JUST IN: Kansas City Royals set to re-sign the best hitter at Kauffman stadium over the past 5 years

As I began exploring free agents the Kansas City Royals might target with less than a month until pitchers and catchers report, familiar names immediately came to mind. Outfielder Anthony Santander seemed like a solid option, especially with reports suggesting he could settle for a short-term deal this offseason. Third baseman Alex Bregman’s elite potential could make him a perfect complement to Bobby Witt Jr. on the left side of the infield. And then there’s the international market—where the Royals have historically been less active—offering an opportunity to invest in top-tier talent like right-hander Roki Sasaki. These types of players could elevate nearly any MLB roster.

However, reality complicates things. Kansas City doesn’t have the payroll flexibility to pursue players like Bregman or Santander, much less compete for Sasaki, whose price tag might exceed the Royals’ international bonus pool budget. Even lower-tier options could stretch the team’s financial limits. That’s the harsh economic reality of baseball. While many MLB owners are billionaires, they didn’t acquire their wealth by making poor financial decisions. Why would they overextend their payroll unless they had unlimited resources? (Looking at you, Steve Cohen.)

For the Royals, further roster improvements this offseason are likely to come through more cost-effective methods—trades, minor-league free-agent signings, or a focus on internal development. This has been the Royals’ approach for much of their history.

Considering this, let’s examine the Royals’ current situation. Kauffman Stadium is not a park where every hitter thrives. The home run-friendly dimensions of Yankee Stadium are far different from the spacious outfield of Kauffman. However, high-contact hitters with speed often excel in Kansas City, turning singles into doubles and stretching doubles into triples. This unique dynamic is one of baseball’s most interesting (and sometimes frustrating) aspects. As Vinnie Pasquantino humorously suggested, perhaps moving in the fences would help, but the park’s layout remains an important factor when evaluating free-agent fits—especially as Kansas City moves closer to a potential new stadium.

Looking at the Royals’ home and road splits provides some insight, but evaluating potential free agents requires understanding how their skills match up with Kauffman’s unique dimensions. Even brief exposure to the stadium can reveal how well a player could adapt to its environment. Surprisingly, one current free agent stands out as one of the most effective hitters at Kauffman Stadium over the past five years.

To determine this, I set specific parameters for my search. Thousands of players have logged plate appearances at Kauffman, but I focused on those with at least 30 plate appearances between Opening Day 2019 and the end of 2024. This provides a solid sample size for evaluation while eliminating anomalies, like a single hot streak (looking at you, Julio Rodríguez).

I then prioritized batted-ball performance over on-base skills. While walks are valuable, they tend to translate similarly across all parks. I wanted to identify players who perform well when putting the ball in play. Using FanGraphs’ splits tool, I filtered for performance on “balls in play.” While not a perfect measure, it offers a reliable foundation for identifying hitters whose batted-ball profiles align with the challenges posed by Kauffman Stadium.

Some interesting names emerged from the results. Drew Waters leads all Kansas City players in this split with 196 wRC+, while Witt is ranked third among Royals hitters. Another standout player who offers some optimism for improvement in 2025 is Nelson Velázquez, who had a scorching debut season.

The outcomes of the non-Royals list were equally unexpected. Santander is in second place with an incredible 328 wRC+ at Kauffman and a ridiculous 1.043 slugging percentage, which includes both home runs and maximizing contact. He is not the leader, though. On this list, there is only one hitter who presents Kansas City with an unexpected but alluring free-agent target.

You’re going to enjoy this ranking of Kauffman Stadium’s top dog on hit balls.

You’re going to like this: Joey Gallo is a free agent once again, and after his 2024 team declined his $8 million option, his expected 2025 contract is likely well within the Royals’ budget.

You’re also going to like that, while Gallo has primarily played first base, he’s also had significant experience in the corner outfield. He could very well be an upgrade over either MJ Melendez or Hunter Renfroe in that role—assuming his career 5 Outs Above Average as an outfielder holds up in Kauffman Stadium.

What you might not like is his name: Joey Gallo.

For those unfamiliar with Gallo, his reputation precedes him. With a career 38% strikeout rate and a plate approach that could make Nick Pratto look patient, Gallo’s boom-or-bust profile has always been polarizing. His monster exit velocities once had him pegged as the Texas Rangers’ next great slugger. However, 2024 was a low point in his career. Limited to just 76 games with the Washington Nationals, he posted a career-worst 76 wRC+, which made Washington’s decision to decline his mutual option a no-brainer. Now, Gallo is in search of his sixth team in five seasons.

If only he had played in Kansas City last year.

For context, here’s Gallo’s spray chart from his 33 plate appearances over 15 games at Kauffman Stadium. A notoriously pull-happy hitter, Gallo’s approach has worked well against Royals pitching.

While rate stats usually tell the story, Gallo’s counting stats in Kansas City are noteworthy too. His five home runs at Kauffman are tied for the sixth-most among visiting batters over the past five seasons. That 450-foot blast off Mike Minor in 2021? That’s exactly as impressive as it sounds.

However, this analysis doesn’t fully account for one important detail: the quality of Royals pitching during Gallo’s visits. Kansas City’s pitching staff, despite improvements last season, has been abysmal at home in recent years. Since Opening Day 2019, Royals pitchers have posted a 6.37 ERA at Kauffman, allowing a .372 wOBA to opposing hitters. While Kauffman Stadium is often considered tough for home run hitters, Royals pitchers have allowed an 11.2% HR/FB rate at home—just below the league-wide 13% rate. So, could Gallo’s success at Kauffman be more a reflection of weak pitching than a perfect park fit? It’s a fair question.

But here’s the bigger issue: is the Royals’ outfield so strong that Gallo should be ruled out? Unfortunately, the Royals’ outfield options—especially offensively—are incredibly limited. As it stands, Melendez and Renfroe seem set to open the 2025 season as the corner outfielders. Both were negatives offensively and defensively last season, and the current roster doesn’t offer much competition for either player heading into spring training.

Yes, Gallo is flawed—his high strikeout rate and inconsistency are well known—but so are the Royals’ current outfielders. Taking a low-cost gamble on Gallo might not be the ideal solution, but it could still represent a marginal upgrade for a team in desperate need of more offensive firepower.

Royals fans deserve better. After years of subpar drafting and development, combined with below-average payroll investment, Kansas City needs more substantial roster upgrades. Last year’s postseason appearance and revenue growth should have paved the way for multi-year investments in players like Bregman, Santander, or other top-tier free agents. Those are the moves that would improve both the on-field product and the clubhouse culture.

However, given the Royals’ current spending approach, they’re more likely to make smaller gambles to round out the roster before heading to Arizona. Gallo could be one such gamble. The dry air in Arizona may make his spring training numbers look more promising than they are, but his track record at Kauffman Stadium offers some reason for optimism. If the Royals want to add some slugging potential, few options within their financial reach offer a higher ceiling than Joey Gallo.