The Kansas City Royals are seemingly locked and loaded for a huge bounce back season this year. First, let’s dive into the details of the last few seasons in Kansas City.
From 2021 to 2023, the Royals were one of the worst teams in the league. They reached rock bottom in 2023 when they lost 106 games, marking their third time losing at least 100 games since 2018.
But behind the breakout year from Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals made a huge come back, winning 86 games in 2024, surging into the postseason. They would lose the American League Division Series three games to one, but it was still a very successful year for the team.
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After a huge 2024, the Royals took a small step back. Witt didn’t match his breakout year in 2024, but he was still incredible. The pitching staff was injured for a good chunk of last season with Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic combining for only 33 starts. As a result, they won 82 games and missed the postseason.
Royals eyeing big year behind manager Matt Quatraro
With spring camp beginning, the team’s manager sent a strong message to the players and the fan base before playing their first spring training game.
“It’s fun and it’s nerve-wracking,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of his speech addressing the team. “It’s, ‘All right, let’s go play baseball.’ And I think that’s the sentiment and just everything matters. That’s most of what the players were talking about and what we have talked about all along. Like every little detail, everything we do, leads to an end goal. And that’s what we want to focus on.”
The Royals have a chance to be a very good team this year. If Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia can take another step forward, their offense could be a force. If Ragans and Bubic can stay healthy, they’ll have one of the best pitching staffs in the league. If Jac Caglianone and Jonathan India can bounce back, the offense will receive a huge boost.
There are a lot of “but’s” involved in the Royals upcoming season, but their potential is still off the charts.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com ’
