By Adam Gardner | April 30, 2026
You know the song just like I do – NSYNC singer and teen heartthrob Justin Timberlake belts out the lyrics with a weird pronunciation, “It’s gonna be me.”
Except the songwriters specifically wanted Timberlake to pronounce “me” oddly, and it comes out sounding like “May.” And ever since, at the end of April, I see in my head early-2000s Justin Timberlake with the curly blond hair singing “It’s gonna be May.”
This has nothing to do with the Kansas City Royals, but I’m tortured by this every year and I just needed to get it off my chest. Today is April 30 and tomorrow … well, tomorrow is gonna be May.
The AL Central is May-diocre
It’s great to see the Royals winning games again because nothing drains energy out of a fan base like a long losing streak. Even with the recent eight-game skid, they still didn’t fall out of contention.
That’s because the American League Central has been completely mediocre. No team is doing anything positive of note and the Royals are just 3 games out of first place.
If you look at the big picture, the entire American League has been average. Only the New York Yankees and Tamba Bay Rays are actually playing winning baseball. Everybody else is right about .500 or worse.
The National League is a different story, as there are nine different teams that would be in first place in the AL Central. Hell, the entire NL Central is above .500.
It’s a small sample size, of course, and you have to think this will change as we continue to move forward through the season, but it’s a blessing for the Royals. KC has been through (hopefully) its worst play of the year and they are still right there in contention.
Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, Chicago – just keep being mediocre. Maybe the Royals recent form continues and they can ultimately grab control of the division.
Like I mentioned on Monday, the upcoming schedule has a big impact on the season as the Royals will play 10 games against division opponents. They have to finish up the A’s series and then go to Seattle first, but that stretch of the schedule is right around the corner.
Bob goes yard, twice
The Royals broadcasters made a comment repeatedly through most of April any time Bobby Witt Jr. came up to bat that sounded something like, “Now would be a great time for Bobby to hit his first home run.” And then that morphed into telling viewers/listeners that Witt doesn’t typically hit home runs in April and then hits for more power as the season goes on.
We might be seeing exactly that. Witt homered against the Angels on Sunday, then hit the game-winning home run in extra innings against the A’s on Tuesday. Witt has gone on heaters in the past and I hope we’re seeing the start of one right now.
Bobby is up to 1.7 WAR for the season and an OPS+ of 126 (100 is league average). Remember a couple weeks ago when he’d only scored 1 run? He’s up to 10 runs now as we flip the page to May.
Witt is also showing signs of maturation at the plate. His strikeout percentage is at 16.4%, which is down from 18.2% last season – his career low was 15% in 2024 when he was the MVP runner-up.
His walk percentage is at a career high right now, 10.4%. His previous career high was 8%, also in 2024.
He’s handling the strike zone a little better than before, which is a great sign. Some of this could be because the Royals lineup behind him was so awful for the first few weeks of the season that pitchers simply didn’t feel the need to deal with Witt.
But it’s a great sign that he didn’t get impatient and start hacking at everything. When Witt gets on base, whether it’s a single or a walk, he can grab an extra 90 feet with a stolen base.
And when he does swing, he’s hitting the ball hard. His hard-hit percentage, which is the percent of balls put in play that left the bat at 95mph or higher, is a career high 52.6%.
So don’t be surprised if we see a patented Witt heater because he’s doing everything right at the plate and his slugging numbers should start to catch up soon.
Injury concerns
Unfortunately there are some injury concerns behind Witt, primarily with Vinnie Pasquantino. The Pasquatch got off to a very slow start this season, but he’s been showing signs of rounding back into form.
All 3 of his home runs have come in the past two weeks, and in just the past few games, he’s slashing .364/.556/1.000. Those numbers aren’t sustainable, but it’s good to see him get hot.
But he had to exit Tuesday’s game with lower back tightness and didn’t play Wednesday. Just reading those words makes me wince because I deal with my own lower back issues. The pain can come out of nowhere and a casual turn and look can turn into immense pain.
Vinnie is a pro athlete and in better condition than I am, but I’m not trying to twist and torque my body to swing a bat as hard as he does.
This is an issue Pasquantino has been dealing with “for a while,” he said. He and the Royals have been trying to manage the situation and now they will have to continue walking the tightrope. The Royals need Vinnie in the lineup, but Vinnie needs to be healthy and available for the whole season.
The Royals also announced that Jonathan India’s season is over after he underwent surgery on his left shoulder. India will be a free agent after this season, so that means his time in KC could be over before we even reach May of his second year.
Nick Loftin (right-handed) and Michael Massey (left-handed) will fill in at second base in the immediate future. Loftin has shown signs of life in his bat this season, and Massey was a solid contributor on the 2024 team that made the postseason.
But Massey also has an injury history, so it will be interesting to see what happens at second base the rest of the season.
Forgotten Royals
Our third entry into the “Forgotten Royals” series is our first non-pitcher: Tom Goodwin.
Goodwin didn’t have a long career with Kansas City. He was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers in January of 1994, then the Royals traded him to the Texas Rangers for Dean Palmer in July of 1997.
It’s not like Goodwin was prolific hitter or played for a particularly memorable Royals team. But there was one thing Tom Goodwin could do that few others could match – the man was really, really fast.
It was the way he ran that’s made him stick around in my brain all these years later. Baseball Reference has Goodwin listed at 6’1” and 165 pounds. He was lean and when he ran he would glide like a deer.
There is one particular play I always tell people when Goodwin’s name gets brought up. The Royals were playing the Baltimore Orioles in a Sunday night game on ESPN. Goodwin hit a soft line drive into right field that forced Bobby Bonilla to his right a little bit.
Goodwin took off and turned a single into an easy double. I remember everyone being stunned that he was rounding first base. Bonilla didn’t dog the play, either, but he wasn’t expecting Goodwin to go to second. In the blink of an eye, Goodwin went from first to second like it was nothing.
His speed just looked so effortless. Even with the great speed, Goodwin wasn’t always an efficient base stealer, getting thrown out a league-leading 22 times in 1996. But he did steal 50 bags in 1995, 66 in 1996, and 34 more for the Royals before they traded him to Texas in 1997.
Here’s a fun trivia answer for you, courtesy of Brad Porter: Goodwin was the last Royals player to be issued No. 42 before Jackie Robinson’s number was retired across the Major Leagues.
Coaching career
After his playing days came to an end, Goodwin entered coaching. He’s been involved in the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves organizations, winning a World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.
Goodwin was the Braves first base coach last season, but was replaced in the offseason.
He’s now at Fresno State as the Director of Player Development. Goodwin played at Fresno State from 1987-89 and was on the 1988 Bulldogs team that went to the College World Series.
I tip my cap to you, Tom Goodwin. Your time in Kansas City may not have been very long, but this Royals fan will always remember you.
