Grading the 2024 KC Royals: Starting rotation dominates in comeback season

In 2023, the Kansas City Royals' starting rotation posted a combined ERA of 5.12, the fourth-worst in MLB. Just one season later, the Royals' rotation was ranked second in the majors with an ERA of 3.55 and two pitchers nominated for AL Gold Glove Awards.

It's the sort of transformation that most struggling teams could barely dream of, but between a breakout season from an unlikely ace, two successful acquisitions in free agency, and a seized opportunity to return to form, the Royals made it reality.

Cole Ragans found his feet as KC Royals' ace

When Kansas City acquired Cole Ragans in a trade with the Texas Rangers in June 2023, he was sitting on a less-than-impressive 5.92 ERA in 24.1 innings out of the bullpen that season. The Royals took a chance on the then-25-year-old by adding him to their starting rotation — and the rest is history.

In 12 starts with the Royals in 2023, Ragans went 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts, and even won the AL Pitcher of the Month Award for his performance in August. This season, the left-hander continued to establish himself as a fierce presence at the top of the Royals' rotation, recording a 3.14 ERA in 32 regular-season starts, and being selected to his first All-Star Game. With 223 strikeouts in 2024, Ragans became only the fifth pitcher in franchise history to strike out 200 batters in a single season, and he's nominated for a Gold Glove Award.

Ragans made two starts for the Royals during their playoff campaign, posting an impressive 0.90 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings of work.

There's no question that 2024 was a breakout season for Ragans, and he's now firmly established himself as the ace at the top of the Royals' rotation. His work on the mound played a crucial role in the team's comeback this year, and with continued development, the now-26-year-old is likely to only keep getting better.

Veteran additions transformed KC Royals' rotation

On December 14, 2023, the Royals signed veteran Seth Lugo to a three-year, $45 million contract out of free agency. Just four days later, they added to their starting rotation again, this time by signing Michael Wacha to a one-year, $16 million deal with a player option for 2025.

To say both signings were successful would be quite the understatement.

In 33 starts this season, Lugo went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts in 206.2 innings of work. He received his first All-Star nod, having finished the first half of the season with the best ERA in the AL (2.21) and tied for the most wins (11) in MLB. Along with Ragans, he's now nominated for a Gold Glove Award.

Meanwhile, Wacha posted his own impressive stats this season, including a 13-8 record, 3.35 ERA, and 145 strikeouts in 166.2 innings (29 starts). He had two starts during the Royals' playoff campaign where he didn't fare quite so well, ending with a 5.19 ERA in 8.2 innings of work. Still, Wacha was essential to the Royals' comeback this season and one of the team's best free-agent acquisitions in recent memory.

While Lugo is locked in for two more seasons, the Royals are waiting to hear if Wacha will be back in 2025. The 33-year-old has a $16 million player option for next season, though with the strong stats he posted in 2024, he may try his luck again in free agency, leaving the Royals to find a replacement.

KC Royals' rotation supported by Brady Singer's comeback and late-season reinforcements

The 2023 season was a rather dramatic fall from grace for Royals' starter Brady Singer. Coming off an impressive year in 2022, Singer was expected to be a breakout star of the next season, but the right-hander went 8-11 with a disappointing 5.52 ERA in 159.2 innings (29 starts).

Fortunately, the 28-year-old found his way back in 2024.

This season, Singer posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 32 starts. He posted career-best numbers in strikeouts (170) and innings pitched (179.2), and rounded out the rotation behind Ragans, Lugo, and Wacha as a strong fourth pitcher.

But Royals' general manager J.J. Piccolo still kept working to ensure the starting rotation was bulletproof.

At the trade deadline, the team announced they had acquired 2023 All-Star pitcher Michael Lorenzen in a trade with the Texas Rangers, adding reinforcements to their rotation for the final stretch to the playoffs and sending Alec Marsh to the bullpen. In seven appearances (six starts) during the regular season, Lorenzen went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, and while he only pitched out of the bullpen in the postseason, he accumulated a 3.86 ERA with 3 strikeouts in two appearances.

Kansas City's incredible comeback from 106 losses in 2023 to a playoff campaign in 2024 is one for the history books, and the team's starting rotation was a crucial part of that success. The Royals' decision to go big on experienced veterans paid off, and taking a chance on Ragans as a starter has allowed them to stumble upon an ace.

For the 2024 season, the Royals' starting rotation gets an "A." Only time will tell how much it has to change for next year.