Michael Massey
Kansas City Royals, Second Basemen
Appearing in 100 games during the 2024 season, Massey posted an overall slash of .259/.294/.449 to go along with 17 doubles, 14 home runs and 45 RBI. The Palos Park, Ill., native, posted career-high marks in runs (45), triples (2), average, slugging, OPS and OPS+ (105). The 2018 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner also recorded a .990 fielding percentage, committing just three errors in 302 total chances, all coming at second base.
Massey helped Kansas City to 86 wins this season, the most by the Royals since 2015 (95), the franchise’s last postseason appearance and World Series title.
A three-year letterwinner at Illinois from 2017-19, Massey was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, capped by a first-team selection in 2019, a year in which he led the Illini to the Oxford Regional in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. He was then selected in the fourth round (109th overall) in the MLB Draft that summer, becoming the program’s highest-drafted infielder.
Massey is set to become the first Illini position player to play in the MLB Postseason since Scott Spiezio in 2006 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
AL Wild Card Schedule
Game 1 – Wednesday, Oct. 1
Kansas City at Baltimore, 3:08 p.m. CT
Game 2 – Thursday, Oct. 2
Kansas City at Baltimore, 3:38 p.m. CT
Game 3 – Friday, Oct. 3 (if necessary)
Kansas City at Baltimore, 3:08 p.m. CT
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Illinois Athletics…