"Financial Impact: How Owner Investment Can Transform a Team's Performance"

As of June 1st, two months into the 2024 season, the Kansas City Royals are 35-25, and in 2nd place in the AL Central. This is quite a surprise for a Royals team coming off a 106-loss season in 2023. They didn't start the 2024 season as the same team as Fangraphs projected them for a 75-win season, while Baseball Prospectus predicted 70 wins. Both are steps up from a 56-win season, and a big reason for this improvement is the offseason they had.

During the offseason, the Royals' ownership sought a new stadium deal, which began by enhancing the team to sway the city into agreeing to the deal. Enhancing the pitching staff was a significant priority, especially since, apart from breakout pitcher Cole Ragans, there was a lack of support, resulting in the team's ERA ranking 28th overall in 2023 at 5.17. To bolster the starting rotation, they acquired Seth Lugo, a relief pitcher turned starter, and veteran Michael Wacha. Both pitchers brought valuable experience, having delivered effective performances and substantial contributions to their previous teams' pitching staffs. Lugo played a crucial role in the Mets' bullpen, while Wacha achieved success with the Red Sox and Cardinals. Plus reliever Will Smith, who contributed to the last 2 World Series teams of The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros.

Improvement was needed for the offense, as besides the young superstar Bobby Witt Jr. and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, the team's offense had 4.17 runs per game, which ranked 23rd in MLB in the 2023 season. They also ranked 25th in OPS with .700 and only 26th with 163 home runs as a team. The improvement started with signing Hunter Renfroe, a player known for his power rather than his ability to get on base, as he had multiple 30-home run seasons and his career high in on-base percentage is .315. Another signing was Adam Frazier, a utility player who can make big contributions to the Royals team, someone who was a journeyman, looking for a spot.

With all those signing, they headed into season losing the first 2 series of the season, against the Twins and Orioles, where the scored at most 3 runs in a game. But that's where it stopped, winning the next 7 games and going 16-9 for the rest of April, and 17-11 in May. It started with the in the rotation, with the help of signing Seth Lugo, who has been of the best pitchers in baseball, with a 1.72 earned Run average, only walking 18 batters and striking out 7.6 Per 9. Using his slider,curveball and fastball as the three pitches he relies on most to get batter out. striking out 22.2% with his fastball, and 34.7% with his curveball, and 13.6% with his slider, all are effective against hitters. Oppneents hitting a .251 BABIP, which is the batting average with ball in play. All with the help of rests of the rotation with Brady Singer 2.63 ERA and Cole Ragans 3.36 ERA, as those 3 being effecitive started who can strikeout and get hitters out.

The offense of the team has shown significant improvement, ranking in the top 10 in runs scored, runs batted in, batting average, and OPS. A standout player contributing to this success is the MVP candidate shortstop Bobby Witt. Witt has been a driving force for the team, leading the league in runs scored, boasting an impressive OPS of .912, maintaining a stellar batting average of .314, and ranking in the top 5 in RBIs with 42. Additionally, Witt has showcased his speed on the basepaths by stealing 17 bases, adding another dimension to his offensive prowess.

Another key player who has made a notable impact is catcher Salvador Perez. After a challenging previous season, Perez has bounced back strongly, ranking in the top 10 in hits in baseball and OPS. Perez has been a reliable offensive force for the team, closely following Bobby Witt in RBIs with 41. Furthermore, Vinnie Pasquantino has also been a valuable contributor, trailing closely behind Perez with 39 RBIs, demonstrating the depth and strength of the team's offensive lineup.

The Royals exemplify how investing in a young team can yield great results, demonstrating that owners have the capacity to spend and should not shy away from it. Previous successful teams with low payrolls, such as the Tampa Bay Rays, have shown that financial investment can lead to success. Therefore, there should be increased pressure on owners to allocate more funds to their teams, as evidenced by the positive impact on the Royals when the city supported their spending on a new stadium.