The Kansas City Royals are on pace for a playoff spot in 2024, but that was not the case this time last season. Last year the royals ended the season with a win/loss record of 56-106, which was only enough for a fifth-place finish in the American League Central and the second worst record in the entire MLB. At the moment, the royals are 82-68, in second place in the division, and comfortably in the second wild card spot.
According to PE teacher Mr. Maus, “They’ve obviously made some improvements, and they have probably a legitimate chance to make the wild card.” They are four games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central and two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the wild card.
A lot of this success can be attributed to Bobby Witt Jr.’s breakout campaign. Currently, the shortstop is batting .331 (the highest average in the MLB) with 31 homeruns and 28 stolen bases. “He’s got power, he’s got speed, he’s got a glove. I mean what more can you ask for from a player, he’s a five-tool guy.” Mr. Maus (Staff), referring to his ability to hit for average, hit for power, run, field, and throw at a high level. “I think the royals are playoff contenders because of Bobby Witt Jr.” Carson Waters (10). He is second in AL MVP voting behind Aaron Judge, who will likely win his second MVP.
Salvador Perez is the last player remaining from their last successful postseason run when they won the World Series in 2015. He is having one of the best seasons of his career at age 34. He has cut down on his strikeout percentage a little bit and increased his walk rate while maintaining around a .275 average, hitting more home runs, and driving in more runs than last year. “He is 30 points above his career on-base percentage, 15 points above his career slugging, and 8 points above his career batting average. At 34 years old to be batting .275 in the MLB is a testament to how good he is.” Mr. Maus’s (Staff) analysis on Salvador Perez’s 2024 season.
The royals made lots of offseason and midseason moves that have fueled their turnaround. The first, and probably most important, move that they made was signing Bobby Witt Jr. to an eleven year, 289-million-dollar contract in February. After that they traded David Sandlin for John Schreiber (Red Sox). Other important signings were SP Michael Wacha, SP Seth Lugo, and OF Hunter Renfroe. Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo have been fantastic rotational pitchers and Hunter Renfroe has been a solid middle of the lineup contributor. As for their midseason moves, they traded for RP Hunter Harvey, SP Michael Lorenzen, RP Lucas Erceg, and SS/3B Paul DeJong. The royals did hit a bit of a fork in the road when starting first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino went down with an injury. They responded by signing LF Robbie Grossman, CF Tommy Pham, and 1B Yuli Gurriel who have been decent in attempting to replace his production.
The most drastic improvement the royals made this year was their pitching. In 2023, they had a 5.17 team ERA (Earned Run Average), which was 28th in the league. That has improved to 3.85 in 2024, which is 10th in the league. The bigger difference is when you look at the starting rotation. Their best offseason acquisition, Seth Lugo, has a 3.05 ERA while pitching the most innings in his career and Cole Ragans has been a star in his second year with the royals with a 3.24 ERA and the second most strikeouts in the majors. Four pitchers in the royals’ starting rotation have a 3.53 ERA or lower. For context, last year the royals only had one main starting pitcher with an ERA of less than 5.00 and none with less than 4.00. While their starting pitching has been stellar, their bullpen has been a little less than impressive. However, it’s still an improvement over last year. With one of the best rotations in the league, the royals have a solid foundation for the postseason.
The Royals have twelve games remaining on the season and are basically a lock for their first postseason appearance since 2015. With new acquisitions playing well, other players (like the best shortstop in the league) stepping up, and an insane improvement in the starting rotation, it’s an exciting time to bring October baseball back to Kansas City.
