Whether the Royals forge a run in the postseason or not, 2024 has been a successful building block campaign, starting with the emergence of Bobby Witt Jr.

The speedy third-year pro is helping put the Royals back on the map by boasting the second-highest Wins Above Replacement in the game and pacing the club to its first postseason appearance since 2015.

Aaron Judge is the one player ahead of him, who once again anchors a Yankees team that has suffered from plenty of pitching inconsistencies.

The two power hitters meet for their second series of the season at Yankee Stadium on Monday; the Yanks took the first set 3-1 with some heavy offensive outbursts.

Brady Singer was victim to one of them, getting yanked in the sixth inning after yielding as many runs in a 10-1 loss on June 11. He’s been having a rebound season in containing hot contact, lowering his average exit velocity by almost three mph — a handy acumen against Yankees power hitting.

The Yanks may still lead the game in weighted runs created plus (wRC+), but the Royals have gone 37-36 against the run line since that series.

It’s not a convincing record, though Kansas City still hangs with the Yanks as a top-five club in expected slug percentage, which removes defense from the equation, making it more indicative of hitting competency as opposed to regular slug percentage.

Carlos Rodon won his start against the Royals in the previous series, allowing one run but striking out only three hitters in seven innings on June 10.

Rodon is first and foremost a strikeout pitcher: He just sat down 11 batters against Texas. According to Statcast, the Royals have the second-fewest strikeouts and third-lowest whiff rate in baseball.

I’m counting on Witt Jr. and the rest of the stingy swingers to keep this one interesting.

THE PLAY: Royals +1.5 (FanDuel -142)