As Vinnie Pasquantino circled the bases for the first time this spring, it served as a reminder of what the middle of the order can be this season for the Kansas City Royals.
When healthy, Pasquantino can pack quite a punch. He hit nine homers and had 26 RBIs with 17 doubles in 61 games last year before he underwent surgery for a torn labrum in June and missed the remainder of the season.
Against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday in Surprise, Ariz., the left-handed Pasquantino homered in the first inning right after a Salvador Perez home run. Pasquantino had three hits, including a double, and Bobby Witt Jr. also homered in the Royals’ 6-5 win.
Witt batted second, Perez and Pasquantino hit third and fourth while left fielder Nelson Velazquez had three hits from the five-hole. The Royals also added veteran outfielder Hunter Renfroe in free agency and still have outfielder MJ Melendez, giving them plenty of depth.
“We feel like we can be a pretty formidable middle of the order,” Pasquantino said. “That’s the kind of stuff that we expect to do. I’m not saying we’re all going to hit homers every day, but we’re expecting to drive in runs, get on base and let guys drive us in.”
With Pasquantino out last season, Nick Pratto and Perez played first base. Pratto struggled at times at the plate but played solid defense, which could force Pasquantino to DH much of the time.
The Royals are being cautious with Pasquantino as he hopes to leave camp healthy in a couple weeks. But in the meantime, he’s hoping to continue to make progress at the plate and be ready for Opening Day against the Twins.
“For me that’s a step in the right direction,” Pasquantino said. “And seeing different guys get going too is nice. But at the end of the day it’s spring training. It doesn’t matter until March 28, but it matters to us in terms of how we’re progressing to get to that point.”
