2024 Season in Review: The best Royals home runs
What was your favorite dong?
This year the Royals hit 170 home runs, second-most in club history behind only the 2017 team. Home run rates are up all over baseball, but even relative to the league, the Royals improved. They finished tenth in the American League in home runs, their best finish since 2003. Take them out of the K and they fared even better - their 94 road home runs were the sixth-most in the American League.
That gives us plenty of candidates for the top Royals home runs of the year. Here are some of the contenders.
May 10 - Adam Frazier’s ninth-inning home run in Anaheim
Adam Frazier hit just four home runs for the Royals this year, but one came up huge for them in a May game against the Angels. Trailing 1-0 in the ninth, the Royals were down to the last two outs when MJ Melendez singled. Frazier stepped up against closer Carlos Estévez and unexpectedly launched one down the right field line, just fair, for a home run to give the Royals a lead they would not relinquish.
May 21 - Bobby Witt Jr. hits the longest Royals home run in seven years
Bobby has power, no doubt about that. And he doesn’t hit wall-scrapers - he hit 21 “no-doubters” - good for the seventh-most in baseball and the highest percentage of overall home runs for anyone that hit at least 20.
That power was on full display in a May game against Detroit when Bobby showed not even Kauffman Stadium could contain him. Facing Casey Mize, Witt launched one 468 feet into the fountains. According to Statcast, it’s the longest home run by a Royals hitter since Brandon Moss hit one 474 feet in 2017.
June 15 - MJ Melendez grand slam in 12-pitch at-bat
MJ had a disappointing season, but when he did get hits, they seemed to come at the most opportune moments. In the sixth inning of a June game against the Dodgers, Melendez faced reliever Blake Treinen with the Royals trailing 2-1. Melendez battled Treinen in a 12-pitch at-bat, that culminated in him jumping on a hanging breaking ball for a grand slam to put the Royals on top in a game they would go on to win.
July 29 - Bobby Witt grand slam in Chicago
Grand salamis are so much fun, Bobby Witt Jr. decided to get in on the action in a July game against the White Sox. The Royals trailed 5-4 in the eighth, but like most White Sox leads, that didn’t last long. John Brebbia loaded the bases for Witt, always a bad idea. Bobby made him pay with a grand slam that would give the Royals an 8-5 win.
August 26 - Salvy grand slam in Cleveland
Salvador Perez is at an age when many players would be slowing down, but he has continued to defy Father Time. In an August doubleheader against Cleveland, Salvy went off. He went 3-for-3 with a walk in the first game, then homered in the fifth inning of the second game. But that wasn’t even the best part - the Guardians loaded the bases for him in the sixth and he destroyed the ball for a grand slam. He went 5-for-7 on the day as the Royals swept the Guardians to pull within one game of first place.
October 7 - Salvy homers in the ALDS
The Royals made a surprise trip to the post-season, their first since 2015. After finishing off the Orioles in the Wild Card round, they visited Yankee Stadium to take on the Bronx Bombers. After narrowly losing Game 1, Salvy got the Royals on the board in Game 2, with a solo home run in the fourth to tie the game 1-1. That would spark the Royals to a four-run inning on their way to a 4-2 victory.
Did I miss one? What was your favorite Royals home run this year?