Royals-Yankees position-by-position breakdown

The Yankees have spent a lot of the season as the Goliath of the American League, towering above all challengers with 94 wins and 815 runs scored, but now they’re faced with one of the breakout teams of 2024 in the ALDS.

The Royals skyrocketed from just 56 wins a year ago to 86 in 2024, and fresh off a two-game sweep of a very talented Orioles club in the AL Wild Card Series, they’ve carried that September momentum right over into October, led by young superstar Bobby Witt Jr.

Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the Bronx Bombers are an intimidating matchup for anyone, though, and it all begins at Yankee Stadium.

Here's how the Yankees (94-68) and the Royals (86-76) match up, position by position.

Catcher
Austin Wells’ bat faded down the stretch, batting just .111 with a .411 OPS in September, but he still put together a strong season as a rookie and continues to impress defensively, particularly with his pitch receiving. At just 25 years old, Wells surely has some postseason moments ahead of him with the Yankees, but the 34-year-old veteran Salvador Perez still stands as one of the best catchers in the game.

Perez hit .271 with 27 home runs and a .786 OPS this season, and while he’s added even more time at first base to his workload, he’s behind the plate where he belongs this postseason. The 2015 World Series MVP has had to wait a decade for another shot.

Advantage: Royals

First base
This picture changed significantly when Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch and fractured the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand the final weekend of the season. This could open the door for Ben Rice, who was at the Yankees complex at the time taking part in a “stay ready” group just in case something like this happened. Oswaldo Cabrera is also an option to start at first, but Rice could have another opportunity to recapture the magic from his Yankees debut earlier this season.

The Royals’ first-base situation is complicated, too. Vinnie Pasquantino returned for the Wild Card Series as Kansas City’s DH, leaving Yuli Gurriel to play first in each game. This could be Gurriel’s last ride at 40, but with 88 games of postseason experience to his name and two World Series championships with the Astros, he still brings something to the table. Still, if the Yankees can find the right matchups for Rice or Cabrera, they could have the edge.

Advantage: Yankees

Second base
This position is tight. Michael Massey has been the Royals’ primary second baseman and played well in the Wild Card Series, going 3-for-8. He’s shown some pop, too, with 14 home runs and a .743 OPS in 100 games this regular season. Gleyber Torres batted .257 with a .330 on-base percentage and brings a track record of success over his 31 career postseason games. Massey’s season has the edge offensively in some categories, though, and his defensive numbers in some categories look stronger than Torres’ in the regular season, which gives the Royals the slight edge here.

Advantage: Royals

Shortstop
Witt is coming off a brilliant regular season for the Royals and has established himself as one of the brightest stars in the sport. Witt hit .332 with 32 home runs, 31 stolen bases and a .977 OPS, good for a WAR (FanGraphs) of 10.4. Witt has the opportunity to be the star of this postseason if the Royals make a run and has the ability to take a game over at any moment. Anthony Volpe of the Yankees took a step forward defensively this season, and his speed could be a factor in this series, but it’s difficult to hold a candle to Witt. Volpe batted .243 with a .657 OPS, so his job will be to spark something from likely the bottom half of the lineup.

Advantage: Royals

Third base
Jazz Chisholm Jr. loves New York and, so far, New York loves him right back. Chisholm has hit 11 home runs with an .825 OPS in just 46 games since being traded over from the Marlins and will need to be a key piece of this Yankees lineup if they make any noise in October. His defense grades out well at third base, too, and when you factor in his speed, Jazz is another player who could break a game open at any moment. The Royals started Maikel Garcia at third in the Wild Card Series, and while his offensive numbers are light, the speedster was 37-for-39 in stolen-base attempts this season, so he’s a threat whenever he reaches.

Advantage: Yankees

Left field
This could be a flexible spot for both the Yankees and Royals. MJ Melendez started each game of the Wild Card Series for the Royals, but Tommy Pham remains an option there and came off the bench to pinch-hit for Massey in their clinching win over the Orioles on Wednesday. Melendez hit just .206 this season, but ran into some power at times with 17 home runs and a .400 slugging percentage. It feels like this position could remain fluid for Kansas City.

New York, on the other hand, has Jasson Domínguez and Alex Verdugo as options, with Domínguez representing the offensive upside and Verdugo representing more of the “known commodity” with defense. Expect to see each of them play in the ALDS, even if it’s a situation like Verdugo replacing Domínguez in late innings to protect a lead.

Advantage: Yankees

Center field
Let’s make this one simple: One of these teams has Judge, the other doesn’t.

