Rookies continue to impress despite end results 

TORONTO -- Wins and losses don’t matter right now for the Royals, but Kansas City isn’t here simply to play spoiler; manager Matt Quatraro quashed that notion immediately.

“We're going to play every game to win, whether we're up or down or tied,” said the first-year skipper. “So that's how we're going about it.”

The Royals left little doubt about their motivation in Friday’s 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The club rallied hard for a run in the ninth and got the potential tying run to second before Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano shut the door.

Despite Kansas City’s record, the club has maintained a gritty 17-20 record in one-run games.

“These guys, they never quit,” Quatraro said. “We've been down in plenty of games, obviously, with the way the season’s gone, and they battled to the end.”

There’s no denying this loss stung. Now at 44-98, the Royals are already eliminated from postseason contention and on pace to break the franchise record of 106 losses.

But the remaining 20 games of the season offer infinite amounts of opportunity. Young stars like Bobby Witt Jr. can keep developing while the club also puts out feelers for competing in 2024. This September schedule is one giant proving ground, and infielder Nick Loftin has made an impression.

Loftin broke a tie in the seventh inning with a perfectly struck triple into the right-field corner. Blue Jays outfielder George Springer gave chase, but came up short. After gliding into third, Loftin was pumping his fist and yelling to the Royals dugout.

“[Saw a] fastball up and away [and] got a good swing on it,” said Loftin, who now has four extra-base hits in his first six games. “And luckily [it] found fair territory there, so [I] got on my horse and started running really fast.”

Loftin, the Royals No. 5 prospect, has blazed to a 1.110 OPS since joining the Major League squad as a September call-up. But for all the damage the 24-year-old does with the bat, he’s equally valuable as a true utility infielder.

Through six games, Loftin has spent time at first, second and third base. That flexibility will earn him more playing time this year and in lineups to come.

“Versatility is a key and something that we're gonna really value,” Quatraro said. “We can make a bunch of in-game moves if we need to. And if guys go down, he can play a bunch of different spots.”

But it wasn’t just Loftin who kept this game close. Dairon Blanco got Kansas City on the board in the fourth inning with a solo homer.

Blanco, like many other Royals rookies, has fared well in a small sample size. He is slashing .238/.310/.429 with 12 extra-base hits and 18 steals in 54 games.

Blanco’s blast and Loftin’s RBI triple were enough for Alec Marsh, who entered with a 6.23 ERA, filled up the zone early and glided through four innings, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out six. It was an impressive showcase for a future rotation spot in ‘24.

“It was good to see some of the things that I've been working on kind of clicking,” Marsh said. “I feel like I made a lot of really good pitches tonight.”

Marsh’s improvements came as a product of a better sweeper -- a pitch he’s been working on -- but also a calmer attitude. The 70th overall Draft pick in 2019 admitted he felt “starstruck” when he arrived to the big leagues on June 30. Marsh has started to settle in, and credits his young teammates for making that process easier.

“Everybody's got each other's back,” Marsh said. “You're pulling for each other. Especially when you’ve got such a young staff like we do. So [it’s nice] to see those guys have success some nights and continue to just pat each other on the back and keep going.”

That’s been the Royals’ season in a nutshell: a step backward in the win-loss column but one big leap in the development department, as all the rookies drill the finer details at the highest level. And, above all, there’s been hope. There is a fresh attitude for next season, when the Royals are ready to put it all together.

“I’m always hopeful,” Marsh said. “I think we’ve got the arms; we’ve got the talent. It’s just about being consistent.”