The midseason grades are in

Overall, the grades reflect the dumpster fire we've seen through 81 games, but there are some positives, including a surprise at the head of the class.

Thursday’s Freddy Fermin-powered walkoff was the Royals’ 23rd victory of the season. It was also game number 81, meaning we have officially reached the midway point of the season.

Hmmmm…23 wins in 81 games…that’s not good.

The math is easy on this. With a .284 winning percentage the Royals are on pace for 46 wins and…prepare yourselves…116 losses. I feel obligated to remind you the franchise record for losses is 106. It is in danger.

Let’s recap how we got here!

• The Royals lost six times in their season-opening home stand, going 1-6 against the Twins and the Blue Jays.

• They won their series against San Francisco.

• After losing two of three to the Rangers (to finish a road trip at .500) the Royals were swept at home by the Braves and Rangers.

• They lost 11 of their next 16.

• They took three of four from the White Sox, capped by a walkoff bunt in the series finale.

• Back on the road, they were swept by the Brewers.

• They took two of three from the Padres.

• They lost five of six against AL Central rivals White Sox and Tigers.

• In a stretch where 9 of 11 games were at home, they won three times.

• They embarked on a 10-game losing streak.

• Since snapping that skid, they won five of 12 going into the season’s second half.

What do you know…that adds up! 23-58.

Since we hit the halfway point, I thought I’d resurrect the report cards I used to fill out at various blog stops along the way. A couple of things…these grades are arbitrary, on a curve, likely wildly inconsistent and probably not to your liking. I try to base the grades on expectations coming into the season coupled with actual performance. The stats cited are through Thursday (you know, game 81). This means the high point of the season (last weekend’s series victory against the Dodgers and a two-game winning streak!) are not included in the assessments that follow.

Feel free to unload in the comments if I have besmirched your favorite ballplayer. And don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already!

F
Jackie Bradley, Jr., Hunter Dozier, Franmil Reyes

The DFA trio was worth a combined -1.5 fWAR in 269 plate appearances. It was as bad as you think.

Brad Keller

A 6.44 SO/9 and an 8.3 BB/9? In his first rehab appearance in Omaha this week as he tries to return from right-shoulder impingement syndrome he threw 20 pitches…four strikes. The Royals desperately need innings and Keller has completely eliminated himself from the conversation.

Jordan Lyles

I’ve pointed this out before, but there are really two kinds of innings eaters. The first kind, the kind we always think about, is the grinder who posts seven-plus consistently and keeps his team in the game. The second kind is the pitchers who start because somebody has to do it. Lyles is the second kind.

D-
MJ Melendez

While I’ve been somewhat impressed with his defensive improvement, Melendez is a guy the Royals desperately need to step up to solidify the lineup. He will flash power, patience and contact-ability (I just made up that word) on occasion, but he’s not anywhere near consistent enough with those tools. The adjustments he made in his breakout 2021 split between Double and Triple-A lurk under the surface. It may do him a world of good to make a return trip to the farm to rediscover that form.

D
Brady Singer

Last season is but a dusty mirage and one that, every fifth day, looks more and more like an outlier. Exactly 54 percent of all balls put in play against Singer have had an exit velocity greater than 95 mph. Not great. Extremely poor, actually. As in among the very worst in the game in limiting hard contact. This isn’t some sort of “gosh, he’s had rotten luck” or “it’s just kind of wild how he’s getting hit.” Nope. He’s come by this performance honestly, which has to have the organization thinking about exiling him back to the bullpen. Except someone has to start, you know? Here’s a wild thought: Has anyone thought about getting him to add a third pitch?

D+
Edward Olivares

You can’t be a butcher in the outfield and sport a 100wRC+ and expect regular playing time. I generally don’t mind Olivares in the lineup. I break out in hives when I see him in the outfield.

Kyle Isbel

The center field defense is one of the few things the Royals got right early in the year. His routes and jump time are among the best in the game, which absolutely brings value to the acreage of The K. With a 47 wRC+, I still feel his ceiling is that of a fourth outfielder.

Take Olivares’ bat and Isbel’s glove and, baby you got a stew going.

C-
Taylor Clarke

Clarke has coughed up six home runs in 34.2 innings after surrendering six in 49 last season. Other than the home run issues, he’s been a decent enough reliever. That’s called damning with faint praise.

Daniel Lynch

His swinging strike rate is up, he’s pounding the zone more than ever and he’s throwing a first-pitch strike over 65 percent of the time, so why the hell is Lynch’s strikeout rate an anemic 5.9 SO/9? The stakes for his second half are higher than any other Royals pitcher and those peripheries mentioned above make me at least somewhat hopeful he can take a step forward. His 3.96 ERA and 4.48 xERA is a good start.

