Why Royals second baseman Michael Massey could look like a different hitter in 2024

Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey had a clear objective this offseason—Be more consistent at the plate.

Massey, 25, is entering his third season. The Royals selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Illinois. In the minor leagues, Massey profiled as an above-average contact hitter.

He produced at least a .270 batting average at each minor league stop. However, Massey has struggled to replicate that success at the major league level. In 2022, Massey hit .243 and produced a .683 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

Those numbers declined further last season. Massey hit .229 and produced a .274 on-base percentage. He had 98 hits in 428 at-bats and tallied 99 strikeouts.

“I think mechanically, with my (swing) load, (I’m) trying to get my bat closer to 90 degrees as I get in my launch position,” Massey said. “Not trying to have it point up towards the sky. Just focus on being more line drive oriented in the cage.”

Massey worked off a baseball tee in the batting cage. He wanted to visualize his swing through the strike zone.

His hard work has paid off.

On Wednesday, Massey went 2-for-3 against the Seattle Mariners and hit his first home run of the spring. He also added a two-run double in the Royals 8-7 loss at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.

“I think learning from last year, the biggest thing is just seeing and getting good looks at the baseball,” Massey said. “Really, as a hitter, that’s one of the only things you can control. Are you picking up the release point? Are you seeing the ball out of the hand?”

Massey admitted he wasn’t as worried with those small details. However, he felt it was important to get back to basics this season.

“I think maybe in years passed I wasn’t as focused on that,” Massey said. “The season kind of sped up on me until I found that (timing). So, I’m trying to learn from last year and implement that kind of stuff right now.”

The Royals are slated to start Massey at second base. This offseason, KC also signed veteran infielder Adam Frazier in free agency. Frazier is expected to move into a utility role and log playing time at second base and in the outfield.

Massey has learned a lot from Frazier this spring. He enjoys watching Frazier gear up for the regular season and is picking up tidbits along the way.

“I think that is one of the cool things about having veterans around, they don’t have to say anything, you just watch what they do,” Massey said. “There is a reason those guys have seven, eight, nine, 10 years in the big leagues. They don’t keep you around here because they like you. You got to do something right.”

Massey recorded 15 home runs and 55 RBIs last season. He also added 18 doubles and logged a 39.1 hard-hit percentage, per Baseball Savant.

This spring, Massey has a .294 batting average in six games. He hopes to continue producing line drives once the Royals head back to Kauffman Stadium.

“Something I am trying to do this offseason is lower the angle off my bat since there is so much space out there,” Massey said.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro felt Massey took good swings against the Mariners and he looks forward to his progression this season.

“He’s swinging the bat great,” Quatraro said. “The breaking ball was a nice, easy swing for the home run. Then, he got into the other at-bat a little bit more and hit the ball hard off the wall.”

Despite the loss, the Royals also got a strong effort from starter Angel Zerpa. The southpaw pitched three innings against the Mariners. He allowed one hit, one run and struck out five batters.

Zerpa relied on his secondary pitches and worked in tandem with Royals catcher Salvador Perez. He was pleased with his effort after the game.

“I felt great today,” Zerpa said. “I worked this week in the bullpen and felt good. … I was working more on my curveball and slider and my changeup is better.”

The Royals will be back in action on Thursday against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. Central Time.