What a difference a year can make. The Royals won 56 games in 2023 but turned the corner fast thanks to several pitching pickups that worked out, plus two franchise bats. Kansas City won 86 games in 2024, made the playoffs, and won a playoff round in a whirlwind campaign. Here’s our recap of the 2024 Kansas City Royals.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 735 | 13th |
| Home Runs | 170 | t-20th |
| OPS | .710 | 14th |
| Whiff% | 22.9 | 5th |
| Hard Hit% | 40.5% | 7th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.55 | 2nd |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.13 | 20th |
| Strikeouts | 1,339 | 20th |
| Whiff% | 25.0% | 19th |
| Chase% | 27.2% | 28th |
The Good
If there’s an early contender for trade of the 2020s, it might be the one that netted the Royals Cole Ragans. Ragans was an interesting pitching prospect when acquired by Kansas City, one who was a former first-round pick with a plus changeup but not a strong MLB track record. He electrified late in 2023 for the Royals, then posted an incredible campaign in 2024
Ragans struck out 223 batters in 2024, fifth-most in the Majors and second-most in the American League. His success can largely be attributed to Ragans’ changeup, a filthy pitch that doesn’t have significant drop but differs in speed from his fastball by about seven to 10 MPH and plus run. It led to a hefty amount of whiffs, both on his fastball and changeup.
Ragans was one of just several Royals starters who diced up hitters last year. Brady Singer was an effective strike-thrower, Michael Wacha threw 166.2 effective innings, and Seth Lugo finished second in the AL Cy Young voting. Lugo, with his nine pitches and lowered arm slot, threw 206.2 IP, second in the Majors.
It wasn’t just the rotation that was a strength for the Royals. Kansas City’s bullpen came together nicely over the final two months, despite what the Royals went through earlier in the year.
The catalyst of the Royals’ bullpen over the last third of the year was Lucas Erceg. Erceg was acquired from the A’s in July for Mason Barnett. The 29-year-old overwhelmed hitters with premium heat and a great changeup, and the move offered Kansas City the opportunity to add a reliever with significant control and great stuff.
It worked, as Erceg notched 11 saves, struck out 29, and walked just three over 24 innings from August 1-September 30.
Aside from Erceg, the Royals also received strong production from Angel Zerpa, Sam Long, and former starter Daniel Lynch IV. Lynch couldn’t have been much better in the second half. The former first-round pick was one of two relievers — the other being Kevin Kelly (Rays) — to throw 20+ IP and not allow a earned run over the last two months of the season.
Offensively, the catalysts of the team were Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez.
The Royals locked Witt Jr. up before the 2024 season and…that was a good idea. Witt Jr. paced the offense in 2024, as he led the Majors in hits (211) and batting average (.332), along with 31 stolen bases, 32 home runs, and 109 RBI.
Perez, meanwhile, drove in 104 for the Royals. The rise of Freddy Fermin was a blessing for the Royals, as it allowed Kansas City to keep Perez’s bat in the lineup for most of the year. The 34-year-old played in 158 of 162 games.
The Bad
Out of all the teams that made the playoffs in 2024, only one (Tigers) had a lower team on-base percentage than the Royals (.306). Kansas City finished 19th in the stat last season.
Despite the great production from Perez and Witt Jr., the Royals struggled to get production from other players. Kyle Isbel, a hit-first player, hit .229/.287/.367 last year. MJ Melendez had troubles with swing-and-misses, and Hunter Renfroe owned a .689 OPS last season.
All were part of an outfield that ranked statistically among the five worst in MLB, as noted in September.
Getting back to the Royals’ bullpen, the likes of Erceg, Long, and Lynch IV made it easier to forget how much Kansas City had trouble locking down games over the first half of the season.
James McArthur, the Royals’ closer for much of 2024, owned a 5.31 ERA and blew five saves over the first four months. Veteran lefty Will Smith, who started the year as Royals’ closer, was prone to blow-ups. Smith surrendered 30 earned runs over 41.1 IP last year.
Hunter Harvey, acquired in the summer but only threw in six games, was not effective in his first run in KC. Harvey gave up eight hits and four walks over 5.2 IP before back problems shut the reliever down.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: Salvador Perez/Freddy Fermin
- 1B: Vinnie Pasquantino/Salvador Perez
- 2B: Jonathan India
- 3B: Maikel Garcia
- SS: Bobby Witt Jr.
- OF: Dairon Blanco/MJ Melendez (LF), Kyle Isbel (CF), Hunter Renfroe (RF)
- DH: Vinnie Pasquantino/Michael Massey
- SP: Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Alec Marsh, Kris Bubic, Kyle Wright
- RP: Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey, Sam Long, John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV, Chris Stratton, Angel Zerpa, Carlos Hernandez
The Royals already made one big addition this winter, as Kansas City picked up second baseman Jonathan India, plus Joey Wiemer, from the Reds for Brady Singer.
Kansas City dipped into their pitching depth to add a high-quality leadoff hitter who can get on base, plus hit. Given how much the Royals struggled at times to get runners on base, India should be a welcome addition for the heart of KC’s order.
Another interesting plotline heading into 2025 is Kris Bubic potentially re-entering the Royals’ rotation. The New York Times reported that Bubic, who pitched out of the bullpen last season, will be used as a starter despite a strong year as a reliever (39 K over 30.1 IP).
Bubic came off a year-long layoff rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last season. The 27-year-old does have four pitches (four-seam, sinker, change, slider) in his arsenal but was highly-effective in a relief role, which could lead to some risk. Bubic’s fastball had more pop to it in 2024, as it had good life and he threw it over one MPH harder on average last season.
His Whiff% rate jumped nine percentage points, from 21.3% to 30.5%, between 2022 — Bubic’s last full season — to 2024.