It was a year of surprises.
Sometimes life is full of surprises and never was that more evident than in 2024 for the Royals. A team coming off a 106-loss season was just looking for some of indication the team had hope for the future - instead the team had one of the biggest improvements in baseball history.
That gave fans lots of big stories this year. Here are the biggest Royals-related stories in 2024.
The Royals had the second-worst record in 2023, but because baseball decided to institute a draft lottery, they moved back to the sixth spot in the draft. Nonetheless, they got terrific value in getting the best pure power hitter in college baseball, Florida slugger Jac Caglianone. Interestingly, he was drafted as a two-way player, although he has yet to see the mound as a professional. He struggled a bit in High-A ball, but came on in the Arizona Fall League and his 80-grade power tantalizes Royals fans hopeful for the future.
You don’t expect teams coming off 106-loss seasons to send multiple All-Stars, but the Royals sent four to the Midsummer’s Classic, their most representatives since 2016. And they were all deserving as well - Salvador Perez was an All-Star for the ninth time, but it was the first time for Bobby Witt Jr., Seth Lugo, and Cole Ragans. They all got into the game in Texas, with Ragans and Lugo each tossing a shutout inning, and Witt and Salvy going hitless in their only at-bat.
This is probably an underrated story, but the landscape of baseball seems likely to significantly change the next few years. The way fans watch games has changed and baseball will need to change with it. The Royals had an out to escape Diamond Sports, but decided to return for at least one more year, returning to the re-branded Fanduel Sports Network that was once known as Bally Sports Kansas City. We don’t know the financials of the new deal, but it is almost certainly less money, which could have an impact on how the team operates.
The Royals made a plunge into free agency last off-season, but would they be able to keep those players? Wacha had a player option for this year, but rather than test the market, he re-signed with the Royals on a three-year, $51 million deal. The right-hander was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the second half and seemed to enjoy his time in Kansas City. Winning may make Kansas City more attractive to free agents in general.
We knew Bobby Witt Jr. had a unique blend of power and speed after he put up the first 30/30 season in Royals history last year. But he doubled down and did it again with 32 home runs and 31 steals, plus he led the league in batting at .332. He also won his first Gold Glove at shortstop, and won his first Silver Slugger Award. Were it not for a historic season by New York’s Aaron Judge, Witt would have easily won MVP, but instead he finished second, one of the best seasons ever by a non-winner.
The Royals sought to capitalize off their big improvement in 2024, and priority #1 was giving the team an on-base hitter to set the table. General manager J.J. Picollo struck early, acquiring infielder Jonathan India from the Reds for pitcher Brady Singer, with outfielder Joey Wiemer also headed to Kansas City in the deal. India, a former Rookie of the Year, was fifth in baseball in walks this year with 80 and hit .248/.357/.392 with 15 home runs. It remains to be seen how this shakes out the entire lineup, but the Royals know India will be hitting at the top, creating RBI opportunities for Bobby, Vinny, and Salvy.
The Royals were surprised to find themselves as buyers at the deadline, but a thin farm system limited their moves. J.J. Picollo got creative, using a draft pick and Cayden Wallace to get Hunter Harvey from the Nationals. He acquired more bullpen help just before the deadline, acquiring hard-throwing Lucas Erceg from the A’s for outfielder Jared Dickey and pitchers Will Klein and Mason Barnett. Erceg proved to be a huge acquisition down the stretch, and the Royals have club control over him for five more years.
It was a simple dribbler back to the mound, but when Lucas Erceg’s throw to first was off the mark, it drew Vinnie Pasquantino into baserunner Yainier Diaz in a collision. Pasquantino would sustain a broken thumb that spelled the end of his regular season, a devastating blow to an already thin lineup. However, Pasquantino defied the odds and returned for the post-season, giving the team a psychological lift.
Bobby Witt Jr. became just the fifth Royals player to participate in the Home Run Derby during All-Star weekend. He got to display his power in his native Texas with brother-in-law James Russell, a former big league pitcher, tossing meatballs at him. Bobby put on a show, smacking 20 home runs in the first round, then 17 in the next round to advance to the finals against Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernández. He fell to Hernández 14-13 with the last drive falling just short in centerfield off the wall. His 50 total home runs were more than anyone else and the event elevated Bobby to the national stage.
Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs?!?! No one picked the Royals as a playoff team before the year, but the team proved their hot start was no fluke, playing well throughout the summer. Even as late last August 27 they were tied for first place. A September slump that included a season-long seven-game losing streak worried fans, but the Twins collapsed and the Royals clinched a playoff spot on September 27, their first postseason berth since winning it all in 2015.
The Royals didn’t get this far just to get this far. Despite facing the odds of having to play the entire Wild Card series on the road, the Royals made quick work of the Orioles with a two-game sweep. The Royals had sensational pitching, holding the Orioles to just one run in the two games. And of course the game-winning run in both games was driven home by Bobby Witt Jr. in his first post-season.
The Royals were hoping to move into a new downtown ballpark, but voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would extend a 3/8 cent sales tax to help pay for a stadium in the Crossroads. The proposal faced criticism for relocating existing businesses, having a vague funding plan, and an inadequate community benefits agreement. Many fans were also against the team moving away from the Truman Sports Complex or having the public subsidize sports teams. The team was forced to go back to the drawing board, and are now rumored to be considering sites in Johnson County and at Washington Square Park.
It was the 1970s all over again with the Royals facing the Yankees in the playoffs. The high-spending Yankees came in as big favorites, but the Royals gave them all they could handle, with every game in the series no more than a two-run margin. The Royals lost Game 1 in part to a controversial call on a Jazz Chisholm stolen base, then took Game 2 in Yankee Stadium. But when they returned home they could muster little offense and fell in four games.
Any time a player emerges as a star in Kansas City, fans nervously count down the days before that player is a free agent. For Bobby Witt Jr., fans won’t have to think about that for awhile after he signed a long-term deal that will keep him in Kansas City for at least seven more seasons. Witt signed a massive seven-year, $141 million deal with four player options of $35 million per year, plus three years and $89 million of club options after that. In all, he could make close to $300 million over eleven seasons. It is an incredible commitment by Bobby and the Royals that will ensure he is the face of the franchise for the rest of this decade.
