.

Infield

All of the infielders to finish the season returned wRC+ above league average, demonstrating the strength across the batting line up.

1B Bernalldino Igrejas put up a 131 wRC+ with 20+ HRs and a .295 AVE. A league minimum contract means Igrejas is set fair for years to come.

2B Juan Montelongo was this year's best hitter in the American League. The 23-year-old second baseman collected the batting title with a .324 average. In addition, he put up 7.8 WAR (4th best Royals season of all time), with 25 HRs and 79 RBIs. His 117 R is the 7th most in a Royals season.

3B David de Anda took advantage of Jadon Tezeno’s injury and locked himself into the third base position with a 153 wRC+, 31 HRs and 21 SBs. He put up 5.7 WAR despite only appearing in 129 G.

SS Jonathan Lish (126 wRC+) was the hitting weak link of the IF but his glove was exceptional, 5.1% better than league average to give him 5.0 WAR.

Steve Katzin survived the 2B midseason purge and that certainly allowed him to relax, putting up a 100 wRC+ in 175 PAs. He will have to improve in 2051 but Stewart hopes the Royals give him that chance.

Jadon Tezeno suffered an injury early in the season and, on his return, was limited to a DH role. He excelled in this role, with a 126 wRC+ and 20 HRs. With the excess of IF quality on the Royals roster, if anyone is at risk of moving on, Stewart guesses that Tezeno is it.

Outfield

The Royals had some injuries in the OF which saw seven players log over 20 G.

In LF Domingo Carrillo started 79 G and put up a 123 wRC+ with 16 HRs. Later in the season he split time with Esmarly Roseberry, his 132 wRC+ in 167 PAs hinting at a great future. Carrillo is certainly at risk in a crowded OF, Stewart believing he would be ripe to cash in on as he enters his second arbitration year.

In CF Jorge Corujo only managed to appear in 34 G as injuries ruined his season. A 112 wRC+ shows he still has value but injuries are taking a toll on his glove and it may be time to move on from one of the all-time great base stealers in Royals history. That is because CF Mike Gronkiewicz stepped in for Corujo and more than held his own with his glove and his bat is elite – 27 HRs, 98 RBIs, a 134 wRC+, and 56 SBs all adding up to 7.3 WAR, 8th best in Royals history.

RF Bobby Nickelberry also struggled with injury, appearing in only 92 G, but managing a 128 wRC+, with 18 HRs and 2.9 WAR.

A.J. Terry took his chance in Nickelberry’s absence, becoming an everyday player, who hit 147 wRC+ with 39 HRs and 32 SBs. His 6.0 WAR is going to lead to some difficult decisions for the Royals in the offseason as he enters his penultimate arbitration year.

Jon Garrison got his ML chance and, while he didn’t struggle, only managed a 99 wRC+ to look below the required level in this Royals OF. He is a prime candidate for trade over the winter, with multiple years of team control and some untapped potential.

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Starters

The Royals midseason revamp of the rotation worked as the Royals win their 5th World Series of the Stewart era. T.J. Nooks and Braden Montalbano were the clear aces, putting up 6.1 and 4.7 WAR respectively. Nooks finished with a scarcely believable 20-1 record while Montalbano put up the 7th best ERA season in Royals history (2.50). Nooks’ .952 winning percentage will go down as the greatest season of all-time, topping Johnny Allen’s .938% from 1937 with Cleveland. It’s the first pitching All-time record to go in the save, and only the third in total after Strikeouts (multiple, currently Evarado Camacho) and Doubles (twice, currently Jake Moore).

Behind them, Rob Cope featured in 28 G, putting up 2.6 WAR with a 96 FIP- to be a little better than league average. Danny Mueller struggled in the first half of the season but ended up only giving away 0.1 WAR and while he is not the future, the Royals will likely try to keep him around, if at AAA. Jeff Mole and Dusty Glick both made minimal starts and, in the case of Glick, probably pitched himself out a contract with the Royals.

Both midseason acquisitions, Shammond Fairwell and Steve Mondie were good, but not great once coming over, but all tied into multi year contracts with the Royals contributing minimal amounts and so are locked in for the coming year.

The big decision for the Royals management will be whether to invest in T.J. Nooks who is QO eligible this offseason and looking for an 8-year, $310m contract which the Royals currently don’t have budget to accommodate.

Bullpen

In the bullpen, performances suggest that every pitcher could come back with the likely exception of Mike Krebs.

However, that doesn’t consider the contract situation. The Royals have two players with TO decisions in Juan Anaya and Luis Danys Rhodes. At $12m Stewart probably wouldn’t bring back Anaya who saw his role change after the trade deadline to a less used MR. Rhodes $7.5m contract is more difficult, having put up 2.2 WAR while appearing in 56 G with a 2.92 ERA. His SD:MD ratio remained high at 21:12 but he struggled in the post season and was injured during the season. This would be a coin flip decision for Stewart.

Eligible for arbitration are C.J. Binkle, Benton Geldart, Krebs, Chris Morrow, and Chris Curry. Reviewing performance the two Chris’ would undoubtably be back but it might be time for the Royals to move on from Binkle, with Geldart and Krebs almost certainly not being offered a contract.

Overall, the Royals remain in an incredibly strong position and, no matter the offseason decisions, will enter the 2051 season as favourites to repeat as World Series Champions.

