Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman outlines modest goals for team in 2023 season
READ MORE
Kansas City Royals Opening Day 2023
The Royals kick off their 2023 season against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, with a new GM and manager.
Expand All
Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman answered a number of questions about a possible downtown stadium at a news conference Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.
But Sherman said his immediate focus is on the nearer-term future — specifically, Thursday, when the Royals open the 2023 season against the Minnesota Twins.
“When I get up in the morning, I’m thinking a lot more about how we play than where we’re going to play four or five years from now,” Sherman said. “That is a process. We have really good people working on it, but I’m a lot more excited about seeing us show up tomorrow against the Twins.
“We have work to do here but we have a promising young team. I think it will be exciting to see if some of these young players take the next step.”
While star catcher Salvador Perez turns 33 this season, the core of the Royals’ lineup is young. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is 22, catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez is 24 and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and second baseman Michael Massey are 25.
Pundits don’t expect much this season from the Royals, who are guided by a new manager, Matt Quatraro, who mostly revamped the coaching staff.
Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA standings project that the Royals will win 64 games and finish last in their division. The Sporting News is downright bullish compared to that prediction, as it sees the Royals finishing fourth with a 75-87 record.
CBS Sports’ six writers see the Royals finishing no better than fourth in the division. No one at The Athletic sees them having a chance to win the Central.
First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said there’s no reason to aim for anything other than the Royals’ first postseason berth since 2015.
“That’s the goal every year, walking in,” Pasquantino said. “I don’t want to put expectations on us, but I think we’d be lying to ourselves — hey, really all 30 teams (would be); if you’re not coming into the season trying to extend your season, to be honest, I don’t really know what you’re doing.
“That’s why I play the game is to win and I think the first thing you look at is win more games that you lose, and the next step is get into the postseason.”
Sherman acknowledged that last season was a disappointment as the Royals finished with a 65-97 record, worst in the AL Central.
He expects to see the team building toward a championship level, even if that championship doesn’t happen this season.
“I‘m kind of looking for a step forward,” Sherman said. “I think how you measure that, wins is certainly good, but a step forward.
“Are we going in the right direction? Are we preparing to compete again for a championship? Last year, I didn’t feel like we took that step.”
General manager J.J. Picollo said he wants to see improvement on the field, but acknowledged that the wins and losses matter in the long run.
“You do want guys to tighten up processes, you get locked into whatever the routines are, but it’s a game of performance,” Picollo said. “And guys have got to perform. It’s the major leagues. There’s a level of patience we need to show that we will, but when it comes down to it, players need to perform, coaches need to perform, front offices need to perform.
“So ultimately we want that all to come together because we all benefit at the end.”
This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman outlines modest goals for team in 2023 season."
