MLB Tips for Yankees vs. Royals: Best Bet, Prediction Monday

Regardless of whether the Royals make a postseason run or not, 2024 was a successful season, starting with the emergence of Bobby Witt Jr.

The speedy third-year pro is helping put the Royals back on the map by posting the second-highest number of Wins Above Replacement in the game and leading the club to its first postseason appearance since 2015.

Aaron Judge is the only player ahead of him, once again bolstering a Yankees team that has suffered from numerous pitching inconsistencies.

The two power hitters will meet on Monday at Yankee Stadium for their second series of the season; the Yankees won the first set 3-1 after some fierce offensive action.

Brady Singer was a victim of one of these tactics: He was taken off the field in the sixth inning after allowing as many runs in a 10-1 loss on June 11. This season, he has been able to recover in dealing with hot contact, lowering his average exit velocity by nearly 3 mph – a useful tactic against the Yankees' power hitters.

Yankees vs. Royals MLB Tips

While the Yankees still lead in Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), the Royals have a 37-36 record against the run line since that series.

It's not a compelling record, although Kansas City still matches the Yankees as a top-five club in expected slug percentage, taking defense out of the equation and making it more about hitting ability than normal slug percentage.

Carlos Rodon won his start against the Royals in the previous series, allowing one run but striking out only three hitters in seven innings on June 10.

Rodon is primarily a strikeout pitcher: He just struck out 11 batters against Texas. According to Statcast, the Royals have the second-fewest strikeouts and third-lowest whiff rate in baseball.

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I'm counting on Witt Jr. and the rest of the stingy swingers to keep things exciting.

THE GAME: Royals +1.5 (FanDuel -142)