I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get a post in today with some New Year’s Eve plans later today. However, I decided to get a quick post in, as I have been doing some reflecting on the past year while looking forward to 2024.
In this post, I am going to list three takeaways about the Royals from this past year. One will be from an organizational analysis perspective; one will be from a content creator perspective; and the last will be from a fan perspective.
So here it is, the final post of 2023.
Royals Rebuilding In the Right Direction
It’s hard to look back on the 56-106 record at the big league level from 2023 and think too positively about the organization at first glance. I get it. Last year was rough, especially with the promise of a new manager, and coaching staff, not to mention year one without Dayton Moore running the front office.
Tying the franchise record for losses in a single season, and having a farm system ranked as one of the worst in baseball by most prospect-centered sites and publications isn’t exactly “inspiring” news to say the least, especially for a fanbase that has not seen a winning baseball team since 2015.
That said, I think JJ Picollo and the Royals are taking the right steps finally, and we could see some improvement not just in the short term (i.e. 2024) but in the long term as well.
First off, Picollo has restructured the front office a bit since the conclusion of the 2023 season.
Brian Bridges, formerly of the Braves and Giants, is now running the scouting department, which is much-needed after a controversial draft and years of poor scouting and drafting before 2019.
Also out is Lonnie Goldberg, who’s been reassigned to another area of the organization and doesn’t appear to be involved with the draft anymore. Picollo has also promoted Jim Cuthbert to Director of Pro Personnel and Strategy and Daniel Guerrero to Director of International Scouting.
Safe to say, Picollo is trying to make the Royals organization aligned with his own image and vision, and it’s paying off already in the moves that they are making this offseason.
The Royals have continued to build the organizational roster depth by trading for small pieces here and there in exchange for guys who would’ve been simply designated for assignment and eventually released in the past. Kansas City is no longer “waiting and hoping” on former top draft picks or prospects who haven’t produced at the Major League level. They’ve cashed in on guys like Dylan Coleman, Jon Heasley, and Jackson Kowar while they still have value, and that’s what good organizations like the Rays, Guardians, and Orioles do to keep their farm systems strong while giving themselves flexibility at the Major League level.
The Royals are picking up guys in the lower minors who are lottery tickets, but that’s a lot better than simply releasing players for nothing, as they were prone to do previously under Moore. The Royals are also continuing to build their depth in the lower minors thanks to picks on high-upside prep and significant investment in international talent the past couple of seasons. It’s a high-risk strategy in some cases, but it appears that the Royals have a scouting and development plan, which wasn’t always the case in the past.
Furthermore, it seems like the Royals’ pitching development plan with these young arms paid off this past season. Baseball America ranked the Top-10 organization for pitching talent based on Stacast metrics and the Royals ranked 10th overall, a huge improvement for a Royals organization that has a long history of lackluster pitching development success in the farm system.
Lastly, Picollo has upgraded the Royals roster at the Major League level without sacrificing any young talent. Eleven years ago, the Royals got better by adding James Shields and Wade Davis via a trade with Tampa Bay. However, they dealt away top prospects like Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi in the process. While the move did produce two pennants and a World Series title (“Flags Fly Forever”), it also hamstrung the organization’s long-term outlook a bit, especially when combined with subpar amateur scouting and player development during that time frame.
The Royals have added Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo to the rotation, which automatically makes the Royals rotation instantly improved from a year ago. They acquired Cole Ragans from Texas in exchange for rental reliever Aroldis Chapman. They added bullpen help through affordable free-agent deals (Will Smith and Chris Stratton) and trade (Nick Anderson). Lastly, the Royals rotation is also set up well for 2025, especially once Kyle Wright and Kris Bubic return from injury.
This time around, the Royals didn’t have to trade away a top prospect or young player to get better at the Major League level. They have an owner in John Sherman who’s willing to not just increase payroll to get who they need in free agency but isn’t afraid to eat contracts when necessary for the good of the roster (i.e. Hunter Dozier, who still will be on the books this year).
It most likely will be another year before the Royals hit the over .500 mark in a season, which will make it nine straight seasons.
But the Royals rebuild this time around is on the right track, and it won’t be too long before the Royals start being a competitive club again. Only this time, it will be for more than just five years.
Royals Content Is Growing In A Good Way
There can be a lot of ebbs and flows to coverage when it comes to the Royals online. Before the 2022 season, it seemed like things were trending in a positive direction.
