So far, the 2023 Major League Baseball season is not being a kind one to the Kansas City Royals. The team is under performing on many levels.
The Kansas City Royals are slogging through another tough season. To be fair, however, the preseason expectations weren’t exactly all that high for them. Kansas City is a very young team who is still going through some growing pains. They appear to be in a steady rebuild mode. As the season gets closer to the halfway mark, the Royals only have the second-fewest wins in the Majors.
But where do the Royals stand as the mid-season point draws closer? Here’s a deeper look at the struggles going on in Kansas City.
For more on Back Sports Page’s mid-season reports, check out the latest on the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2023 Proving to Be a Difficult Year
Statistically speaking, 2023 is proving to be a difficult year for the Royals. Not only do they have the second-fewest wins in the Majors, but they rank just about near the bottom of every offensive category in the American League. To be specific, Kansas City is 11th in the Junior Circuit in hits (613), 13th in home runs (73), and 13th in on-base percentage (.296).
But the Royals do have some positive contributors to their fizzling offense. One of them is their star C Salvador Perez. The 33-year-old backstop is putting together another solid campaign in 2023, with a .263 average, 15 home runs, and 39 RBIs through 71 games. Now in his 12th season, Perez is a veteran leader for Kansas City. He’s a guy who constantly puts up 20-plus home runs for a catcher, and that’s something to be proud of.
Another guy who can do damage in this Royals lineup is their young SS Bobby Witt Jr. Currently in his second season, Witt is already on pace to best some of his numbers from his rookie campaign. He’s got speed to boot (23 stolen bases so far, had 30 last year), and he has some decent pop in his bat (12 home runs through 78 games, hit 20 in 2022).
Other than that, there’s not much firepower behind those two. One noticeable statistic is that through 79 games, the Royals hitters have struck out 713 times, the fourth-most in the American League. In today’s game, a lot of teams either hit for major power or strike out a bunch. For the Royals, the latter is coming true more often than not.
Royals Pitching: Struggles Aplenty
The rotation for this year’s Royals squad is among the league’s worst. Combined, the ERA of the entire unit is 5.17, second worst in the American League and third highest in the Majors. Kansas City has also given up the third-most hits in the AL (688), second-most runs (419), and second-most earned runs (395).
One notable name having some serious struggles is SP Jordan Lyles. In 16 starts, the right-hander has only one win against 11 losses, with a 6.68 ERA. To compound things worse, he is giving up almost two home runs every nine innings.
Where the offense lacks, the pitching doesn’t seem to pick up the slack. The entire unit has struck out the fourth-fewest batters in the American League (642). That number is not something many fans will want to write home about.
Defense Statistics
When the offense and pitching aren’t clicking, then the pressure will often fall on the defense to step up. To this point, the Royals’ defense has held their own despite the early season struggles. At the halfway mark, Kansas City ranks seventh in the American League in errors committed (39) and fielding percentage (.986).
Biggest Win/Worst Loss for the Royals
Things haven’t exactly gone right, but the statement victory to this point came all the way back on April 12. That day, the Royals beat the now AL West-leading Texas Rangers 10-1. On the flip side, their worst loss came on June 23 against the Tampa Bay Rays 11-3.
Final Thoughts
To say the 2023 season has not been pleasant to the Kansas City Royals so far is putting it mildly. As they reach the halfway point, they find themselves in the midst of a rebuild and having the second-fewest wins in the Majors. Whether the offense isn’t there or the pitching doesn’t click, there just isn’t a lot of momentum to build on. Things can only go up from here and it may be time to build toward the future.
Looking forward, there is still plenty of season to play. Things could certainly turn around for the Royals. It may depend on who will step up the rest of the way. What will be next in Kansas City? Only time will tell.
Nate Powalie is a contributor for Back Sports Page. A 2022 graduate of Ashland University (Ashland, Ohio), Nate has five years of sports writing experience, and has gotten the chance to call sporting events for radio and live stream. Nate also works as a bar trivia host and can be found on Twitter (@PNate22) and Facebook (Nate Powalie).
