Salvador Perez is hitting just .182 this spring, but when he’s made contact, it’s been loud. It’s not worth worrying about his slow box score stats in spring. Finding timing matters much more at this stage so that Perez can start the year strongly. He’s finished each of the last six seasons with an average exit velocity of 90 mph or better and if his spring showing is an indication, that doesn’t figure to change in 2025.

Probably no surprise here. Caglianone’s 115.4 mph max exit velocity is among the best in the entire league so far this spring. He’s shown off true 80-grade power so far this spring and is starting to amplify his case to reach the big leagues as early as later this season. He’s appeared in seven games so far in Arizona and leads the Royals with a 1.657 OPS. Kansas City’s top prospect has hit .444 while slugging 1.111 in his first spring training.

Hard-hit rate and average exit velocity often go hand-in-hand, which is the case here with Perez. He’s hit the ball hard this spring, even if the box score results haven’t turned into much. Last spring, the veteran backstop slashed .300/.300/.575 in 13 games. The drop in production shouldn’t be all that concerning as long as Perez continues to hit the ball hard as he has so far.

India (.316), Garcia (.389), and Loftin (.462) have all played in at least half of the team’s spring contests so far. Each of them is also hitting north of .300 as they get set for 2025. Loftin is more the fringe option, but his outstanding contact ability has long been a draw for the former top prospect. India, meanwhile, looks to be hitting his stride in most of the right metrics as the team gets set to utilize him as their new leadoff man for 2025.

Biggio has cooled down after a red-hot start to the Cactus League. He’s hitting .250 now but has walked five times against just two strikeouts. He finished last season with an 18.2% chase rate at the big league level. That mark would’ve ranked better than the 90th percentile had he qualified. Now, Biggio looks to have continued that strength early on as he vies for a big league roster spot by Opening Day. Of all the non-roster invites with a chance, Biggio seems to have the best inside track to claiming a spot. His excellent approach and on-base ability would be a huge reason why.

Garcia has ranked in the 80th percentile or better for whiff rate in all three seasons of his big league career thus far. Early on, he’s already back to making excellent swing decisions and contact. Whether he continues to pull the ball and attempt to get into his power or if he settles back for a true contact approach will mean a lot for how successful he can be in 2025. Either way, limiting swing-and-miss the way he does consistently only gives him a strong foundation to open the 2025 season.

Hoffmann started the spring strongly but struggled more in his most recent outing. Across three appearances, he’s pitched to a 5.40 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Despite the high ERA inflated by a small sample size, Hoffmann’s stuff has looked sharp this spring. He’s struck out seven batters without allowing a walk. He’s also limited hard contact to just a 79.0 average exit velocity.

Bowlan (4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA) and Stripling (2.0 IP, 22.50 ERA) have had vastly different showings this spring as far as ERA is concerned. Bowlan has looked especially sharp, putting together six strikeouts against just two walks while allowing just one hit in his four innings of work. Stripling has allowed five hits but owns the same 0.00% hard-hit rate. That could speak to some bad luck for the veteran still vying to make a case for a big league roster spot while pitching on his minor league deal.

Yet another strong mark in Bowlan’s favor, he’s done well to limit contact in the strikezone this spring. That’s helped him to a 0.75 WHIP as opposing batters simply aren’t making any contact on his stuff in the strike zone. An improvement over Bowlan’s zone contact rate of 85.3% last season in Omaha would be a welcome sight that could go a long way to helping Bowlan make his way to the Major Leagues this season.

Much like Bowlan’s zone contact rate and hard-hit rate go hand-in-hand, Stripling’s extremely high chase rate goes a long way to explain how he’s posted such a low hard-hit rate despite allowing five hits in just two innings this spring. Stripling’s standout 2022 season with Toronto was heavily the result of a 34.5% chase rate — good for the 93rd percentile that season. In 2023, that fell to well below average but improved some in 2024. If Stripling can get back to those elite chase rate marks, he could prove valuable depth to the Kansas City rotation and bullpen.

Avila has had perhaps the most impressive spring training thus far among the Royals’ arms. In four innings of work, he’s struck out six and walked just one while showcasing electric stuff. His dominant whiff rate is just another mark showing how impressive Avila has been as he continues to make a strong case to reach the big leagues this season.