1 Kansas City Royals Bright Spot Despite Rough Start

While the Kansas City Royals have one of baseball's most talented rosters, their record doesn't reflect that so far. They're 8-17 after Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Baltiimore Orioles, a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets at the very bottom of the overall MLB standings despite having recent All-Stars like shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., third baseman Maikel Garcia, starting pitcher Seth Lugo, catcher Salvador Perez, starting pitcher Cole Ragans, starting pitcher Kris Bubic, and closer Carlos Estevez.

Luckily for the Royals, Lugo is earning his money so far. The 36-year-old is third in MLB with a 1.15 ERA and 15th with a 0.93 WHIP through five starts, most recently throwing a seven-inning shutout in a 7-5 loss to the Orioles on Monday.

Lugo's hot start is timely, as he had a down season for his standards in 2025. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder went 8-7 with a 4.15 ERA over 26 starts, and he has a career record of 65-48 with a 3.42 ERA over 365 games (128 starts). If he continues his current form, he'll show that his 2024 campaign was no fluke. He earned his first and only All-Star nod that year and went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA. It's no coincidence that made the playoffs for the first time since 2015 that season, but missed out in 2025.