Royals-Orioles position-by-position breakdown

The Orioles' postseason run a year ago ended all too quickly. The Royals' last postseason run was nearly a decade ago … but it ended in World Series victory.

Now these two teams are meeting in the American League Wild Card Series, with a Division Series matchup with the AL's No. 1 seed, the Yankees, awaiting the winner.

The best-of-three series, which the Orioles will host at Camden Yards as the top Wild Card team, starts Tuesday. The O's are looking to improve on last season's results -- they were swept in the ALDS by the Rangers -- while the Royals are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, when they won it all.

? Postseason FAQ: What's next for the Orioles?
? Postseason FAQ: What's next for Royals?

The marquee matchup will be Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson vs. Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., two 2024 MVP candidates and two of MLB's most exciting young superstars going head to head. But there will be plenty of stars to watch on both sides.

Here's how the Orioles (91-71) and the Royals (86-76) match up, position by position.

Catcher

This will be one of the most interesting position battles, with a veteran star on one side in the Royals' Salvador Perez and a young star on the other in the Orioles' Adley Rutschman. The 26-year-old Rutschman is a terrific all-around catcher and was an All-Star for a second straight season this year, but he's also been mired in a long second-half slump -- he's batting just .207 with three home runs and a .585 OPS since the All-Star break. And he struggled in the playoffs last year, going just 1-for-12 in the O's ALDS loss.

Perez might be 34 and in his 13th season, but he was an All-Star for the ninth time this season, he had 27 home runs and 104 RBIs, and the last time he played on the postseason stage, he was the World Series MVP.

Advantage: Royals

First base

The Orioles will see a top lefty starter in Game 1 (Cole Ragans) and a top righty starter in Game 2 (Seth Lugo), but they have two capable options at first base to match up with both -- right-handed-hitting Ryan Mountcastle (113 OPS+ overall, 128 OPS+ vs. lefties) and left-handed-hitting Ryan O'Hearn (120 OPS+ overall, 118 OPS+ vs. righties). The Royals could get a big boost at first base -- they've been missing Vinnie Pasquantino (broken right thumb) since the end of August, and using Yuli Gurriel and Perez at first in the meantime, but Pasquantino is targeting a Wild Card Series return, and he has 19 homers and 97 RBIs this season. Still, there's some uncertainty there for Kansas City.

Advantage: Orioles

Second base

The return of Jordan Westburg down the stretch could be a difference-maker in this series. The 25-year-old was a breakout All-Star this season, finishing with a .264 batting average, 18 home runs and 63 RBIs in his 107 games. Michael Massey has been the Royals' main option at second base, and has been productive (14 home runs), but Westbug gives the O's higher upside here.

Advantage: Orioles

Third base

Ramón Urías has been solid with the bat for the Orioles (11 home runs), but the former Gold Glover has been one of the worst fielders in baseball this season (minus-10 outs above average). Whether the Royals use Maikel Garcia or Paul DeJong at third base, both are above-average defensively, and Garcia provides plus speed (37 stolen bases, only two caught stealings) while DeJong provides power (24 home runs).

Advantage: Royals

Shortstop

This is the headliner. Witt vs. Henderson. Witt won the 2024 MLB batting title, finishing the season at .332, and went 30-30, finishing with 32 home runs and 31 stolen bases. Henderson hit 37 home runs, most of any shortstop, and stole 21 bases himself. For much of the season, Henderson was playing like the best shortstop in baseball. Eventually Witt surpassed him. But on the other hand, Henderson was also awesome last postseason, going 6-for-12 with a home run. So either one of these two superstars could lead their team to victory. This might be the best head-to-head matchup in any postseason series.

Advantage: Royals

Left field

The Orioles have a Rookie of the Year candidate in left field in Colton Cowser, who knocked 24 home runs and was the best defensive left fielder in the Majors (+11 outs above average). The Royals' tandem of MJ Melendez and Tommy Pham doesn't quite stack up to Cowser, even though Pham has plenty of playoff experience with a strong track record (.313 batting average, .846 OPS, six home runs in 31 career postseason games).

Advantage: Orioles

Center field

Cedric Mullins is a mainstay in center field for Baltimore, and he provides both power and speed (18 home runs and 32 stolen bases this season), with strong defense in center. The Royals have a great defensive center fielder in Kyle Isbel (+10 outs above average), but Mullins' offense and steadiness year after year for the Orioles stand out in this position battle.

Advantage: Orioles

Right field

Anthony Santander just had a career year for the Orioles, slugging 44 home runs -- third most in the Majors behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani -- and driving in 102 runs while being named an All-Star for the first time. Whether the Royals use Hunter Renfroe or Pham or Adam Frazier in right field in the Wild Card Series, this should be a big edge for the O's.

Advantage: Orioles

Designated hitter

Both teams have multiple options at DH. The Orioles could trust young slugger Heston Kjerstad there (the No. 2 overall Draft pick in 2020 has just 39 games played in the big leagues this season), or go with Mountcastle or O'Hearn, whoever's not playing first base. On the other side, the Royals have bats like Gurriel, Pham, Robbie Grossman or Frazier (who you might see as a left-handed bat vs. the O's all-righty starting rotation). Overall, the Baltimore DH group has been stronger all year (10th-best OPS from the DH position as a team, compared to 26th for Kansas City).

Advantage: Orioles

Starting rotation

Corbin Burnes is probably the best pitcher on either team in this series, and Baltimore's new ace will start Game 1 after going 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA and 181 strikeouts in the regular season. The Orioles haven't announced who will take the ball after Burnes, but their rotation looks solid between Zach Eflin (3.59 ERA) and Dean Kremer (4.10 ERA). The Royals, though, have a great 1-2 punch of their own to start the Wild Card Series in Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA, 223 strikeouts) and Lugo (16-9, 3.00 ERA, 181 strikeouts), with resurgent veteran Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA, 145 strikeouts) ready to go in Game 3 if necessary.

Advantage: Royals

Bullpen

The Orioles' bullpen inconsistency has been well documented, and they were one of the worst relief groups in baseball over the second half. Baltimore does have some talented late-inning arms such as Seranthony Domínguez and Yennier Cano, but Félix Bautista will be missed.

The Royals' bullpen, led by Lucas Erceg, Sam Long and Kris Bubic, was a weakness for much of the year, but it's actually been trending in the right direction in a strong final month of the season. So going into this series, the Royals might actually have the edge there.

Advantage: Royals

Prediction

The Orioles haven't been the same powerhouse since the All-Star break that they were in the first half, with a 33-33 record in the second half compared to their 58-38 mark in the first half. But after their postseason hopes fizzled so fast last October, this Baltimore team will be even hungrier to take the next step this postseason.

The O's won both of their series against the Royals this season, and they have the star power (Henderson, Rutschman, Burnes) and talent through their lineup to win their first postseason series in 10 years. But Kansas City, with Witt and Perez leading the lineup and Ragans and Lugo leading the rotation, is going to be a tough out.

This series will be close.

Orioles in three