3 Royals who will improve in 2024 and 2 who will not
The Kansas City Royals are looking to improve greatly upon the 106-loss season they endured in 2023. Who are some of the players most likely to see upticks in their performances, and who might not get better?
By Joel Wagler
The Kansas City Royals put together one of the most exciting offseasons in franchise history. They signed numerous veteran free agents and extended their franchise cornerstone, Bobby Witt Jr., to secure his place on the roster for years to come.
To improve on 106 losses shouldn't be a tough task. How much worse can things get?
Still, to do so, Kansas City cannot rely solely on the new faces on the roster. They need to see some of their young players move forward in their development. Of course, not everyone on the roster is going to get better.
5. Royals 2B Michael Massey will take a step forward in 2024
The Royals' young two-bagger, Michael Massey, suffered a wild, inconsistent season in 2023, but there are some indications of improvements over the second that could continue this season. There was also a high degree of bad luck that depressed some of his numbers.
A glance at his first-half/second-half splits shows a tremendous drop in his strikeouts. In the first half, he whiffed 62 times in 220 plate appearances. After the midway point, he cut that number to 37 in 241 plate appearances.
His power ticked upward significantly. Through the first half, hit just four home runs and six doubles. Over the second half, he clobbered 11 dingers and legged out 12 doubles.
Because of this second-half turnaround, his overall numbers may have looked much better if not for his horrific bad fortune. His Batting Average on Balls in Play was a putrid .238 from July on, down 56 points from the first half of the season.
If Massey can continue to make better contact, with more power, and his batted balls can find more holes, Massey's 2024 numbers should look much better than his overall stats from a year ago.