Just tuning into the Kansas City Royals’ postseason? What to know about this team

The last time the Kansas City Royals made the MLB playoffs, they won the World Series. That may have also been the last time much of the city showed deep interest in the team — until now.

The Royals are about to begin the American League Division Series after sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card Series, and they’ve captured the eyes of Kansas Citians who may have tuned out over the last nine years, a grueling stretch that includes three 100-loss seasons (2023 set the franchise record for losses in a single season with 106) and just one season finishing at .500 or greater (2016, when they finished 81-81).

It took some time for the Royals to get back to this level of play and more fans are back on board to root for the Royals as they take on the New York Yankees starting at 5:38 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, on TBS.

A lot has changed in Kansas City since 2015. The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls, there’s a new professional soccer team with the first-ever stadium built for women’s sports, a streetcar will soon go through midtown and the city’s growth earned it a spot hosting FIFA World Cup games in 2026.

With the Royals, there have been a couple of manager changes, hundreds of players have donned the blue and white, and even new owners. If you’ve tuned out of the Kansas City Royals over the years, here is your cheat sheet on what to know about the team.

What to know about the Royals’ 2024 season

The Royals finished the regular season with an 86-76 record, their first winning season since 2015. They were 6 1/2 games behind the American League Central division leader the Cleveland Guardians and tied with the Detroit Tigers, but finished ahead of them since Kansas City won 7 out of 13 games against Detroit this season.

The Royals earned the second wild card spot in the American League. But the team took fans on a journey to get there. After a good start to the season and even better start after the All-Star break that saw them tied for first place in the division in late August, the team had multiple seven-game losing streaks in the final two months of the regular season.

They lost big games to Cleveland and Detroit and got swept by the San Francisco Giants in their final home series in September, but manage to secure their spot during the final series of the year against the Atlanta Braves.

They had also lost first basemen Vinnie Pasquantino to a broken thumb in August, but he made his triumphant return just in time for the playoffs, which was faster than anyone anticipated.

Who are the key players on the Royals?

No single player is responsible for the team going from losing 106 games in 2023 to winning a playoff series in 2024. It took the full team, from the starting pitchers to the outfielders. Here are a few names to familiarize yourself with.

Salvador Perez

Only one player from the 2015 World Series-winning team remains with the Royals: World Series MVP Salvador Perez. The 34-year-old catcher is also the longest-tenured Royal, having played with the team since 2011 and been on contract with the organization since 2006, when he was 16 years old.

Perez is the team captain, the fourth in franchise history to receive the honor. He’s also a nine-time All Star, five-time Gold Glove winner at his position and batted .271 with 27 home runs this season.

Bobby Witt Jr.

An emerging superstar, 24-year-old shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was taken with the second overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Royals and made his major league debut in 2022. Before his debut, he was the No. 1 prospect across all minor league baseball teams.

The Royals star is frequently in the discussion among the best athletes in baseball. He finished off one of the best seasons in Royals history by batting .332, joining the 30-30 home run/stolen base club for a second straight season and helping lead KC back to the playoffs.

His highlight reel is extensive, and he added to it by batting in the winning runs in each wild card game against the Orioles.

Seth Lugo

The Royals believed Seth Lugo would be a key piece in their bid to compete in the American League Central. They were right.

The 34-year-old pitcher had a career year in his first season with the Royals, earning his first All-Star appearance and posting a 3.00 ERA (earned runs allowed) with a 16-9 win-loss record. He, along with teammate and fellow pitcher Cole Ragans, are likely to be nominated for the American League Cy Young Award, which goes to the best pitcher in the league.

Strengths and weaknesses of the Royals

Like every team in the playoffs, the Royals have strengths that got them this far and weaknesses that can end their season on a sour note. Their biggest strength lies in the starting pitching that had the second-best ERA in MLB.

The trio of Lugo, Ragans and Michael Wacha all finished in the top 20 in ERA in 2024, making the Royals the only team with that distinction.

Weaknesses may lie in the bullpen, but Star columnist Sam McDowell said that while it still matters, it matters a little less It just matters less since the Royals can trim the fat in the playoffs and bolster that group with the leftovers from the starting rotation, like Brady Singer.

Fans saw it in action when reliever Angel Zerpa held Baltimore to zero runs with the bases loaded, taking over for Lugo with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning during Game 2.

The midseason trade for reliever Lucas Erceg has also proven to be effective, giving the Royals a definitive closing pitcher.

Another weakness? The offense.

The Royals scored three runs in two games against Baltimore during the first postseason series, totaling 14 hits across 64 plate appearances. Over the last nine games of the regular season, the team scored 17 runs and gave up 22 runs to opposing teams.

The Royals have channeled the spirit of the 2014 and 2015 World Series teams with great pitching, defense and opportunistic hitting, but it makes for a stressful watch for Royals fans around the country.

They will need to play the best baseball of their lives during the playoffs, especially against the No. 1 seed New York Yankees and their fire-powered offense, led by likely AL MVP winner and center fielder Aaron Judge.