Judge is the AL MVP favorite this season for a dozen different reasons, including his remarkable 58 home runs, 144 RBIs and 1.159 OPS. Those, along with his 11.2 WAR, are video game numbers. We already know that Judge is capable of dominating a game like few others on the planet, but it’s time we saw that in the postseason. Once the regular season ends, Judge’s numbers have been rather pedestrian by his standards with a .772 OPS over 44 career games. Judge can fix that with a few swings. The Royals rolled with Kyle Isbel in each Wild Card Series game, and while he’s an excellent defender in center, his .654 OPS in the regular season pales in comparison to Judge’s.

Advantage: Yankees

Right field
Soto came, saw and conquered New York. He’s about to be the biggest story of the offseason and one of the most attractive free agents in MLB history, but he’d like to delay that story by a few weeks. Soto dominated with the Yankees in 2024, hitting 41 home runs while reaching base at a .419 clip. He remains one of the most uniquely talented hitters on the planet and he’s paired beautifully with Judge in the Yankees’ lineup. He’s tasted the postseason with both the Nationals and the Padres, but this is his first trip with the Yankees.

The Royals started Pham and Hunter Renfroe a game each in the Wild Card Series, and with both corner outfield spots being flexible, you’ll see them chase ideal matchups again. This could feature some mid-game changes, too, but the Yankees clearly have a landslide advantage here regardless of who runs out for the Royals.

Advantage: Yankees

Designated Hitter
Pasquantino was named to the Royals’ Wild Card Series roster just four weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken right thumb, an incredible comeback that beat expectations. Pasquantino is beloved in Kansas City, and “The Pasquatch” had a fine regular season, batting .262 with 19 home runs and a .761 OPS. His power plays up against right-handed pitching, too, which is a matchup worth keeping an eye on.

The Yankees counter with the veteran Giancarlo Stanton. The big slugger has looked like he’s losing steam at times in recent years, but at 34, he’s enjoyed a bounce-back season with 27 homers and a .773 OPS. Anyone with 429 career home runs knows what they’re doing, and Stanton has some postseason success to back that up. Let’s consider Pasquantino the safer option to put the ball in play, but Stanton the bigger threat to break the game open … which also comes with the risk of some empty at-bats in between.

Advantage: Royals

Starting pitching
The Yankees are expected to open with Gerrit Cole followed by Carlos Rodón and Luis Gil in some order. Cole posted a 3.41 ERA over 95 innings after the delayed start to his season and has over 100 innings of postseason experience, so nothing is about to surprise the Yankees’ ace. This is a sturdy group, and it’s still difficult to bet against Cole, but the Royals’ edge starts to emerge when you look at their depth of quality starters.

Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo, who could both easily land in the top-five in AL Cy Young Award voting, looked fantastic in the Wild Card Series. Ragans pitched Tuesday and Lugo on Wednesday, but they threw just 80 and 82 pitches, respectively, so each should be fresh for their turn in the ALDS. When you add in Brady Singer and Michael Wacha, the Royals’ rotation was spectacular this regular season, and their 3.55 ERA from starting pitchers ranked second in MLB behind only the Mariners.

Advantage: Royals

Relief pitchers
The Royals’ bullpen wasn’t a strength this regular season by any means, finishing 20th in MLB with a 4.13 ERA, but this is a “what have you done for me lately?” position in October. This group looked better down the stretch and just turned in 7 2/3 innings of scoreless ball with eight strikeouts in the Wild Card Series. Including that, the bullpen has a 1.73 ERA in nearly 90 innings since Sept. 4. Lucas Erceg will be the man in the ninth inning when needed, and so far, he’s held his ground.

The Yankees’ numbers as a group look much stronger, though, with their bullpen’s 3.62 ERA ranking sixth in MLB this season. The Yankees’ final bullpen spots could still take a few different shapes, but in tight postseason games, it comes down to the big dogs at the back end. There, the Yankees will have Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle waiting. Anything can happen in October and anything can happen when that bullpen door swings open, but the Yankees walk into the ALDS with an edge here.

Advantage: Yankees

Prediction
In a best-of-five series, it so often comes down to the one big moment that flips a single game. Sometimes, this can be an untimely error or a bad bounce, but let’s imagine for a moment that the baseball gods will smile down upon this series and let the best team win. If you’re looking for players who can take over a game and flip a series single-handedly, you’ll find more of them in pinstripes.

Judge and Soto are one of the best one-two punches in baseball, but Witt stands right on their level, and the Royals’ rotation, led by Lugo and Ragans, is as deep as it is talented. The Royals should make a great series and earn some respect on the national stage, but the Yankees still have the biggest advantages.

Prediction: Yankees in five