7 New Year’s Resolutions the Royals Need for a Successful 2023
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A new year brings new possibilities for everyone, and that certainly includes the Kansas City Royals.
Coming off a 2022 campaign that saw the team struggle immensely overall, Kansas City has every reason to strive for improvement under new manager Matt Quatraro. With the help of following through on some of these proposed New Year's resolutions, the team could be competitive in 2023. These will focus on what specific players need to fix or continue rather than the whole team itself. Let's start things off with some pitching resolutions.
Brady Singer takes the next step toward being the ace of the future
The second half of last season showed that Brady Singer has the potential to be the next Royals ace, something that really hasn't happened since Zack Greinke's first go-around with the club. During that span, Singer posted a 2.53 ERA, 3.12 FIP and 1.05 WHIP while striking out nearly nine (8.93) batters per game and also limiting walks (1.87 BB/9).
Singer building upon his second half of last season would be very helpful since the rotation is full of question marks still. He will still have a nasty one-two punch with his two-seam/sinker and slider, but developing his changeup will be important to take the next step. Next up, we will stay within the rotation and focus on another young pitcher.
Daniel Lynch improves his fastball and slider
The 2022 season saw Daniel Lynch technically improve in most statistical categories, but he still wasn't the best due to his fastball and slider not performing well. His fastball is average by movement metrics, but he doesn't locate it well (up and in the middle) and it gets hit a ton. Improved control or experimenting with a different grip (or both) would be beneficial for his fastball.
His slider was not much better, but it performed much worse in terms of run value (at +13). That is due to it being slugged at a .522 clip and once again, his control with it is similar to his fastball — it tends to be down and in but very hittable. Better control of it will fix the main issue, but his slider also doesn't have any movement. Lynch needs to build these pitches up to use his 92nd-percentile extension to its fullest potential.
Kris Bubic stops throwing as many fastballs (also starts throwing that famed slider)
Now you might say that the Royals as a whole need to stop throwing as many fastballs, but Kris Bubic is the poster child for throwing too many. Last season, 50.5% of all of his pitches were his fastball. Per the run values leaderboard, Bubic had the sixth-worst pitch in baseball and if we look at just fastballs, he had the fourth-worst.
Bubic can't throw over 50% fastballs again. It simply doesn't work (except for the 2021 season, for some reason). One way he can fix that is by throwing his changeup and curve more, but also adding to his arsenal. As a starter, throwing only three pitches makes it difficult. That is why Bubic was working on a slider before last season, but he didn't throw one during the year. That's it for pitching; let's head to the offensive side of the team.
Bobby Witt Jr. develops his on-base skills
Bobby Witt Jr. had a great rookie campaign last season which saw him get a 20-20 season (20 home runs and stolen bases). The power is there already, but his on-base skills leave a lot to be desired. He sported a season OBP (.294) similar to Billy Hamilton's career OBP (.292), which isn't exactly good, but at least Witt has a bat.
Witt walked in just 4.7% of his at-bats, which is well below his average in the minor leagues. If he is to take that next step into stardom, then developing some plate discipline will help his OBP and his hitting numbers overall as he will be able to discern more pitches and hit the easy ones. Next up, we focus on the stalwart of the team.
Salvador Perez returns to his full form
Professional bad-ball hitter "Salvy" returning to form means a whole lot to the Royals, as he is the premier power guy in the lineup at the moment. He may not walk a lot, but he hits just about everything hard with a 49% hard-hit rate last season. Perez getting 25-plus home runs and staying off the injured list will probably lead to his fifth Silver Slugger Award, as well as providing a much-needed boost to the Royals' offense.
Next up, we focus on an outfielder who is preventing others from getting playing time.
Finding a trade partner for Michael A. Taylor
Michael A. Taylor has put up some good numbers for the Royals during his tenure but with the depth in the outfield, it may be time to cut ties and trade "MAT" while he still has some value. The offseason is still going strong, and teams could always use a good defensive center fielder who had a good offensive season (by his standards) last season.
Trading Taylor lets players like Drew Waters, Kyle Isbel and Nate Eaton get more playing time to showcase their talents. Add in that Taylor is on a cheap deal and for teams who need outfield help, the Royals should be making some calls. For the last one, we focus on the breakout at first.
Vinnie Pasquantino solidifies himself as a top hitter in the league
Vinnie Paquantino may have only played in half of last season, but he showed that he is ready for a full breakout. He already has some top-tier nicknames, but he also had top-tier numbers to back them up. For starters, he walks more than he strikes out with an 11.7% BB rate to an 11.4% K rate, which is elite. He also takes Perez's approach when hitting the ball and that is to hit it hard (hard-hit rate of 46.9%).
Even projections, FGDC and Steamer, predict a huge Pasquantino breakout that leads to a 3.5 WAR season with a 140 wRC+. A big year from him helps the Royals solidify a young lineup that looks to be competitive in 2023.
With the new year comes new hope for the Royals and their fans as the team seems to finally be on the upswing with the plethora of youth throughout the major league roster. The club may not be ready to contend just yet, but this year's team should be fun to watch if even a couple of these aforementioned things happen. Happy New Year to everyone.
