Royals' Historic Turnaround Has Been 'Biggest Surprise' Of MLB Season, Insider Says
Did anyone, even the most ardent Kansas City Royals fan, see this coming?
The Royals were miserable in 2023. They tied a franchise record with 106 losses, and finished dead last in baseball's worst division, the American League Central. Just a year later, they sit at 82-70, in the driver's seat for a playoff berth, and still appear to be on an upward trajectory.
There were talented pieces in place for the Royals, but the way everything has come together in 2024 has been astonishing. Bobby Witt Jr. is the second-best player in baseball. The starting rotation has an argument for the best in the game. And everywhere you look, there are role players stepping up in big moments.
Though they were largely written off as contenders at the start of the season, prominent folks around Major League Baseball have begun taking notice of the Royals' ascent. That includes one national baseball insider, who recently heaped some heavy praise on Kansas City.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan named the Royals the "biggest surprise" of the 2024 MLB season thus far in his yearly awards column.
"(The Royals) are the perfect example of what can happen when a team -- regardless of its market size -- has an owner commit to winning and backs it up with savvy front-office maneuvering," Passan said. "And with the work Matt Quatraro is doing in the dugout, the Royals could pull off the rare Manager of the Year/Executive of the Year double."
"The Royals might be a surprise, but they're certainly not a fluke."
After, among other things, trading for Cole Ragans, signing Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, extending Witt, trading for Lucas Erceg, and signing Tommy Pham on waivers, the Royals can officially say they've done all they can to improve this team in the last year. It's paid major dividends for the franchise.
Of course, the Royals still have some business to take care of. With 10 games left, their lead on the Detroit Tigers for a playoff berth has dropped to three games, and the two teams will square off one last time on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals are one of baseball's best stories of the year, there's no doubt about it. But the final chapter could veer off in a number of different directions.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org