Thursday, April 7, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri, sees a B2 Stealth Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base fly over Kauffman Stadium during the playing of the National Anthem prior to the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians baseball game. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/AP)(AP/Reed Hoffmann)
KCTV, Kansas City, Missouri – The sound of the bat cracking. The clamor of the assembly. The Boys in Blue are back at Kauffman Stadium, along with the sounds of baseball season.
Bobby Witt, Jr., one of the best young players in the game, is the cornerstone of the Royals’ newfound hope as the 2024 season gets underway.
The Royals also made significant offseason expenditures. Hunter Renfroe, an outfielder, adds some pop to the offense, starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo signed free agent deals, and relievers Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and John Schreiber are expected to help up a bullpen that finished last in the league in 2023.
Vinnie Pasquantino, first baseman, and MJ Melendez, left fielder, come in.
Of all the major league teams last season, the Royals let up the third-most runs. Before Cole Ragans was acquired by the Texas Rangers in a midseason deal for Aroldis Chapman, the starting rotation’s turnstile had few signs of promise. In the last two months of the season, all Ragans did was outperform almost every starting pitcher in baseball, and the Royals might finally have the ace they have desperately missed.
The season record for 2023 was 56-106. According to projections, the Royals will win 15–20 games more in the 2024 season. Is this the year that things start to change on the field? Thursday is the start of the voyage.
