Let's look forward to 2023
Happy New Year!
Out with the old, in with the new.
That’s not just something to say when we find ourselves in a new year, it’s a state of reality for the Royals these days.
As we welcome 2023, and with the opening of Spring Training about a month and a half away, it’s a good time to take stock of where the Royals are as a franchise. A new year is often a time for reflection on what has transpired in the past, but I prefer to look forward. No, not “look forward” as in gazing into a crystal ball or predicting the future. Rather, a list of things that give us reason to anticipate 2023 and the upcoming Royals’ season. It hasn’t been an easy last five (or seven) years following this franchise, and there’s never a guarantee in sports, but it feels like they’re finally on the right track.
Okay, maybe not on the right track. There’s been plenty of change and it’s too early to say. But at least it’s a new track. It’s a start.
I thought for my first post of the new year I would look ahead and jot down a few things I’m looking forward to in 2023 when it comes to watching the Royals. I’m excited about what’s to come.
Feel free to give these a read and then leave your own in the comments. As always, thanks for reading and subscribing. Happy new year!
A fresh start
I feel like a broken record on this (if this is the case, I apologize), but it cannot be stressed enough…we are seeing a new phase of this franchise.
Think about the last four months of 2022—a new manager, a new pitching coach, a general manager with fresh autonomy. Hell, roll back three years and you have a new owner. It’s not just welcome change, it’s necessary. The Dayton Moore Era passed its sell-by date several years ago. Things weren’t just stale, they were rotten. The sale of the franchise from the Glass Family to the Sherman Group heralded a genuine, new era. It’s taken some time, but John Sherman has finally started to make his presence felt.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been ready for the 2023 season since…oh, let’s just say the day Moore was sent packing and the writing was clearly on the wall for Mike Matheny. For the first time in years, we have some new blood making some fairly important decisions. Matt Quatraro, along with bench coach Paul Hoover and pitching coaches Brian Sweeney and Zach Bove represent a massive overhaul in the dugout for a franchise that’s been defined by stability over the last decade and a half.
We don’t know if the new hires will work out, but we do know what the Royals have been doing for the last several years hasn’t been working. The change is overdue. And welcome.
The continuing development of Bobby Witt Jr.
Did Bobby Witt Jr’s debut season feel a bit…underwhelming? I think that’s a fair question. However, I don’t think that was the case. In fact, I’d argue it was a low-key success.
No, he didn’t light the league on fire like his fellow rookie Julio Rodríguez in the regular season or Jeremy Peña in the postseason. But as a 22-year-old with just 285 plate appearances in Triple-A prior to last summer, his offensive numbers (.254/.294/.428 for a 99 wRC+ with 20 HRs, 80 RBI and 30 SB) were most certainly impressive. The defense was rough at times, but showed enough sparkle to whet the appetite. Five tools? It damn sure looks like it.
It all serves as a basis for the 2023 season. Expectations were elevated last year; they should be even higher now. The Royals’ future depends on it.
Vinnie
Which Royals’ starting pitcher will join Brady Singer in making The Leap?
I wouldn’t have typed the above question if Cal Eldred was still in the dugout. After the changes at the end of the season, I’m feeling that we’re going to see the pitching staff as a collective improve. By how much? That’s the question. But for now, that’s part of the excitement that comes with the new regime. Hell, there's no guarantee than anyone will improve…although given the results we’ve seen the last couple of years that would be just about impossible given the injection of new (and improved) philosophies.
So who will be The One? Who will be the guy who, at the end of the season, we sit back and shake our collective heads and say, “Damn, that was crazy.”
My money is on Daniel Lynch. I mean, I’ve been on Team Lynch since the Draft Class of 2018 happened, so it would be a bit disingenuous of me to abandon him now. While that may have been the sexy pick four and a half years ago, now…I’m not so certain.
He’s always been described as the pitcher on the staff with the most upside, but Lynch’s StatCast percentiles are ugly. The fastball is flat and too often center-cut. The slider has lacked bite. The inability to put away hitters after jumping ahead is confounding. Brian Sweeney and staff have their work cut out for them. Lynch will serve as the acid test.
Is this the year Adalberto Mondesi avoids the injured list?
I am contractually obligated to ask that question. We know the answer.
Becoming “transactional”
The offseason has been defined by a free-agent frenzy where teams have spent billions of dollars on talent. The Royals, to no one’s surprise, have largely sat it out.
Because of the focus on free agency, the trade market has been slow to develop. This is where the Royals have some opportunity. There are prospects on the farm that would garner interest and they really need to resolve the status of some of their more unproductive (read: veteran) players. The removal of Ryan O’Hearn from the 40-man was a start. Next, they need to see what they can swing for Michael A. Taylor (an outstanding fourth outfielder option on a good team) and address the status of Hunter Dozier (currently the third-highest-paid Royal for 2023).
“Transactional” has become a buzzword around this club for a reason. Except without action, it’s just an empty one.
The K
The Royals are moving downtown. I know there’s nothing official at this point, but it’s happening. So I’ll take 2023 and the next couple of seasons to soak in the games at Kauffman Stadium. It’s not perfect, but it’s a damn fine place to watch a ballgame.
There’s something about walking into the lower bowl on the third base side on a June evening. There’s a moment just around first pitch—twilight as the sun lowers and the heat of an early Kansas City summer day begins to subside—where it’s just perfect.
A hot dog with some mustard, a cold beer and a sharp pencil along with a fresh scorecard. You can hear the fountains. Whether you’re in the upper tank or right behind the dugout, the sightlines of the stadium are perfect. It honestly doesn’t get any better. My advice is to enjoy it while you can.
Here’s to 2023. Let’s go.
I'm looking forward to the downtown park, but your description of walking into Kauffman in June is poetry. I will definitely miss that place.
Great post, Craig. I'm partial to the K, not just because it's the Royals home. It's the first park I ever set foot in as a 6 year old, and that night I fell in love with baseball and the Royals. I know the move is inevitable, but I feel compelled to stand up for a ballpark that is still beautiful at age 50.
I am also eager for the season to start. I think the changes will have me paying more attention to the games day to day and less on the process, which so far I am skeptical about.