The Royals own the best record in the American League (22-13, tied with the Astros), thanks in large part to an offense that is among the most improved in baseball this season. As our friends at STATS LLC point out, Kansas City's team batting average has improved from .263 to .287 so far this season (the second-biggest jump in the majors) and its runs scored per game has risen from 4.02 to 4.94 (third best).
And the Royals' improvement at the designated hitter spot has been particularly notable. Thank you, Kendrys Morales.
Morales has been the DH in all 35 Royals games this season, and his percentage numbers are far ahead of those compiled by Kansas City DHs in 2014. Heck, even his raw numbers aren't too far behind those from last year -- and we're only one-fifth of the way into the season.
KENDRYS MORALES STATS VS. 2014 ROYALS DESIGNATED HITTERS (from STATS LLC)
| Stats | Morales - 2015 | Royals DHs - 2014 |
| Games | 35 | 152 |
| Home runs |
4 | 6 |
| RBIs | 26 | 59 |
| Batting average |
.303 (43/142) | .248 |
| On-base percentage | .357 (55/154) |
.307 |
| Slugging percentage | .479 (68/142) |
.332 |
