Key Kansas City Royals’ hitters feel good about the pace of camp in spite of late start
The MLB lockout led to a delayed start to big-league camps and a reduced spring training schedule.
It would make some sense for players to want to maximize the number of plate appearances they make in Cactus League games as a means of tuning up for the regular season.
Yet every Kansas City Royals starting position player from the first two spring training exhibition games got the day off from Monday’s road game against the Los Angeles Angels in Tempe.
For Whit Merrifield, Salvador Perez and Nicky Lopez, the shortened window of preparation for opening day hasn’t altered their approach to spring training.
“Spring training has always been too long,” Merrifield said. “Always. For hitters it takes, I mean, two weeks maybe to feel like you’ve seen everything. At this point in my career there are very few things that a pitcher can throw that are surprising. So it’s just a matter of, I guess, seeing it again.
“But hitting is such a day-by-day thing. It’s constantly evolving. Even during the season, you’re constantly making adjustments and trying to figure out if the timing is off and how to adjust it. It’s really more about being out there on spikes for nine innings and we’ll be good with that by, probably, next week.”
Merrifield has been mainstay as the club’s leadoff hitter for the better part of the past five seasons and led the majors in hits in 2018 and 2019.
He became just the second right-handed hitter to lead the majors in hits in consecutive seasons along with Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett (1988-89) and the first player to accomplish that feat in consecutive years since Ichiro Suzuki (2006-10). The only other Royals player to do so was George Brett (1975-76).
Merrifield has no sense of being rushed or being under the gun because of the shortened camp.
“Spring training is the length it is, one, because back in the day guys had other jobs in the offseason and they needed spring training to get in shape,” Merrifield said. “Now, this is our full-time job, and we’re in shape when we get here.
“Also, I do feel bad for the towns that rely on this. So that’s the other aspect of why it’s so long. … I’m not concerned at all, from a hitting standpoint, with the length of spring training.”
All-Star catcher Salvador Perez led the majors in RBIs (121) and tied for the major-league lead in home runs (48) last season. He also tied the franchise’s single-season record for home runs and won his fourth Silver Slugger Award.
Perez’s 48 homers were the most in a season for a primary catcher (at least 75% of games played at catcher) in major-league history.
“Me, I feel good,” said Perez, who homered in Sunday’s exhibition game. “Every time I step up to the plate, I feel great. I want to hit a home run every at-bat.”
Perez said he’d kept up the same offseason routine that helped set the stage for last year’s record-setting performance at the plate.
“I don’t think we need extra at-bats,” Perez said. “We just try to do what we do every spring training, get yourself ready for the season and try to be ready for April 7. It doesn’t feel anything different.”
Royals manager Mike Matheny has said since the spring training opener that the club would be cautious with how they progressed through exhibition games due to the condensed nature of camp and games starting after just four days of full-squad workouts.
“They know when the gate is going to open up,” Matheny said. “They know what they feel. … What I’m seeing right now is good at-bats as far as the timing goes. I don’t see many guys that look off. Pitch recognition is there. I think a lot of it has to do with the ramped up intensity of our training, the more deliberate work. I think that’s helping as well.”
Last season, Lopez, became the first Royals left-handed hitter to bat .300 since Eric Hosmer batted .318 in 2017.
Lopez also set career highs in hits (149), run scored (78), triples (six), RBIs (43), extra-base hits (29), walks (49), stolen bases (22), on-base percentage (.365) and OPS (.744).
“I actually feel really good right now,” Lopez said. “I’m seeing the ball pretty well, laying off tough pitches, kind of working counts and just making solid contact at the plate. That’s mainly what you want to do in spring training.”
Lopez said he’s confident that they’ll ramp up the game repetitions as they get closer to the regular-season opener.
In the meantime, it’s important for the players to take care of their bodies and take advantage of the down time.
Lopez also said he appreciated the shorter spring training. His primary concern coming into the shorter camp was for the pitchers and their health as they ramp up in a condensed period of time.
Many steps can be taken to prepare hitters.
“The resources are definitely there,” Lopez said. “You’ve just got to utilize them. It’s been very helpful seeing the machine, the curveball machine, seeing some spin that we’re probably not accustomed to seeing in the offseason unless you’re facing live pitching.
“The way they organize the schedule to have us see lives, then have us see coach pitching and then have us see a machine, it was definitely a smooth transition when we went into the game. They do a really good job. I think we’ll be ready.”
