Five winners and three losers from Royals Saturday split squad contests

A win and a loss on the day, but the Royals had more positives than negatives.

Opening Day is less than two weeks away! Spring Training games still matter as getting tuned up and ready for the upcoming season, but let’s dive into who did well today and who did not for Kansas City.

Winners

Nick Loftin

After seeing some time on the team last season and providing some nice depth and utility, Loftin has had a fantastic Spring Training. In the team’s 13-7 win over the Reds, Loftin went 2-3, with two runs scored and a pair of walks as well. Loftin hit his fifth double and raised his batting average to .444 for the spring.

Jac Caglianone

He just simply doesn’t stop being a machine on offense. Two more hits and runs batted in today, he also drew a walk. He is hitting .529 this spring with a 1.854 OPS. He is going force the Royals to make a tough decision in the next 10 days or so.

Michael Massey

Massey started out in left field today against Cincinnati but also went 2-3 at the dish with a walk and a run scored. He hit his fourth double of the spring and stole a base. His average for the spring is now at .406. With a potential position change, it’s nice to see Massey continue to do well offensively.

Vinnie Pasquantino

Vinnie had a solid day offensively in the Royals 7-5 loss smashing his second home run of the spring. He also drew a walk on the day. After getting hurt toward the end of the year last season, Vinnie looks fully healthy and ready to go.

Kris Bubic

The pitching was shaky in both games today for Kansas City, some relievers did however have some nice one inning performances, but Kris Bubic was great. Getting the start against Cleveland, Bubic threw 3.1 innings and struck out 5. He walked one and surrendered three hits.

Losers

John Schreiber

Schreiber has been solid for most of the spring. But in his inning today against the Guardians, he walked a batter and then gave up a two-run homer to Kyle Manzardo. His ERA rose to 5.40 for the spring over 5 innings pitched.

Jonathan Bowlan

Bowlan was on the winner’s list in last Saturday’s split squad games but finds himself on the loser’s list today. Pitching 1.2 innings against the Reds, Bowlan gave up 4 hits and a walk, along with 4 runs. In 8.1 innings pitched this spring, Bowlan’s ERA sits at 5.40 after a rough outing.

Joey Wiemer

In a thin outfield, and the Royals looking for someone to help provide depth, Joey Wiemer has struggled to make his case. He was 0-4 today with three strikeouts. He did drive in a run on a bases loaded walk. But overall, Wiemer is just 6 for 29 this spring.