The Kansas City Royals have been in the middle of a long and tedious rebuild ever since winning the World Series back in 2015. They haven't had a record over .500 since then, and they have been having an annual battle with the Detroit Tigers for last place in the American League Central. They finished there in 2022, finishing with a 65-97 record, with the Tigers having a better record than them by one game.
Heading into the 2023 season, it doesn't seem like much has changed. The Royals will be hoping to get some immediate contributions from their young and upcoming players, but for the most part, it seems wise to expect them to continue to lose at a similar rate as we have seen over the past few seasons.
That may seem like a rather depressing outlook for the team, but there are still reasons for excitement moving forward. With Spring Training officially underway for the Royals, let's take a look at three bold predictions for them in the 2023 season and see whether or not they succeed at getting themselves out of the basement in their division.
3. Salvador Perez will hit 40 home runs
Salvador Perez is one of the only remaining players from the Royals 2015 World Series champion team, and he's managed to get better as he's aged. After missing the entire 2019 season, Perez returned in 2020 and put together a strong campaign in his limited action. That set the stage for 2021, where Perez ended up leading the majors with 48 home runs and 121 RBIs from out of nowhere.
Perez came back down to earth in 2022, as he struggled to stay healthy, but he still hit 23 home runs over 114 games. Had he been able to stay healthy, he could have made a push for somewhere between the 30-35 home run mark. But all of a sudden, Perez has become one of the best power hitters in the game after typically coming in between 20-25 home runs throughout his career.
It may not be a given to assume that Perez will immediately be able to return to his old self in 2023, but he will remain at the center of the Royals lineup, and he should be expected to mash. He won't lead the league in home runs like he did in 2021, but expect Perez to reach the 40-home run threshold again in 2023 if he can stay healthy.
2. Bobby Witt Jr. and Brady Singer will both be All-Stars
As previously mentioned, the Royals are going to be focused on developing their young core in 2023. Two of their best young players are Bobby Witt Jr. and Brady Singer. After encouraging 2022 campaigns from both guys, it wouldn't necessarily be surprising to see them manage to take the next step forward in 2023.
Witt is one the brightest young players in the game right now, and turned in a strong 2022 season (.254 BA, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 30 SB, .722 OPS) that saw him finish fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. Singer has been around since 2020, and struggled pretty badly in 2021, but after a strong 2022 season (10-5, 3.23 ERA, 150 K, 1.14 WHIP) he will be entering the 2023 campaign as their best starter.
Both of these guys have very high ceilings, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them continue to grow. If Singer can drop his ERA to below three, and Witt finds a way to get on base more frequently, these guys could both be All-Stars for the Royals. It says here that that is precisely what will end up happening, showing that the future isn't all that bleak in Kansas City.
1. The Royals will lose the American League Central for the second straight season
Despite the two positive predictions listed above, it isn't enough to take away from the fact that the Royals are still a pretty poor team. They don't have a lot of impact players in both their lineup and the pitching staff, and while there's a chance that there are some young guys who could take steps forward, it just looks like another rebuilding year in Kansas City right now.
In the AL Central, which isn't necessarily a great division, the Royals will once again be battling the Tigers to avoid finishing in last place. The Tigers took a step back in 2022, but still managed to be better than the Royals, and while the gap isn't that big, they have more major-league ready talent on their roster, which should allow them to bounce back and finish ahead of the Royals once again.
Finishing with a bad record isn't necessarily the worst thing for a rebuilding team such as the Royals, but with confidence in the front office waning, seeing the team finish in last place once again wouldn't be great for morale. Unfortunately, Kansas City's rebuild still has aways to go it seems, and that will result in them finishing in last in the AL Central once again.
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