In addition to the mainstays like Royals Review and Kings of Kauffman, we had Craig Brown’s Into the Fountains and David Lesky’s Inside the Crown. We also had SI FanNation’s Inside the Royals headed by Jordan Foote and his team, as well as podcasts like the Royals Review Podcast, the Royals Rundown, Royals Weekly, One Royals Way, and Royals Farm Report (I refuse to mention the other one that’s pretty popular due to my disdain for one of the particular hosts).
Much like 2022 and 2023 broke many Royals fans’ collective optimism, the lackluster results of the last two years also seemed to have an effect on Royals content creators. Inside the Royals was shut down last year by SI FanNation in a cost-cutting move by SI (not surprising); KCSN consolidated their two Royals podcasts into one; the Royals Rundown joined Royals Review (and then had to withdraw due to SB Nation’s cost-cutting); and Into the Fountains had to go on hiatus (though it seems like they may come back once the season stats). Heck, even I had a break in coverage last August due to personal issues.
However, it seems like Royals content is gaining positive momentum as 2023 comes to a close.
I have been writing more on this blog and just a couple of weeks ago, I was able to partner with Cristian Martinez to launch a new Royals-centered podcast “KC (Kev and Cristian) Chase the Pennant“. Jack Johnson has taken over the “Locked on Royals” podcast and is doing an awesome job providing in-depth and everyday coverage of the Royals, something that wasn’t happening over the last year. In addition, Preston Farr, formerly of Royals Review, has launched a new site, Farm to Fountains, which covers the Royals organization from the Complex League to the Major League level.
Things are starting to trend in the right direction for Royals content, and that’s good not just for Royals fans, but also the content creators as we get more chances to collaborate together and help bring better and more varied perspectives of the Royals organization in 2024 and beyond.
Stadium Frustrations Continue to Be The Main Talking Points Among the Royals Community
As a fan, I love the Royals more than any other sports team in the KC Metro. That’s tough to say because honestly, the Royals are the worst team record-wise in the area (which includes the Chiefs, Sporting KC, Mavericks, and college teams like KU, K-State, and Mizzou).
However, it’s not just the Royals’ record that’s putting a poor taste in local sports fans’ mouths. Rather, it’s the talk of a new stadium that’s been generating mixed and even frustrated feelings among local supporters in the KC Metro.
Granted, I am a bit indifferent to the stadium. I love Kauffman Stadium as a ballpark and the experience remained great in 2023, despite the talk of a new stadium on the horizon. That said, I do agree that the ballpark being in another area of the city, especially downtown, would be more advantageous to upgrading the overall gameday experience. I just went to a Sacramento Kings game at Golden 1 Center over Christmas and it made me wonder what a Royals gameday experience could be like in Kansas City in the downtown area.
On the flip side, I know how complicated this issue can be, especially from a civic perspective. I understand that there are more pressing matters to take care of in Jackson County, especially regarding education and health resources. I get a new “baseball stadium” probably should be on the lower end of priorities for us as a city.
That being said, this is the nature of sports these days. Public-private partnerships for new stadiums and arenas are just a given and at least the Royals ownership seems open to fronting a good amount of the cost, unlike other franchises (research how much the Thunder are contributing to their new arena in Oklahoma City).
Nonetheless, the new Royals stadium talk dominated anything Royals-related in 2023, and it became a tiresome talking point, especially when it came to those defending Kauffman being kept where it is. I get having a passion for a team and not wanting to front the bill tax-wise, especially considering the property tax hoopla in Jackson County as it is.
I also think the arguments took an inaccurate spin at times, with people coming to conclusions that aren’t anywhere close to reality (the whole “they’ll move to Nashville if they don’t get what they want!” talk).
I know the stadium talks will continue in 2024 and won’t cease until it’s finally put on the ballot (though it seemed like that hit a bit of a roadblock recently).
I just hope in 2024 that there can be more talk about what the Royals are doing “in the stadium” rather than consistently focus on what’s possibly happening “about the stadium.”
The Royals showing significant progress record-wise in 2024 would help silence a lot of those stadium frustrations…(or at least I hope).
The Royals Reporter 
I have a hard time keeping up with podcasts lately, though I definitely plan on checking yours out. But as long as you keep writing Royals material, I’ll keep reading!
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Mr. O’B, Happy New Year to you and congrats on the podcast. I’m a little behind on your posts due to Xmas. Your analysisof Vinnie P has left me alarmed, especially the DecisionMaking. Man, if he flops out . . . Very encouraged by your third place prediction for ourteam. I am concerned reading that Into the Fountains has been”forced into hiatus.” I really enjoy Mr. Brown’s style and Ihope there’s nothing health related. Can you elaborate?
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