Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans has been named the team's Opening Day starter. Ragans ascent has been something to behold, as he went from an afterthought with the Rangers to a bonafide stud almost immediately after joining the Royals. Although his spring numbers aren't quite on the level of his second-half numbers from last year, the 26-year-old has still flashed good stuff and shown why he is being selected in the top 100 of most drafts. He may be a risk, but his upside is worthy of where he is being taken.

Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez hit his second home run of the spring on Saturday in a 7-6 Cactus League loss to the Cubs. Melendez went 2-for-4 in the contest, with a double, home run, three RBI, and one run scored. He was also caught trying to steal third base. The Royals' leadoff hitter is stuffing the stat sheet this spring, going 11-for-30 (.367) with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored, a stolen base, and a BB:K of 5:5. The lefty hitter is currently projected to be in a platoon situation as he was much more productive against RHP last season, but if he were able to secure a full-time role he would be much more valuable for fantasy purposes hitting atop the Royals lineup and he may even attain eligibility at catcher on some sites.

Washington Nationals reliever Hunter Harvey pitched one inning of relief on Friday in a 7-3 Grapefruit League win over the Mets. Harvey has had a nice spring, allowing six hits and two earned runs with a 10:1 K:BB over six and one-third innings pitched (2.84 ERA). The 29-year-old is coming off the best season of his career and looks primed to have a repeat performance in 2024. Staying healthy has always been an issue for him, but even missing time last season he was still able to collect 10 saves and 19 holds. If the Nats' primary closer Kyle Finnegan falters, Harvey would be in a prime spot to take over the duties full-time.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez continued to struggle at the plate in a 6-1 Cactus League loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. The 25-year-old did draw a walk but also went hitless in three trips to the plate as he's now hitting just .172 (5-for-29) with just one extra-base hit, one RBI, and eight strikeouts across 33 trips to the plate. Penciled in as the Royals' designated hitter for 2024, Velazquez hit .235 with a hefty 17 home runs and an .888 OPS across just 53 games between the Royals and Chicago Cubs. While his overall production is projected to drop, Velazquez is still projected to slug 23 home runs with six stolen bases across 102 games played by ATC in the 2024 season.

Chicago White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong slugged his third homer of the spring as part of a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in Cactus League action on Friday. Signed to a one-year deal by the White Sox this offseason, DeJong is up to a .297 average with 13 RBI and a stolen base to go along with his three homers, producing a .928 OPS in the process. While the strong spring numbers are encouraging, DeJong has fallen off a cliff at the plate in recent seasons. Last season, he hit just .207 with 14 home runs and four stolen bases across 112 games between the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Giants a season ago. He should begin the season as the club's everyday shortstop but prospect Colson Montgomery should take over at some point this season.