MLB playoff preview: Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are back in the postseason, and hope to avenge their lackluster playoff showing from 2023. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals are back in the postseason for the first time since 2015, when they won the World Series. We’ll preview all angles of this intriguing matchup before it gets going, and predict a winner. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo arguably made the signing of the offseason, by inking pitcher Seth Lugo to a two-year deal (although he has a player option after this season). Lugo has been nothing short of sensational, and has wanted an opportunity like this since his early MLB days with the New York Mets. Forbes noted that he’s taken his game to the next level with a refine slider pitch.

The Orioles also made a massive move this offseason to bolster their rotation. They traded for Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers, who has been every bit the ace they hoped he would. He’ll take the hill for Game 1, and will look to begin a postseason run that may net him one of the most lucrative contracts this winter.

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Kansas City may not have someone as proven as Burnes, but they’ve had a better overall performance from their starters this season. It’ll be interesting to see how the Royals configure their rotation in this series, but Cole Ragans and Brady Singer figure to get a shot at starting in the Wild Card series.

The Royals have used a somewhat unorthodox formula as they’ve pieced together the back end of ballgames. Yahoo Sports notes that they’ve often gone with four left-handed relivers in their bullpen so they can match up with strong left-handed bats. However, high leverage relievers like Chris Stratton, Will Smith and James McArthur have all dealt with injuries late in the year.

The Orioles made the bold move of designating Craig Kimbrel for assignment in late September, who has saved 23 games for the team this season. He has extensive postseason experience, but Baltimore was not going to wait around in hopes that he found his old form after a turbulent campaign.

Both of these teams have legitimate questions, which should lead to some exciting games in this series. It’s hard to say with confidence that either of these teams has the depth to lock down a game if they grab a lead late.

The Royals are led by do-it-all superstar Bobby Witt Jr., who had a marvelous 2024 campaign. He hit 32 home runs, drove in 109 runs, stole 31 bases, and hit .332. He probably won’t win the MVP, but The Kansas City Star gave him his proper due after winning the American League batting title. Maikel Garcia has also been a demon on the basepaths, stealing 37 bags this year.

The Orioles’ lineup brings immense power to the plate, as they finished second in MLB home runs in 2024. Baltimore’s thump-ability is led by Anthony Santander, who hit 44 home runs this season. Gunnar Henderson hit 37 over the fence this season, while Colton Cowser belted 24 home runs of his own.

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These teams get the job done in different ways, but Baltimore has mashers all throughout its lineup. With that said, sometimes home run reliant teams sometimes stumble in the postseason, so look for Kansas City to play small ball in order to generate runs during this series.

Quatraro is going to get a lot of love for American League Manager of the Year, and rightfully so. He doesn’t accept much credit for the turnaround, instead shifting the focus on his players. He told MLB’s website, “These guys deserve all the credit in the world for not wanting to dwell on last year. Last year is in the past, and this is a different year. They’ve earned everything they’ve achieved.”

Hyde is also no stranger to dramatic turnarounds, but his timeline is a bit ahead of Quatraro’s in the sense that Baltimore made the playoffs a year ago and didn’t fare all that well. All eyes will be on him and his team’s preparedness and mental state as they kick off an important series at Camden Yards.

Hyde gets a slight edge for having been in this situation before, but he’ll need to prove that he can guide Baltimore deep into October.

The Royals are a very young team, with one sage veteran to anchor their attack. The 34-year-old catcher has had a phenomenal season, anchoring the pitching staff as he has for a long time in Kansas City. He also hit 27 home runs and drove in 104 runs. If Perez can turn back the clock for a few weeks, Kansas City might find themselves in contention discussions once more.

As previously touched on, Baltimore has gone through a drastic reshaping of their bullpen down the stretch of the season. As the Orioles parted ways with Kimbrel, they seem to have settled on Dominguez as their closer. He’ll need to pitch well if Baltimore has any hopes of making a deep October run.

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This should be a fun series, considering that the Royals and Orioles have certain similarities, but also some stark differences when it comes to offensive approach. It figures to go the distance, but we’ll give the slight edge to the Orioles, who will host all three games.