6 key takeaways from the Royals' season

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers' Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals finished a 65-97 season on Wednesday. Hours later, they dismissed manager Mike Matheny and pitching coach Cal Eldred, shaking up the coaching staff.

Thus begins a major offseason for Kansas City, which will not only include a manager and pitching coach search, but also several changes around the organization. And they’ll look to add to their roster via free agency and trades.

All of that is what’s on tap in the coming months. But for now, let’s look back at 2022 -- at what went right and what went wrong:

Defining moment: Dayton Moore’s dismissal as president of baseball operations
The most significant moment that happened in ‘22 didn’t have anything to do on the field. It came on Sept. 21, when owner John Sherman made the biggest move since purchasing the Royals in 2019: firing Moore and promoting J.J. Picollo to run baseball ops.

Sherman’s message that day was appreciation for what Moore had done -- bringing Kansas City a World Series title in 2015 -- but an unwillingness to continue down the path towards which he viewed the franchise was headed. A change was made, and Picollo quickly went to work.

Whether this move is a defining moment years down the road rather than just this season is still to be determined.

What we learned: The young hitters are legit
The Royals started this season with a young core of hitters knocking at the Major Leagues’ door. Over the span of six months, nearly all of them debuted. Kansas City rookies hit 76 home runs this year, a franchise record. That included 20 from Bobby Witt Jr., who led all rookies with 30 stolen bases, and 18 from MJ Melendez, who led all rookies with 66 walks.

Vinnie Pasquantino finished his year -- in which he debuted on June 28 -- with a 137 wRC+ and more walks (35) than strikeouts (34). Other hitters (Drew Waters, Michael Massey, Kyle Isbel and Nate Eaton) found success, too.

They were all surrounded by the right resources in hitting coordinator Alec Zumwalt and hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Mike Tosar. The hitting development team is a model, proof that the Royals put the right pieces in place to develop their young players into big league hitters.

Best development: Brady Singer
Singer was by far the brightest light for a pitching staff that struggled. The 26-year-old posted a 3.23 ERA across 153 1/3 innings, and he won 10 games -- the first Royal to reach double digit wins since Jason Vargas won 18 in 2017. Singer started the season in the bullpen, was demoted to Triple-A and came back to Kansas City with a vengeance, armed with lethal movement on his sinker, a biting slider and confidence in his changeup. What the Royals found in Singer should propel them forward in the coming years if they can build around him.

Area of improvement: The pitching, pitching and more pitching
Singer was a bright spot, but the Royals' pitching staff was the worst in the American League this year. Some of that was young starters finding their footing, although they didn’t take enough steps forward to save Eldred’s job. Kansas City ranked last in the AL in ERA (4.70), walks-per-nine (3.74), strikeouts-per-nine (7.57) and WHIP (1.47).

At the beginning of Spring Training, the Royals made it clear they wanted to improve their first-pitch strike numbers from 2021 (57.3%, ranking last). And at the end of the year, they ranked last in the Majors in that category, throwing a first-pitch strike 58% of the time.

Kansas City believes a new pitching coach will help streamline the data pitchers receive ahead of their outings into ways it can help that player pitch to his strengths. The Royals will also target at least two starters to add to their rotation this offseason and a strike-throwing reliever to help the backend of the ‘pen. Pitching is a priority heading into 2023.

On the rise: Dylan Coleman
One pitcher the Royals believe they found something with is Coleman, a rookie reliever who throws 97-100 mph and has a biting slider. Coleman established himself as a high-leverage reliever -- usually in the seventh inning -- later in the season because he attacked the strike zone, and he finished the year with a 24.6% strikeout rate. But he also struggled with command, with 4.90 walks-per-nine. If he can harness his command, Coleman showed this year he has elite closing stuff.

Team MVP: Witt Jr.
The 22-year-old phenom had incredibly high expectations entering his rookie year. Did he meet them? The industry thought varies, but the Royals absolutely think he did for his first year. He established himself as the No. 2 hitter and flashed his gap-to-gap power with 31 doubles. He also stayed on the field for the entire year, beyond dealing with a few hit-by-pitches, a hamstring injury and shin splints.

There are areas of improvement for Witt, including his on-base percentage (.294) and defense (19 errors). But the Royals are confident he’ll make those changes and be the face of the franchise they can build their team around.