Why are the Royals surprise element of 2024 MLB season? Exploring reasons behind Kansas City's early success

On Friday, the Kansas City Royals won the first game 7-1 against the reigning World Series champions, Texas Rangers. As they entered Saturday, they held a 20-13 record, which tied them with the Cleveland Guardians (20-12) in the AL Central.

After a disastrous 106-loss season last year, the Royals have made an impressive comeback in 2024 and could surprise even more in the upcoming weeks. But what is the secret behind their success?

Let's start with their offseason, as per FanGraphs analytics, the Royals raised their payroll from an estimated $90 million in 2023 to $117 million this year. This included Bobby Witt Jr.'s 11-year, $288 million contract and Seth Lugo's three years of service.

Their investments have paid off well, as Witt leads the team with a .318/.364/.538 and a 902 OPS stat line, along with Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia. Meanwhile, Lugo has led the rotation with a 1.60 ERA in 45.0 innings in his seven starts.

Last year, the Royals almost hit bottom in every stat. They were 28th in OBP (.303), 23rd in runs (676) and 26th in home runs (163). In comparison, they are tenth in combined runs (155) in the league, 12th in total bases (698), 11th in home runs (35) and fifth in steals (33).

One huge improvement this year the team has is building a strong rotation. Their defense was a disaster with a 28th-ranked ERA (5.17), and 23rd in WHIP (1.4) in 1409 innings in 2023. Meanwhile, they are fourth in ERA (3.07), 28th in earned runs (98) and have conceded the lowest runs (99) so far.

Only the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles from the AL East have more wins (both have 21 wins) than the Royals in the American League.

Royals GM has a firm belief in the team’s aces

Last year, the Kansas City Royals had a disappointing record of 56-106, ranking second-worst in the league, just ahead of the Oakland A’s. This year, J.J. Picollo, the Royals general manager, had a clear improvement plan.

“Everything in this game starts and ends with starting pitching," Picollo said, via ESPN. "That was clearly the No. 1 objective, trying to secure two starting pitchers … We had done our work from early in June and knew who the free agents would be and how we could put together a rotation that would be competitive again."

"You're constantly watching and see how guys are attacking hitters and what sequences they are using," said the Royals ace Lugo. "You know what happens when you make quality pitches in the strike zone. It kind of feeds along the whole staff."

The Royals look confident following their series victory against the Toronto Blue Jays. They are leading their home series against the Rangers and expect to continue their hot streak into the postseason.