<\/p>\n
Considering the Royals practically have made it a rite of spring to start with an April swoon, maybe their 7-16 launch to the worst record in baseball felt like just another numbing version of their exasperating habit: Since 2016 they\u2019ve only made it through three Aprils with a winning record. Even last year\u2019s triumph (16-15) was despite starting 8-14.<\/p>\n
Not coincidentally, they\u2019ve earned one postseason berth in that span: the 2024 team that started 18-13 and was 35-24 through May \u2014 at which point the Royals had been 81 games under .500 in full seasons from 2017 through 2023.<\/p>\n
Disheartening trend that it\u2019s been, each start and season is its own story \u2014 a complicated mix of the who, what, when, where, how and why of what makes any given team.<\/p>\n
And maybe this one has an entirely separate factor at play for a promising team coming off back-to-back winning seasons \u2026 and Aprils.<\/p>\n
Given that the Royals entered Wednesday night\u2019s game against Cleveland having won 10 of their last 13 since that unsightly start, it\u2019s all the easier to wonder now about something that first came to mind amid the fever of a World Baseball Classic conspicuous with emotionally consumed Royals.<\/p>\n
As he joined Fox Sports moments after his Team Venezuela\u2019s intense victory over Team USA in the WBC title game, a euphoric Salvador Perez said, \u201cI\u2019m super happy, and now I feel like I can retire.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The Royals star laughed as he said it. But even if he wasn\u2019t exactly joking about its meaning, no one should begrudge him saying that or feeling that way \u2014 especially given the strife in his native country and his pride in representing it.<\/a><\/p>\n Perez\u2019s words, though, further illuminated something you could tell just by watching: The WBC wasn\u2019t a mere exhibition or entertainment. For many of the players, it took on the gravitas of representing their country in an Olympics or, say, World Cup.<\/p>\n Which brings us to the heart of the question:<\/p>\n Beyond the mere fact of missed time together at spring training, how much was the core of this team emotionally spent and needing a reboot after playing such vital roles in the WBC?<\/p>\n It\u2019s a notion that Royals general manager J.J. Picollo acknowledged the other day the team has been \u201clooking at.\u201d<\/p>\n With ample reason, seems to me, he reckoned it has been a factor in the sluggish starts of five of the seven organizations that had 14 or more players involved in the WBC.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I don\u2019t think (it\u2019s) a Kansas City Royals issue,\u201d Quatraro said.<\/p>\n In their case, though, it stands out that not having your better players around for a full spring training affects \u201cthe time to bond and build camaraderie,\u201d as Quatraro put it.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s essentially having to recover from the \u201cadrenaline rush\u201d of a playoff atmosphere and returning to \u2026 spring training. With the season opener only a week or so away when we spoke, Picollo ventured that even opening day was likely \u201ca little bit of a letdown from playing high energy, very impactful games.\u201d<\/p>\n To be clear, Picollo only spoke to this notion in response to my question. He absolutely wasn\u2019t invoking it as some sort of excuse, and he wasn\u2019t questioning effort.<\/p>\n (A potential parallel of that comes to mind: The Chiefs in 2022 collapsing and losing to the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game a week after peaking with the incredible 42-36 overtime win over Buffalo.)<\/p>\n And, yes, there are too many variables to isolate here \u2014 Royals over the years, other franchises, etc. \u2014 to really conclude anything tangible. At least not yet.<\/p>\n So maybe this is just an intriguing talking point more than anything scientifically demonstrable.<\/p>\n Or as Royals vice-president for research and development Daniel Mack put it via text message, the notion has been worth \u201ca bit of a look\u201d but has \u201cjust enough confounding variables\u201d that any conclusions would be of low confidence.<\/p>\n Still, consider this.<\/p>\n Only three other franchises had more of their organization\u2019s players in the WBC, and only two had more participants from their 40-man rosters than the Royals \u2014 who had 14 overall, nine from their 40-man roster.<\/p>\n Moreover, Royals players in many ways were the prevailing stories of the WBC.<\/p>\n The all-in Maikel Garcia emerged as the tourney MVP,<\/a> and Witt awed defensively. Vinnie Pasquantino became the charismatic face of Team Italy, including with three home runs in one game, and Jac Caglianone homered with four RBIs and five walks to help the Italian team to the semifinals.<\/p>\n