Sam McDowell at the Star has five takeaways from the first two weeks of the season:
Those three hitters in the middle of the order combined for a 1.025 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with runners in scoring position in 2024. Witt was second in baseball at 1.183, Pasquantino 14th and Perez 15th. A year later, that trio has combined for a .695 OPS in those same spots. They’ve totaled just one home run with a runner on second or third, and it came off that bat of Pasquantino on opening day. Wonder how the Royals rank in the bottom third of the league in runs over a 12-game stretch?