The Royals have a somewhat underwhelming history at DH. Since 1969, Kansas City designated hitters ranks 12 among 16 qualified franchises in wRC+ and fWAR. In fact, Astros designated hitters have already accumulated 27% of the Royals’ total fWAR contribution from its designated hitters despite having been in the American League for just nine seasons.
Since 2017, only the White Sox and Tigers have lower fWARs from their designated hitters than the Royals. So if you’re a glass-half-full kinda person, Kansas City designated hitters are right in the middle of their division in production!
If you’re a glass-half-empty kinda person, though, it certainly looks a lot like this problem will continue into 2022.