What’s Next for the Royals Without Vinnie Pasquantino?

The Kansas City Royals are arguably the most surprising team of the 2024 Major League Baseball season.

Entering September 4, the Royals sit in the third American League Wild Card spot, with a 4.5-game lead over the Tigers and Red Sox. They have stayed alive despite a 3-7 record in their last 10 games and a 14-16 record in their last 30.

Now, they have to continue their fight without one of the key cogs of their lineup: Vinnie Pasquantino.

While his full-season numbers don’t meet the expectations many had for him coming into 2024, Vinnie looked to have figured something out before he broke his thumb. The powerful first baseman was a big reason why the team has been in contention up to this point. Over 131 games, he slashed .262/.315/.446 with 19 home runs, 97 driven in, and a 1.3 fWAR.

With the season slowly slipping through their fingers, the Royals will now have to try to “recreate him in the aggregate” if they are to reach the postseason.

Despite the comments from his latest interview, in which he said he does not consider his season to be over, any time the Royals spend without Pasquantino is a big deal.

The front office wasted zero time in trying to piece together replacements to help get by during this time. They claimed Tommy Pham from the Cardinals and Robbie Grossman from the Rangers. They also traded cash considerations for Yuli Gurriel, who was sitting in Triple-A with the Braves.

While the three of them alone won’t be enough to replace everything that Vinnie P was bringing to the Royals lineup. Still, their contributions on the field, and the playoff experience each brings with them, will surely have an impact on the roster as a whole.

Despite their recent struggles, no hope is lost within the Royals clubhouse. Salvador Perez embodies everything that is the Kansas City Royals with his contributions over the years. Bobby Witt Jr. is a perennial MVP candidate for every year in the future, given how he continues to improve day by day.

In a recent piece for the Kansas City Star, Sam McDowell was able to piece together the fact that the trio of Salvy, Bobby, and Vinnie equated to 44.5% of the Royals offense.

It is now time for the rest of the lineup to step up and help pick up the pieces.

Though he was not performing well throughout the majority of the season, Hunter Renfroe’s hamstring injury also did not come at a great time. He, like Pasquantino, was on a decent streak before his injury.

In the immediate future, it seemed as if Yuli Gurriel would occupy the first base position, but after his recent hamstring injury, he might also miss some time.

That may not be a bad thing.

Perez has spent a decent amount of time playing first base for the Royals this year. That is not only because they want to get him out from behind home plate to preserve him, but because Freddy Fermin has been so good for them at, and behind, the plate this season.

In 95 games played, Fermin has hit .290 with a .740 OPS, a 105 wRC+, and 1.9 fWAR. For someone considered to be a backup catcher, that is a pretty good slash line. Getting him more consistent at-bats might be a benefit to the Royals now.

The trade deadline acquisition of Paul DeJong seemed like a head-scratching move at the time, but what he has accomplished this year has been under-appreciated.

The long-time Cardinals shortstop is now playing third base for the Royals and has already hit six home runs in his short time with the team. Since DeJong arrived in Kansas City, he has put up a 123 wRC+ with a .519 slugging percentage in 87 PA.

When it comes to this team’s pitching, the arms have been doing their part. Seth Lugo, even though he has not been the same pitcher since the All-Star break, has done his job to fill innings for the team.

Cole Ragans continues to pump out quality starts consistently, and the trio of Michael Wacha, Brady Singer, and Alec Marsh is piecing together innings to keep Kansas City afloat.

The back end of the bullpen has also been much better after the acquisition of Lucas Erceg to lock down the ninth inning. His set-up men John Schreiber and James McArthur have also been good for the Royals down the stretch.

At the end of the day, you can’t simply replace what Vinnie Pasquantino provided for this Royals ball club. Aside from his on-field performance, his charisma around the team lifted them in a meaningful way.

Though his most recent comments may have been overly optimistic in terms of his suggested timetable to return, just the hope that he’ll be back eventually should keep the light on in that clubhouse and provide the Royals with the internal push they need to continue to compete down the stretch.