Isaac Collins is finally hitting like the player the Kansas City Royals signed. He looked lost for months. Now, he looks like a star. The turnaround isn’t magic. It’s a simple shift in mindset that anyone can understand. He stopped trying to force hits and started trusting his eyes.
From Cold Start to Hot Streak
The numbers tell the whole story. Collins struggled badly before June. Per MLB.com Royals, his stats from March to May showed a .217 average and an 88 wRC+. That is below league average. He was swinging at bad pitches and chasing balls outside the zone. But the calendar flipped, and so did his production. From June 1 to July 24, his average jumped to .279. His wRC+ soared to 123. That is a massive improvement in just two months.
Collins admitted the early part of the year was messy. “I feel like the first few months of the year, I was trying to do way too much,” Collins said. He was overthinking every at-bat. He tried to be perfect. That pressure killed his rhythm. Now, he just wants to hit the ball. He focuses on finding his pitch. He does not make last-minute decisions.
The Anchor in the Ocean
Assistant hitting coach Connor Dawson sees the change clearly. Dawson worked with Collins in Milwaukee. He knows what this player looks like when he is right. “When he’s right, you see him using the entire field,” Dawson said. Collins drives the ball to left and right, not just to center. That is what a good hitter does.
Dawson used a great analogy to explain the struggle. “It’s easy to think you’re close to the beach when you’re in the ocean, but you can drift off quickly if you don’t have an anchor.” Collins found his anchor. It is his work. It is his approach. He stays convicted in who he is. That conviction stops him from drifting. It keeps him on the right path even when things get tough.
Manager Matt Quatraro noticed the difference too. “Far more consistent at-bats, far more consistent control of the strike zone,” Quatraro said. The on-base numbers went up because of this control. The results followed. The team needed this. The offense has been shaky all year. Collins providing a spark is exactly what Kansas City needs.
Building the Mountain
Collins knows the work is not done. He sees this as a climb. “There were some good games in the first few months of the year, but then it would just feel like I would take a step back two or three games later,” Collins said. But lately, it has been different. He is building. He is climbing the mountain. The consistency is the key. He is not taking steps back anymore.
Entering Saturday, his season wRC+ sat at 104. That is just above league average. It is a solid number. But the recent trend is what matters. The Royals acquired him from the Brewers. They believed in him. Now he is proving that belief was right. He is settling into Detroit. He is hitting the ball hard. He is being convicted in who he is.
Can he keep this up? The stats say yes. The approach says yes. If he stays anchored, the Royals offense gets a huge boost. Fans should watch closely. This could be the start of something big. The cold start is over. The hot streak is here.
