J.J. Picollo Explains What Royals Must Change Before Next April

After April 1, the Kansas City Royals never had a winning record again this season.

They were 3-2 that day, but they sat at 12-19 by the end of April and 22-37 by the end of May, and the hole was too deep to climb out of.

Kansas City went 47-56 the rest of the way and finished 69-93, fifth in the American League Central and 16 games out of first place.

The Kansas City Star's Vahe Gregorian looked at the slow start in a column on Sunday, and much of it came back to the World Baseball Classic.

According to the Star, the Royals sent ten players from their 40-man roster and 14 overall to the tournament, and third baseman Maikel Garcia was named the tournament's MVP.

President of baseball operations and general manager J.J. Picollo said in March that the WBC could not have gone better for the club, but at the end-of-season press conference he said the team simply did not have its full group in spring training and felt a bit of a hangover by early May.

He also said the warm air in Arizona makes hitters think about hitting first, and then the team heads north to cold and wet weather where conditions are rarely ideal.

"I think coming out of spring training's an ideal time … to just focus and continue on these fundamentals that allow you to win a game," Picollo said of his plan for 2027, according to the Star. "It might be as simple as trying to play for the one run more often than we may have."

Picollo is right to make this a priority, because the numbers show the slow start ruined the season.

Through May, Kansas City scored a league-worst 221 runs, according to MLB.com, and that early hole decided the season long before the summer arrived.

The Star also noted that only three of the nine Royals playoff teams, leaving out 1981, had a losing record at the end of May.

There will be no WBC to work around next spring, so shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and catcher Salvador Perez, who all played in the tournament this year, should be with the team for all of camp.

That alone gives manager Matt Quatraro more time to build the habits Picollo is talking about, like playing for one run in cold April games.

Quatraro also said nothing is off the table when it comes to finding a way to start faster, and he will face plenty of pressure next season if it happens again.

The Royals stumbled out of the gate in April and spent the rest of the year paying for it, so Picollo is smart to treat the first two months as their own problem.

The front office can add talent this winter, but a better plan for March and April might be worth just as much as any signing.

If Kansas City can stay close to .500 through May next year, the team will have a much better chance to play meaningful games in September.