Where Are Royals Predicted To Finish In 2025 MLB Standings By Bleacher Report?
Expectations are high for the 2025 Kansas City Royals, and that's something to celebrate.
It had been a long time since the Royals entered a season with external pressure. It hadn't been present since 2017 at the latest, and it certainly wasn't pleasant last season, when the Royals were coming off a 56-106 record in 2023.
It's a full credit to the Royals that the 2024 season was such a swift turnaround. 86 wins and a playoff appearance was a fantastic surprise. But now that the rest of Major League Baseball is aware of the threat Kansas City presents, will the team be ready to answer the bell?
On Monday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicted that the Royals would win 88 games this season, taking home the American League Central division crown in the process.
"The Royals probably remain too reliant on the one-two punch of Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez offensively, but that's one of the better duos in the league. Ditto for their starting rotation pairing of Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo," Kelly wrote.
"With the addition of Carlos Estévez to the back end of the bullpen with Lucas Erceg, the Royals have enough to win a division that has a lot of good, but not any great teams. They unquestionably need to add a big outfield bat in the summer to have a chance to make a deep run in October."
Kelly's observation that the Royals are top-heavy is certainly well-documented. Witt was worth nine or 10 wins last season, depending on your preferred statistical source, and even a slight statistical drop-off from the superstar could have knocked Kansas City out of playoff position.
Fortunately, there's hope that someone else could step up--new leadoff hitter Jonathan India, a healthy Michael Massey, or struggling former top prospect MJ Melendez--and relieve Witt of some of his heaviest lifting.
An 88-win season would likely be considered a success by most Royals fans, but the playoff result that comes after would be the real barometer of where this franchise is headed.
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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