Royals fans are all-in on Jac.
In this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, 80% of Kansas City fans picked Jac’s breakout as the performance that has them most excited for 2027. That’s an overwhelming number, and it left plenty of room for the rest of the field to trail far behind.
Cameron’s post-break performance drew 13% of the vote, while Carter Jensen’s solid and rapidly improving season got 4%. Bobby Witt Jr.’s continued excellence finished at just 3%.
That result makes sense in one way. Carter Jensen had been in something of a slump, so it’s not hard to see why he wouldn’t have been the top choice for everyone before this week. But Bobby landing all the way down at 3% is still a surprise.
Part of that may simply be familiarity. Fans are used to Bobby being Bobby, the same way Chiefs fans are used to Patrick Mahomes being Pat.
There’s also the fact that so much of Bobby’s value comes from his defense, while his power numbers have dropped hard since 2024. Big defensive plays stand out, but as the saying goes, everyone knows that chicks dig the long ball.
(Chicks, in this case, being baseball fans in general.)
The encouraging piece for Bobby is that, for most of his career, his SLG and xSLG have tracked closely together. This season, though, his SLG is 62 points lower than his xSLG. Last year he finished with 23 home runs and also added 47 doubles, but the bigger concern now is that his xSLG is still 80 points below his 2024 mark and 25 points behind 2023.
Unless he puts together a big September, this will go down as the worst ISO season of Bobby’s career. He’s still young, and there are questions about how healthy he was before he went on the IL, so a bounce-back next season is absolutely on the table. But the numbers are pushing Kansas City toward a tougher thought: Bobby Witt Jr. may not be a perennial MVP candidate after all.
In Other News...
Royals Win Took A Weird Turn Because Of Craig Kimbrel
A routine night at Kauffman Stadium took an unsettling turn when Craig Kimbrel started feeling nauseous in the middle of his appearance and eventually vomited on the mound. The Royals later confirmed the issue was nausea, and the bizarre scene quickly became a talking point as the Marlins broadcast showed footage of the incident.
Kimbrel stayed in long enough to throw one pitch after vomiting, and that pitch hit a batter before manager Matt Quatraro pulled him from the game. For a bullpen that has leaned on veteran arms to get through tight moments, it was an awkward and unexpected detour in a game the Royals were trying to finish without drama. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Fans Just Got A Hopeful Stephen Kolek Family Update
Stephen Kolek has spent the start of this stretch juggling the kind of life events that dwarf anything happening on a mound. The Royals right-hander had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow while his wife, Jessica, was giving birth to their daughter, Faye, who arrived seven weeks early, and the family has since been living through the long, nerve-racking routine of the neonatal intensive care unit.
After nearly 10 weeks in the NICU and two surgeries, Faye is finally home with her parents, a welcome milestone for a family that has already been through plenty. Kansas City is giving Kolek additional time away from the club so he can stay with them during this period, a small but meaningful allowance as he focuses on the more important recovery timeline unfolding off the field. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Just Forced A Bigger Drew Waters Decision
Drew Waters is back in a familiar spot for the Royals, only this time the path forward is murkier. Kansas City announced that the outfielder cleared outright waivers and was sent to Triple-A Omaha after being designated for assignment, a move that came after a brief return to the 40-man roster and more signs that his offensive struggles had caught up with him.
Waters has the right to elect free agency, but he has not announced what he plans to do, leaving the Royals waiting on a decision that could shape how they sort out their outfield depth. He has played in 208 games for Kansas City since 2022, so this is not an unknown commodity, but it is a reminder that his hold on a roster spot has become far less certain than it once looked. [Read more 🡒]