Vinnie Pasquantino was brutally honest as he stood at his locker.
The Kansas City Royals first baseman was in a slump. And things weren’t going the way he had envisioned early in the season. Pasquantino struggled to drive in runs, letting too many opportunities fall by the wayside.
The strikeouts were up and the production was down. At times, the Royals searched for another solution atop the batting order. It got to a point where Pasquantino slid down to the seventh spot against tough left-handed pitchers.
Pasquantino started the season with a .177 batting average and .569 OPS (on-base + slugging). He recorded four home runs and 18 RBIs while striking out 24 times in his first 30 games.
This was more than just the usual slow start. Pasquantino recognized that changes had to be made if he was going to fulfill his role as a power threat in the lineup.
It led him to make this statement:
“I hit third in this lineup and if I’m not hitting that’s bad for me and it’s bad for the team,” Pasquantino said. “I have to do something. It does not put any extra pressure on myself or anything. It’s just, I’m hitting third for a reason. You know, I’ve got to be better.”
At that moment, Pasquantino faced a critical juncture. The Royals needed him to be better and prove he could handle a top offensive spot. There were previous flashes of brilliance — evidenced by his 19 homers and 97 RBIs in 2024 — but he never truly put together a full season’s worth of production.
Injuries cost him early portions of his career. Pasquantino was notably absent with a shoulder injury in 2023 and a fractured right thumb last season. In spring training this year, he returned healthy and lobbied to play in the Royals’ first Cactus League game.
Pasquantino had missed the game of baseball. And he understood his health was paramount for the Royals in their quest to make another postseason run.
Then April arrived and delivered more proverbial showers than he would’ve liked. So he went back to the drawing board and made some adjustments to his swing.
“He’s been really consistent in his work since Day 1, even when he wasn’t getting the results,” Royals hitting coach Alec Zumwalt said. “What we are seeing him do right now is a product of all that hard work and consistency. It’s consistency in the (batting) cage, consistency on the field with his approach.”
One of the adjustments that Pasquantino made was just getting back on the fastball. This allowed him to sync his timing and adjust better to different pitches.
The results skyrocketed Pasquantino into rarefied air and gave him the tools to help jump-start the Royals’ offense. In the process, he ensured his disappointing April would become a distant memory.
Since May 1, Pasquantino has batted .286 with 24 homers and 76 RBIs. And the Royals have gone53-49 and climbed back into the AL wild-card race.
“He’s been hot for a few weeks now,” Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo said. “With him at the plate, it puts a lot of pressure on (the opponent’s) pitching staff. I’m glad I don’t have to face him right now.”
The Pasquatch rises
Pasquantino carries an indelible charm into a room. You can’t miss his signature gait or infectious personality.
It’s a striking sight to behold. And it helps explain how Pasquantino has endeared himself to Royals fans.
A host of No. 9 Royals jerseys swarm Kauffman Stadium each game. There is the giant “Pasquatch” mascot, which also bears Pasquantino’s nickname, that patrols the Royals Hall of Fame building.
Pasquantino even has his own concession stand down the left-field line.
It’s clear the Royals’ faithful are in his corner. Echoes of “Vinnie” chants during the American League Divisional Series against the New York Yankees still reverberate in Kansas City.
He is a local star who is ready for the national spotlight. And Pasquantino is making the rounds, appearing on podcasts while chatting with such esteemed radio personalities as Rich Eisen.
In recent weeks, however, Pasquantino has elevated his game to another level. This month he joined franchise cornerstone teammate Salvador Perez and Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney as the lone players in club history to homer in five consecutive games.
Pasquantino currently leads the Royals in homers and RBIs. Since the All-Star break, he has belted 13 homers and driven in 38 runs, ranking among the AL leaders in both categories.
He was also named the AL Player of the Month for August. It was the second time he has won the award this season and the third such honor of his career.
“It’s what I imagine myself as a hitter,” Pasquantino said. “So I just want to keep going up there and having good at-bats and making things happen. I’ve got a lot of help around me. I hit in front of Bob (Bobby Witt Jr.) and in front of Maikel (Garcia). And both are All-Stars and both very deservedly.”
The league has taken notice of Pasquantino’s surge. He has the fourth most home runs by a left-handed batter in Royals history and needs just six RBIs to reach 100 for 2025 after already setting a career-high in homers.
“I’ve seen him on quite a few stretches, but homer-wise, this is probably the longest,” teammate and outfielder Kyle Isbel said. “And I feel like, every time he comes to the plate, he is a dangerous hitter all the time and he is finding a groove right now.”
That groove has helped the Royals find their rhythm. They finished a recent homestand with eight victories in 10 games.
The Royals are now just three gamesbehind the Seattle Mariners for the third and final AL wild-card spot and Pasquantino is one big reason why.
Pasquantino will play a big role down the stretch. His offensive production gives the Royals a potent offense with the new veteran additions of Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier and Randal Grichuk — each acquired at the MLB trade deadline.
“The guys are having fun watching him do it,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Pasquantino’s torrid August. “They all want each other to do it all the time. You can never have enough guys playing well and Vinnie is on a tear right now and it’s fun to watch.”
What’s next for The Pasquatch?
The Royals have 28 games remaining this season. The final stretch is important if the club will return back to the playoffs in October.
Pasquantino understands the importance of a strong finish. It’s not unlike the moment he stood at his locker in early May. The Royals are facing their own intersection and must decide which route to take to reach the postseason.
Pitching and defense has carried them all season. Now, it seems the offense is ready to take the mantle and push forward. Pasquantino will be at the forefront of what’s to come in the upcoming days as the team looks to make a late run.
“We talk about it all the time, we got to show up tomorrow and be ready to go,” Pasquantino said.
If the Royals show up enough times, they could find themselves exactly where they would like to be at the end of the season.
And Pasquantino will have his imprints on it all.
“It’s really impressive what he is doing, that’s for sure,” Royals utilityman Nick Loftin said. “You know, he is a big part of our lineup and a critical part of the lineup. He allows us to score a lot of runs and he is doing something that is really special.”