By any measure, the comparison from the 2023 to the 2024 Royals season should be called dramatic and incredible. The turnaround from a 103 loss team to a team that made it to the second round of the MLB playoffs – sweeping the Wild Card round – is significant and historic.
On paper, the 2024 Royals were incredible on the mound posting a 3.5 team ERA. Michael Wacha posted a team best 3.9 postseason ERA through their stretch with Cy Young calls out for Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans.
Their offense was much improved as well (which isn’t saying much off of 2023. Most 10U teams playing at Platte Purchase hit better than the 2023 Royals) posting a .260 batting average. This was up from .240 in 2023. Although Bobby Witt Jr. was in the witness protection program during the postseason, his incredible batting title winning regular season is the stuff of Royals legend. He gave Aaron Judge a run for his money all season long and if there wasn’t someone named Shohei Ohtani playing baseball right now, he’d be in the top running for league MVP.
But the most impressive part of this team harkens back to the teams of the 1970’s and that has been the defense. Royals championships have always been built on defense in that huge outfield. And the Royals finished in the Top 5 of MLB with a .985 fielding percentage and had 45 DRS or Defensive Runs Saved which was 10th in the league. They turned 142 double plays and ranked 5th in earned runs allowed speaking to the team’s strong defense.
Of course, on paper, the team is much improved. And general manager J.J. Piccolo met with the media this week to discuss his watch list for 2025. It included more protection in the lineup for Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. It included more bullpen help in the middle of the order. It included even more starting pitching and back end bullpen relief.
But the biggest issue for the offseason wasn’t mentioned. You see, for many of us, on paper is the only place we get to see the Royals. If you don’t have the correct cable package, many of us don’t get Bally Sports Kansas City and therefore, you’re limited to listening to the Royals on the radio, or bouncing signals off of Chinese satellites trying to tune the team in to watch.
The contract for Bally and the Royals is no more. They’re going to be on another (likely streaming) service for 2025 and making sure that the largest audience of local viewers has access to watch the Boys in Blue has to be paramount this offseason. In the early and mid-2010s the Royals set ratings records – often outpacing many prime time network shows. But once Bally (and partner Diamond Sports) got their teeth into the rights, it became almost impossible for a large swath of viewers to watch. This absolutely affected the level of interest in the club.
As the Royals were approaching their playoff seasons in 2012, they had 1.73 million people through the turnstiles. In 2024, they had 1.68. A season that ended in the playoffs. While there was much talk about the “New K” – simply allowing folks to watch them on TV at the “Old K” would’ve drummed up more interest in the club.
Still, there is much to be excited about coming up in 2025. Bobby Witt Jr is the second most popular athlete in Kansas City right now and has every opportunity to earn the same number of rings as his counterpart across the parking lot. We just need to stop having to watch him on paper.
(Get more from Chris Kamler, formerly @TheFakeNed but now @ChrisKamler on Twitter)
