KC Royals: Five things that would make 2021 a successful season

What would make a successful KC Royals season?

Brad Keller (or another young arm) emerging as an ace

While his Opening Day performance didn’t go according to plan, there are a lot of expectations for Brad Keller this year. He’s been the team’s No. 1 starter the past few seasons and for good reason. He was electric in 2020 and the hope was that he could continue to ride off of that momentum and really transform into the Royals’ ace.

He had one bad outing so far but it’s a long season and Royals fans still believe in Keller and what he can provide this team with. If he can finish the season looking like an ace candidate, Royals fans will consider the 2021 season a big success.

While Keller is the one we’d all expect to fill that role, no one will be mad if someone like Brady Singer steps up and becomes the ace of the staff. Heck, maybe even one of the prospects like Asa Lacy, Daniel Lynch, or Jackson Kowar step up and fill that role. As long as someone does it, that’s a victory for Kansas City.

What would make a successful KC Royals season?

Bullpen reverting back to 2014 and 2015 form

Okay, this might be a stretch because what those 2014 and 2015 Royals bullpens did was pretty historic, but if this year’s bullpen can become a dependable unit, that’d be a win in my books. We saw them pitch well last year, finishing the year as one of the best bullpens in the league.

Kyle Zimmer has looked downright dominant in his two outings so far, so the Royals finally getting something out of their former No. 5 overall pick would also be a big accomplishment. Having a top-notch bullpen is something all postseason teams dream of, so heading into some meaningful years with just that would be huge for the Royals.