KC Royals' J. J. Picollo, Matt Quatraro overlooked for TSN awards

Reconstructing the roster and directing one of the greatest turnaround seasons in baseball history apparently wasn't enough for the Kansas City Royals' general manager J.J. Picollo and manager Matt Quatraro to be recognized by their peers for The Sporting News Awards.

Since 1936, The Sporting News has had players, managers, and executives vote for its postseason awards, and the 2024 winners were announced on Thursday. The Cleveland Guardians' Stephen Vogt was voted American League Manager of the Year, and the Milwaukee Brewers' Matt Arnold was selected as MLB Executive of the Year.

Picollo transformed the KC Royals' roster

Picollo was promoted to the Royals' top executive role in 2022. After overseeing the team's unfortunate 2023 "evaluation season" — which resulted in 106 losses — he set out to transform the roster before 2024, rebuilding the rotation with the signings of Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, while also adding veteran position players Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier, among others.

The effects were immediate — the Royals got off to a hot start and were in playoff position at the trade deadline. Still, Picollo refused to be content, adding pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Erceg for the stretch run. After Vinnie Pasquantino suffered a right thumb fracture in Houston on August 29, Picollo immediately Yuli Gurriel, Robbie Grossman and Tommy Pham to help offset the loss.

The results of Picollo's moves added up to an 86-76 season, second place in the AL Central, and a trip to the postseason, all just one year after enduring one of the more forgettable seasons in franchise history.

Quatraro brought it all together on the field

With a year of evaluating and managing under his belt, Quatraro oversaw a 30-win improvement in 2024, resurrecting Royals' baseball. They became the sixth team in the 162-game era to have a 30-win improvement from one season to the next, and posted the third-most wins by a team following a 100-loss season.

Picollo's moves in the offseason gave Quatraro the opportunity to transform the pitching staff much more quickly. A year ago, the Royals' starting pitchers had the fourth-worst ERA (5.12) in the Majors; this year, they had the second-best (3.55). They also ranked second in innings pitched (911.0) and third in quality starts (76). Lugo is almost sure to be a Cy Young Award finalist.

Quatraro's management of the bullpen was also profitable. With the addition of Erceg as the closer, pitchers such as Kris Bubic, Sam Long, Daniel Lynch and Angel Zerpa were able to solidify their roles and became more reliable in late game situations.

His influence wasn't just felt on the pitching side — Quatraro also significantly impacted the Royals' hitting approach. The offense ranked second among all 30 teams with a .282 average with runners in scoring position. Kansas City posted a run differential of +91, the second-highest in the AL, after being outscored by 183 runs last season.

Going from a 106-loss record one season to a playoff campaign the next is the sort of comeback that struggling teams can usually only dream about, but Picollo and Quatraro made that a reality for Kansas City. They may have been snubbed by The Sporting News, but they've confirmed their place in Royals history.