The Kansas City Royals are running out of time to make a push for the postseason. Even following a win on Wednesday, the team is four games back of the Seattle Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spot. They have a key series next week with Seattle, but the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians have both heated up and passed the Royals in the standings.
That doesn’t mean that 2025 has been a total loss for the Royals, however. They have received major contributions from some unexpected sources. Noah Cameron has emerged as one of their top starting pitchers, and third baseman Maikel Garcia has taken some important steps forward.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently ranked all 30 Major League teams’ starting third basemen, and Garcia was ranked second on the list.
“f there were a Most Improved Player Award in baseball, Maikel García might be the front-runner to take home the hardware in 2025, alongside Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong,” Reuter writes.
“A year ago, his 71 wRC+ ranked dead last among 129 qualified hitters across baseball, as he hit .231/.281/.332 over 626 plate appearances.
This year, he has raised his walk rate (6.7 to 9.1%) and backed up his increased power production with significant spikes to his expected slugging (.366 to .449) and batted-ball improvements across the board.”
Garcia was an All-Star for the first time this year. He even has a chance to win his first Gold Glove Award at the end of the year. The 25-year-old is hitting .292/.355/.467 with 16 home runs, 68 RBI, 22 stolen bases, a 5.1 WAR and an .823 OPS. He also has a 129 OPS+ and has collected 156 hits in 535 at-bats this year.
The Royals are going to need Garcia to continue at this torrid pace if they want to make it back to the postseason. They are certainly longshots to make it, but Garcia has had a truly remarkable season and could even be considered for AL Comeback Player of the Year after a down 2024 season.
It will be interesting to see if the Royals can get hot, but if they do, Garcia will be a key contributor as they make a push for the final Wild Card spot with less than three weeks to go in the regular season.
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