Vinnie Pasquantino, Aroldis Chapman named Royals Player/Pitcher of the Month for March/April

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced this afternoon that infielder Vinnie Pasquantino and left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman have been named Royals Player and Pitcher of the Month, respectively, for March/April. The awards are determined by a local media vote.

Pasquantino slashed .279/.375/.500 (29-for-104) over 29 games through the end of April. His .375 on-base percentage over that stretch led all Royals and ranked 9th in the American League, trailing leader Matt Chapman (.465 OBP). Vinnie also led the club in total bases (52), hits (29), doubles (8), home runs (5) and walks (15) over the first month of the 2023 season. He drew nearly as many walks as he had strikeouts (16) and his 7.56 rate of plate appearances per strikeout ranked 10th best in the AL. Vinnie reached base safely in 26 of his 29 games played, including in 21 straight from April 5-27, which matched his career-best on-base streak and at the time was the 4th-longest active streak in the Majors. Over his 21-game run, he slashed .312/.398/.584 (24-for-77) with 11 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 5 home runs). Of his team-leading 5 home runs in April, 3 either tied the game or gave the Royals a lead, including his game-tying 2-run homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th inning on April 16 vs. Atlanta. This marks Pasquantino’s second consecutive monthly honor, following last September/October.

Chapman led all Royals pitchers with a 1.74 ERA (2 ER in 10.1 IP) over 11 appearances in March/April and posted a 16.5 K/9 rate (19 K in 10.1 IP), which led all American League relievers (min. 10.0 IP) and trailed only Philadelphia’s José Alvarado (17.5 K/9) for the highest rate in the Majors. Of his 11 relief outings, 9 were scoreless, and he held opponents hitless in 7 of those appearances. He earned his 1st save as a Royal on April 8 at San Francisco, where he spun a 1-2-3 9th inning with 2 strikeouts in a 6-5 victory. On April 4, he threw 10 pitches of at least 100.0 mph in the 9th inning, marking just the 10th time since 2008 that a Royals pitcher has thrown at least 10 pitches at that speed. His 0-2 pitch in that game to Bo Bichette registered at 103.5 mph, matching the fastest pitch by a Royal since data is available (2008), previously done by Kelvin Herrera on April 17, 2012. After making just 11 appearances this season, Aroldis has thrown 7 of the fastest 10 pitches ever recorded by a Royal. This is Chapman’s first monthly honor as a Royal after signing with the club as a free agent in January. The 14-year veteran has earned seven All-Star Game selections and was named the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year in 2019.

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Derek Nester
Derek Nesterhttp://www.sunflowerstateradio.com
Derek Nester was born and raised in Blue Rapids and graduated from Valley Heights High School in 2000. He attended Cowley College in Arkansas City and Johnson County Community College in Overland Park studying Journalism & Media Communications. In 2002 Derek joined Taylor Communications, Inc. in Salina, Kansas working in digital media for 550 AM KFRM and 100.9 FM KCLY. Following that stop, he joined Dierking Communications, Inc. stations KNDY AM & FM as a board operator and fill-in sports play-by-play announcer. Starting in 2005 Derek joined the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network as a Studio Coordinator at 101 The Fox in Kansas City, a role he would serve for 15 years culminating in the Super Bowl LIV Championship game broadcast. In 2020 he moved to Audacy, formerly known as Entercom Communications, Inc. and 106.5 The Wolf and 610 Sports Radio, the new flagship stations of the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network, the largest radio network in the NFL. Through all of this, Derek continues to serve as the Digital Media Director for Sunflower State Radio, the digital and social media operations of Dierking Communications, Inc. and the 6 radio stations it owns and operates across Kansas.

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