#25
The Kansas City Royals are getting close to being able to compete again after tearing down the roster following their World Series win in 2015. Is 2023 the year they break out an be relevant again?
#21 - 4th in AL Central
MIH - Salvador Perez
MIP - Zack Greinke
PTW - Bobby Witt Jr.
2022 Results
#26 - 65-97, 5th in AL Central
Highest WAR (Position) - Michael A. Taylor
Highest WAR (Pitcher) - Brady Singer
The 2022 Royals was all about the youth movement. It saw the debut of phenom Bobby Witt Jr., who played 150 and showed he truly is the budding superstar everyone thought he would be. Brady Singer had a breakout season and showed he can be the ace everyone thought he would be. Veterans Salvador Perez and Zack Greinke anchored the team and provided the necessary veteran leadership. The problem is the rest of the roster wasn't up to par. However, there were promising signs for the future for sure.
Additions / Subtractions
After selling off several veterans at the Trade Deadline last year like Whit Merrifield, Carlos Santana, and Andrew Benintendi, the Royals had a typical Royals offseason by not paying their own veterans hitting free agency and instead signing some interesting veterans with tons of upside. So their best player (in terms of WAR) in Michael A. Taylor signed elsewhere, and Adalberto Mondesi was traded to Boston. Coming in are starter Jordan Lyles and reliever Aroldis Chapman. The one exception was ageless wonder Zack Greinke who is still going strong and should definitely finish his career in Kansas City. The other major change for the Royals was the change at manager, with Matt Quatraro taking over for Mike Matheny.
Most Important Hitter
Vinnie Pasquatino
Although everyone entered the season fascinated by Bobby Witt Jr., the most popular player by the end of the season might have been fellow rookie Vinnie Pasquatino. Nicknamed "The Italian Nightmare," Pasquatino showed his pure hitting skills could translate to the big leagues, batting .295 with 10 homers, 26 RBI's with a 135 OPS+ over 72 games. This year, he will be counted on as a middle of the order bat despite not even having half a season of big league experience under his belt. Witt Jr. will impact the game no matter what because of his athleticism. If the Royals are going to take a step forward this year, it is going to be because of Vinnie Pasquatino.
Most Important Pitcher
Daniel Lynch
With Brady Singer emerging as the ace of the Royals, the focus goes to who will be providing the depth behind him. Enter Daniel Lynch. Entering his age 26 season (just like Singer), Lynch will be starting his 2nd full season in the big leagues. Last season was not necessarily successful, as he posted a 4-13 record with a 5.13 ERA and an 80 ERA+ in 27 starts. The Royals will be looking for him to take a step forward similar to what Singer did last year. If he does, the Royals have a formidable right/left, 1/2 punch at the top of their rotation for the foreseeable future.
Prospect to Watch
Drew Waters
The Royals overall farm system took a hit last year with players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquatino graduating from the list. Now they only boast one Top 100 prospect, and he is still probably a couple years away from the big leagues. With that said, the Royals do have some fascinating prospects that could provide real impact at the big league level this season. One of those in Drew Waters. A former 2nd round pick of the Braves, the Royals traded for Waters mid-season for a draft pick. Playing 32 games for the Royals in 2022, Waters barely maintained his prospect status but also showed some good production, with a 124 OPS+. Now the Royals will go into Opening Day 2023 with Waters as their centerfielder, and he will be given every opportunity this season to show he is their centerfielder of the future.
2023 Prediction
4th in AL Central
The Royals are the start of a section on these power rankings of teams that are still rebuilding but are very close to breaking out in a big way. The AL Central is not as strong as other divisions, their youth movement is really starting to show it's worth paying attention to, and it shouldn't shock anyone if the Royals end up close to .500 by the end of the season.
Fearless Prediction
Bobby Witt Jr. will be the starting shortstop for the AL in the All Star Game in 2023.
He has all the potential to be one of the game's next superstars. He is dynamic young player that can do it all. Last year he just scratched the surface. If he takes the next step, look for him to be the talk of the league and win a fan vote for the best shortstop in the American League. The Royals fans have shown in the past that they will come out in droves to vote for their stars when they have one to vote for. It could make the Mid-Summer Classic a coming-out party for Bobby Witt Jr. in a similar way it was for Julio Rodriguez in 2022.
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