The Kansas City Royals are not making the playoffs this year. They are playing out the string while counting down the days until elimination. This reality is actually good news for one specific player. Tyler Tolbert should be in the starting lineup every single day. The team has no shot at a winning record, so they can afford to take risks. They should stop playing it safe and start trying something new.
A Late Bloomer Making It Work
Tolbert was a late pick when the Royals drafted him out of the University of Alabama. The 2019 MLB Draft saw the event take place in round 13. Before Kansas City chose him, every other team in the league passed on him a dozen times. His tools were not as loud or refined as the competition. He stands only 5 feet 10 inches and is not a big threat at the plate. Yet he is making it work in a way no one expected. According to Royals Review, Tolbert has untapped potential that simply isn’t in his direct competitors like John Rave, Michael Massey, Kyle Isbel, or Nick Loftin.
His bat has been the most surprising part of his rise. He has always been a great base stealer with numbers like 55 stolen bases in 2021 and 60 in 2022. Last year in his first big league season, he stole 21 bases in 23 tries. But his hitting is what matters now. He countered a low slugging percentage with a solid contact rate and the ability to draw a walk. This translated well in his small sample size of 168 plate appearances.
Proof of Life in the Ninth
Recent games show exactly why he belongs in the lineup. During the ninth inning on Tuesday night, the Royals reversed the situation to ignite a late-night comeback rally. The team was down by two runs before the comeback began. Michael Massey drove a one-out single to center field after Salvador Perez reached first base via catcher’s interference. Carter Jensen drew a walk, filling the bases with one out. Hogan Harris, the A’s lefty, faced pinch-hitter Tyler Tolbert next. Per MLB.For the Royals, Tolbert slipped a game-tying base hit past the left side of the infield.
That hit set up the winning run. Isaac Collins flew out to center field, after which Bobby Witt Jr. sliced a single into left field, allowing Jensen to score from second base. Prior to the ninth inning, the Royals accumulated six hits yet managed only 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. They did not let the next chance go to waste. This was not a fluke or a lucky bounce. It was a player who knows how to get on base when the pressure is high.
The Only Logical Move
The team is playing out the string, which means they can just try stuff. When teams are really bad, you can risk significantly more downside. This incentivizes playing high-risk, high-reward players over low-risk, low-reward ones. Tolbert is that high-reward option. He is not a physically imposing force, but he has shown he can get a hit when it counts. The stats from his past years show he is a thief on the bases who can also make contact. Why keep a guy on the bench who just tied the game with a clutch hit?
It is time to stop treating Tolbert as just a pinch runner. He has proven he can hit in the big leagues. The Royals have no shot at the playoffs, so they should play him every day. If he fails, they lose nothing. If he succeeds, they build hope for the future. The numbers and the recent game action both point in one direction. Tolbert should be playing every day.