06-25-2025, 11:05 AM	#667
benp28 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2024 Posts: 875	2050 Year End Player Evaluations Catcher Nelson Saiz continues to be a great investment by the Royals, a 138 wRC+ with 23 HRs providing 4.8 WAR. Arturo Ruano was the best backup the Royals have given Saiz, a 117 wRC+ in 165 PA, with a 3.0 FRM rating meaning Stewart expects to Royals to run this duo back in 2051. Infield All of the infielders to finish the season returned wRC+ above league average, demonstrating the strength across the batting line up. 1B Bernalldino Igrejas put up a 131 wRC+ with 20+ HRs and a .295 AVE. A league minimum contract means Igrejas is set fair for years to come. 2B Juan Montelongo was this year's best hitter in the American League. The 23-year-old second baseman collected the batting title with a .324 average. In addition, he put up 7.8 WAR (4th best Royals season of all time), with 25 HRs and 79 RBIs. His 117 R is the 7th most in a Royals season. 3B David de Anda took advantage of Jadon Tezeno’s injury and locked himself into the third base position with a 153 wRC+, 31 HRs and 21 SBs. He put up 5.7 WAR despite only appearing in 129 G. SS Jonathan Lish (126 wRC+) was the hitting weak link of the IF but his glove was exceptional, 5.1% better than league average to give him 5.0 WAR. Steve Katzin survived the 2B midseason purge and that certainly allowed him to relax, putting up a 100 wRC+ in 175 PAs. He will have to improve in 2051 but Stewart hopes the Royals give him that chance. Jadon Tezeno suffered an injury early in the season and, on his return, was limited to a DH role. He excelled in this role, with a 126 wRC+ and 20 HRs. With the excess of IF quality on the Royals roster, if anyone is at risk of moving on, Stewart guesses that Tezeno is it. Outfield The Royals had some injuries in the OF which saw seven players log over 20 G. In LF Domingo Carrillo started 79 G and put up a 123 wRC+ with 16 HRs. Later in the season he split time with Esmarly Roseberry, his 132 wRC+ in 167 PAs hinting at a great future. Carrillo is certainly at risk in a crowded OF, Stewart believing he would be ripe to cash in on as he enters his second arbitration year. In CF Jorge Corujo only managed to appear in 34 G as injuries ruined his season. A 112 wRC+ shows he still has value but injuries are taking a toll on his glove and it may be time to move on from one of the all-time great base stealers in Royals history. That is because CF Mike Gronkiewicz stepped in for Corujo and more than held his own with his glove and his bat is elite – 27 HRs, 98 RBIs, a 134 wRC+, and 56 SBs all adding up to 7.3 WAR, 8th best in Royals history. RF Bobby Nickelberry also struggled with injury, appearing in only 92 G, but managing a 128 wRC+, with 18 HRs and 2.9 WAR. A.J. Terry took his chance in Nickelberry’s absence, becoming an everyday player, who hit 147 wRC+ with 39 HRs and 32 SBs. His 6.0 WAR is going to lead to some difficult decisions for the Royals in the offseason as he enters his penultimate arbitration year. Jon Garrison got his ML chance and, while he didn’t struggle, only managed a 99 wRC+ to look below the required level in this Royals OF. He is a prime candidate for trade over the winter, with multiple years of team control and some untapped potential. Starters The Royals midseason revamp of the rotation worked as the Royals win their 5th World Series of the Stewart era. T.J. Nooks and Braden Montalbano were the clear aces, putting up 6.1 and 4.7 WAR respectively. Nooks finished with a scarcely believable 20-1 record while Montalbano put up the 7th best ERA season in Royals history (2.50). Nooks’ .952 winning percentage will go down as the greatest season of all-time, topping Johnny Allen’s .938% from 1937 with Cleveland. It’s the first pitching All-time record to go in the save, and only the third in total after Strikeouts (multiple, currently Evarado Camacho) and Doubles (twice, currently Jake Moore). Behind them, Rob Cope featured in 28 G, putting up 2.6 WAR with a 96 FIP- to be a little better than league average. Danny Mueller struggled in the first half of the season but ended up only giving away 0.1 WAR and while he is not the future, the Royals will likely try to keep him around, if at AAA. Jeff Mole and Dusty Glick both made minimal starts and, in the case of Glick, probably pitched himself out a contract with the Royals. Both midseason acquisitions, Shammond Fairwell and Steve Mondie were good, but not great once coming over, but all tied into multi year contracts with the Royals contributing minimal amounts and so are locked in for the coming year. The big decision for the Royals management will be whether to invest in T.J. Nooks who is QO eligible this offseason and looking for an 8-year, $310m contract which the Royals currently don’t have budget to accommodate. Bullpen In the bullpen, performances suggest that every pitcher could come back with the likely exception of Mike Krebs. However, that doesn’t consider the contract situation. The Royals have two players with TO decisions in Juan Anaya and Luis Danys Rhodes. At $12m Stewart probably wouldn’t bring back Anaya who saw his role change after the trade deadline to a less used MR. Rhodes $7.5m contract is more difficult, having put up 2.2 WAR while appearing in 56 G with a 2.92 ERA. His SD:MD ratio remained high at 21:12 but he struggled in the post season and was injured during the season. This would be a coin flip decision for Stewart. Eligible for arbitration are C.J. Binkle, Benton Geldart, Krebs, Chris Morrow, and Chris Curry. Reviewing performance the two Chris’ would undoubtably be back but it might be time for the Royals to move on from Binkle, with Geldart and Krebs almost certainly not being offered a contract. Overall, the Royals remain in an incredibly strong position and, no matter the offseason decisions, will enter the 2051 season as favourites to repeat as World Series Champions.