The Royals announced that they have signed infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampson to a one-year contract. Hampson will make a salary of $2MM, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Hampson, 29, spent the 2023 season with the Marlins in a utility capacity. He got into 98 games and stepped to the plate 252 times, striking out at a 26.6% clip and only hitting three home runs but he did draw walks 9.1% of the time. His .276/.349/.380 batting line was a hair above league average, translating to a wRC+ of 101, though his .379 batting average on balls in play was almost 60 points higher than his career rate in that department. That roughly average offensive production was actually a big step up from his time in Colorado, as Hampson slashed .233/.292/.369 for the Rockies from 2019 to 2022.
Hitting aside, Hampson can provide value in other ways. His sprint speed was considered by Statcast to be in the 98th percentile in 2023. He only stole five bases on the year but has 57 in his career. Defensively, he has spent time at all three outfield positions and the three infield spots to the left of first base, giving him plenty of versatility.
After the 2022 season, the Rockies non-tendered him instead of paying a projected $2.1MM salary. He then had to settle for a minor league deal with the Marlins and ended up having a decent campaign in a part-time role but it wasn’t enough for the Fish to keep him on the roster. He exhausted his final option year in 2023 and would have less roster flexibility going forward, so the Marlins opted not to tender him a contract at a projected rate of $1.3MM.
The Royals are willing to give him $2MM and a roster spot, presumably to utilize him in the same multi-positional role he has held so far in his career. The club has Bobby Witt Jr. implanted at shortstop but second base and third base have less certainty. Maikel Garcia is the favorite at the hot corner and has a good floor with his speed and defense, but he hit just four home runs in 515 plate appearances in 2023. Michael Massey could be in line for the lion’s share of playing time at second after hitting 15 homers this year but his .274 on-base percentage was among the worst in the league last year. Center field has similar question marks after subpar offensive seasons from Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel.
In addition to those aforementioned areas, injuries will inevitably arise over the course of a 162-game season, creating holes elsewhere. Hampson can help fill in there or perhaps serve as a late-game defensive replacement or pinch runner, depending on how things shake up over the remainder of the offseason. Nick Loftin and Samad Taylor are also on the roster as utility options but they each have options and less than a year of service time.
Let’s Go O’s!!!!
The Guardians just missed out offering 1.95 Million
…….why?
Because they are a major league team and that means they have to occasionally sign major league players.
Who knew
Because he’s cheap.
Because he’s a versatile piece that’s really fast.
He was one of the fastest players available, and that speed os quote useful on the basepaths and in the field.
Tradeable at the deadline.
I dunno why but this strikes me as a very Royals player name.
I was going to say a very Royals type player too. Not much power, decent eye for contact and some speed. Good sign for their philosophy I guess. I kind of look at the A’s and Royals with the same player concepts.
It’s better than Pete lacock!
Please, let’s not be critical of LaCock. The Royals won the AL West in 1978 with LaCock as their primary first baseman.
Decent numbers with Miami last year. Obviously not a starter but as a bench piece / utility player, why not?
He is a nice pick up. I like him. If we didn’t have Jon Berti, Hampson would’ve been our regular Utility guy.
Great, kid! Don’t get cocky.
He was a solid utility player last year. Nice signing.
He’s a nice piece for sure. As I mention above, if we didn’t have Jon Berti, he probably is still with us.
Nothing against the player, but why. There is no strategic vision at work here. There’s no upside and it’s unlikely he’s better than any of the in house options, which are middling at best. $2 MM is nothing for most teams but KC ownership has clamped down on spending because they want to poverty their way into a new stadium and handout from taxpayers. So it’s actually harmful. Boo.
It’s like having a shoestring budget, nothing to eat, and you decide to buy a candleholder.
If I had a shoestring budget, I’d buy shoestring fries.
Tradeable at the deadline
This is a steal for 2 million.
Thumbs up for your name.
Shouldn’t a utility player be responsible for paying the gas, water and electric bills for the team?
he was in colorado for a long time so he probably did laundry
I agree with so many others in asking WHY???
pretty good cost value for a guy with positional flexibility and a slightly above average offensive year. I imagine the Royals don’t trust many of their fringe players and AAA depth pieces. Massey certainly isn’t particularly good with the bat, even with the 15 HRs
But why not give the young guys a shot? Kansas City is terrible. Why bother bringing in a veteran utility guy with no upside? Teams like KC and Pittsburgh have been doing this for years and it never amounts to anything.
I think because they don’t believe much in those young players. There’s a reason other teams gave them up, and I say this as a fan of Samad.
At $2m, they can still give those young guys a shot first though and have Hampson as a solid depth piece.
Because if he’s hitting .274 (like 2023) come July 31, hopefully a contender will be willing to give up something of value for him. The Royal way.
No one is giving up anything of value for depth piece with a modest batting average. I can’t think of single notable player acquired in such a trade. It might be worth some research.
Considering left handed hitting MJ,Isbel, Massey,Pratto and switch hitting Waters had such poor performances at the plate it would seem JJ would be focused on bringing in some left-handed help. But every team needs a swiss army knife on the roster.
Honestly if he was projected to make about 1.2-1.5 mil in arb why didn’t the Royals just acquire him in a deal before the Marlins non tendered him?
Prob could have gotten him cheaper that way and not like Miami would want a lot.
But good for Hampson for getting more the he was projected to get in arb.
Hsmpson’s 98th percentile speed might be more useful for pinch running on a team that didn’t also have, often available off the bench, the 100th percentile speed of Darion Blanco.
Is this player by Marriott?