Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had an incredible 2024 season that resulted in him being the runner-up for the American League MVP award, but he wants to be more efficient as a baserunner in 2025. "I'm one of the fastest guys in the league, so I shouldn't be getting thrown out the way I am," Witt said. He stole 31 bases last year, tied for 12th-most in baseball, but he was also caught 12 times, the third-most in MLB. Per Statcast, his base-stealing value was only plus-one run created, which was tied for 35th in the league. Witt already has elite speed, but he focused on speed work this winter and said he "just feels faster." The 24-year-old's average lead distance gained on steal attempts has decreased in each of his three seasons, and it was more than two feet below league average in 2024. Increasing his reaction time and getting better jumps could help one of the best overall players in the game return to the 40-steal mark in 2025.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco (Achilles) had an X-ray on Monday that showed nothing concerning regarding his right-Achilles soreness, but he is getting an MRI exam on Tuesday as a precaution. The 31-year-old was scratched from Monday's Cactus League lineup against the Athletics and should be considered day-to-day for now in camp. When healthy, Blanco will likely be a reserve outfielder for the Royals' big-league squad in 2025. The Cuban outfielder played in a career-high 88 games for the Royals in his third major-league season in 2024 and hit .258/.308/.392 with a below-average .699 OPS, only four home runs, 13 RBI, 31 stolen bases and 37 runs scored in 132 plate appearances. Most of his success has come against left-handed pitching, but he can be useful for his speed in deeper fantasy leagues as a pinch-runner/defensive replacement late in games.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh (shoulder) is responding well after throwing his first bullpen session in camp on Monday and is scheduled to throw another one on Thursday. Marsh, who dealt with right-shoulder soreness in the offseason, threw 25 pitches on Monday and described it as a "normal" bullpen in terms of intensity. He'll throw a couple more bullpens before facing hitters in live batting practice. At this point, it's unclear if the 26-year-old will be completely built up and ready to go for Opening Day in late March. From a pure innings standpoint, Marsh is probably out of the competition for a starting rotation spot. "I'm just going to take it one week at a time," Marsh said. In 25 starts for the Royals in 2024, Marsh went 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA, 123 strikeouts and 39 walks in 129 innings pitched. In 12-team fantasy leagues, Marsh can be avoided.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans, who tossed two scoreless innings in his Cactus League debut on Monday against the Athletics, has been focusing on his slider early in spring training. He averaged 96.9 mph with the 17 fastballs that he threw and topped out at 98.3 mph. Ragans wants to get back to the success he had in the second half of 2023 when he first introduced his slider. "The movement was right where we wanted it," Ragans said. "Just more so now getting it to that down and glove side [part of the plate] instead of over the plate." The 27-year-old southpaw just signed a three-year, $13.25 million extension with KC several weeks ago after he became one of the team's top starters in 2024 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 K's in 186 1/3 regular-season innings. Fantasy managers should target him as a low-end No.1/high-end No. 2 starting pitcher.

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Alec Marsh (shoulder) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Monday. After the session, Marsh expressed that this was his "first bullpen of the year." The 26-year-old is currently working his way back from shoulder tightness. Marsh began feeling this tightness during an offseason throwing program. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he is still slightly behind schedule. Marsh is expected to compete for a spot in the Kansas City rotation when he is cleared for action. Last season, the 26-year-old posted a 4.53 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP across 129 frames. He tallied 123 punchouts but generated a hefty 4.97 xERA. He also generated a weak 38.8 percent ground-ball rate. Marsh will compete alongside Kris Bubic for the final spot in the rotation.