Mike Mayers and Ryan Yarbrough

Both Mayers and Yarbrough have thrown 26.1 innings. Both own a 6.15 ERA. And neither one strikes out hitters enough for my tastes. (Yarbrough has a 4.9 SO/9 while Mayers is a bit better at 5.8 SO/9.) I expected more from Yarbrough and of course, am pulling for him to make a complete recovery after he got hit in the face by a line drive. In two rehab appearances in Omaha, he’s thrown 8.2 innings and struck out 12 against a single walk. He will be back in Kansas City soon. The staff can use him.

C
José Cuas

In his last 10 outings, Cuas has thrown a clean inning once. While he’s allowed runs in just three of those turns, these days it feels like every appearance is about a tightrope walk. The danger that surrounds him makes him ill-suited for the opener role he filled about a week ago. It feels like he should be a little better.

Vinnie Pasquantino

Am I docking the guy for a strikeout rate (11.9%) two percentage points higher than his walk rate (9.6%)? You bet your ass I am. He’s better than a 106 wRC+. This grade is about falling short of expectations. Sorry, Vinnie.

Zack Greinke

In his start against Tampa where he said that his stuff wasn’t nasty enough anymore to be in control of at-bats, it was kind of heartbreaking. It was the first time I felt like Greinke is truly contemplating the end of his baseball career. While the strikeouts are up and the control is exquisite as ever, as he mentioned, the stuff just isn’t there. He has 61 strikeouts this season and is now 57 away from 3,000 in his career. Probably the number one thing I’m hoping for in the second half is for Greinke to continue to make every start and to hit that mark.

C+
Carlos Hernández

I continue to think the Royals have something in Hernández and that the bullpen is the perfect place for him. Except when he’s off…he’s really off. He’ll just catch too much of the zone from time to time, but I’ll absolutely take an almost 5:1 SO:BB ratio and a guy who keeps the ball in the yard.

B-
Salvador Perez

The captain. Perez has improved his pitch framing and leads the team in dingers (15) and slugging percentage (.463) among regulars. Overall, the production has slid just a bit, but he’s still the guy at the heart of this order. Consistent.

B
Nicky Lopez

A bit of a bounceback season for Lopez at the plate as he sports a team-high .351 OBP (minimum 100 PAs) courtesy of a career-best 13 percent walk rate. This is the hitter we’d hope he’d become. Quatraro is using him the way a manager should—Lopez has hit with the platoon advantage in 82 percent of his PAs. And the defense continues to be stellar.

Bobby Witt, Jr.

The offense still isn’t what you want with a .286 OBP, but he’s a hot power streak away from nailing 30-30, the strikeout rate has declined and the walk rate has ticked up. Oh, he can also play shortstop just fine.

Baseball is a game of adjustments. He’s making them.

B+
Scott Barlow

He’s lost a tick off the four-seamer and that pitch is getting blistered by opposing hitters (.500 BA, .406 SLG), but the slider/curveball combo remains potent. He’s lost four games for the Royals, but blown just a pair of saves. He doesn’t vibe “lock-down closer” to me, but he’s good enough and on a contender would be a valuable setup man. With a year of control remaining, he should net the Royals a decent return at the deadline.

Maikel Garcia

Garcia, despite playing in only 48 games, trails Witt for the team lead in fWAR by only 0.2. It would be cool if he could goose his walk rate a little higher, but we’re talking about 191 plate appearances. I’ll be patient here, given his minor league track record. The dude absolutely brings it with the defense. He’s been worth 9 Outs Above Average according to Statcast (again, in just 48 games!), which is tied for third-best in the majors. His seven runs prevented is just one of the leaders as well. I’ve heard his name pop up in trade rumors and I absolutely understand the need to give up value to return value, but damn do I want to watch Garcia and Witt on the left side of the Royals infield for the next few seasons. Airtight.

Nick Pratto

After last season’s cup of coffee and this year’s sluggish start in Omaha, I did not expect Pratto to post .260/.345/.406 with a 109 wRC+ in his first 220 PAs. I just worry about the strikeouts. (36.4 % K rate.) I’ll always worry about the strikeouts.

A-
Aroldis Chapman

I wrote the following about an hour before the Royals dealt him to Texas:

Trade him. Yesterday.

It’s like JJ Picollo can peer into my soul.

A
Freddy Fermin

There is an argument to be made that Fermin needs to get plenty of time behind the plate in the second half. He’s a good pitch framer, a solid blocker, calls a fine game and is just an all-around decent defender. His .345 OBP, .505 slugging percentage and 132 wRC+ aren’t sustainable and if you played him every day, he’d probably be streaky as hell, but he brings a catcher’s eye to the batter’s box, meaning he has a solid understanding of the zone, doesn’t chase too much and will grab a walk. Plus, he’s just a damn easy guy to root for.