Owner Goals
There are only two existing goals retained for the 2034 season – the first to win a Championship in 2034 and the 2035 goal of improving fan interest, which has seen strong improvement since it was set two years ago.
Three new goals, two for the coming season and one longer term. Extending Chase Dollander seems unlikely with his contract demands (4-years, $35m AAV), while improving stolen bases has been an unachieved goal it seems every year! The long term goal is to build a Championship team by 2039; how that aligns with the first goal is unclear!
Finances
After years of cuts, 2034 finally sees an increase in player payroll budget to $110m. This comes as Fan Loyalty increased from Average to Above Average, giving some confidence to management of retained income. Increased attendances and season ticket sales continue to drive a positive financial model for the Royals.
Personnel
Jay Rainville, the Rookie League Pitching Coach was the only personnel departure, replaced by R.J. Sprang, signed on a one year contract as the Royals struggle to fill the pitching coach role for the ACL team.
Colin Stewart was rewarded for the 5th consecutive year of playoff baseball with a new contract. Some stability is provided for the first time, along with another pay rise, as he is given a two-year contract at $2.2m.
Minor Leagues
Dan Jones continued his dominance of the Texas League, winning his 6th Manager of the Year Award in a row while there was recognition for 2026 5th round pick Kevin McBride and 2031 17th round pick Pete Austin, also at the AA level.
Awards
Rookie (ACL) Mathew Figueroa Manager of the Year
Rookie (DSL) Jason Flach Manager of the Year
A Johnny Isom Manager of the Year
AA Dan Jones Manager of the Year
AA Kevin McBride 2026 5th Round Outstanding Pitcher Award
Rookie (DSL) Alejandro Estrada 2028 International Amateur Most Valuable Player Award A Masafumi Sakamoto 2032 International Free Agent Most Valuable Player Award
AA Pete Austin 2031 17th Round Most Valuable Player Award
Notable Retirements
Although the Royals had the usual raft of retirements from the minor leagues at the end of the season not a single international amateur or drafted player chose to retire this season.
KC Top 500 Prospects Performance
Three Royals prospects graduated to the Major Leagues, with Enny Mijhail Van Dyke and Edgar Rivera likely earning returns to the roster in 2034; Ed Stevens has done well to reach the big leagues but will face a fight to return nex year.
Outside of those players, there were strong batting performances from several players: Edgar Mir and Alex Duke both advanced to AA and dominated pitching there while Juan Moreno did the same to A ball pitching.
Pitching wise, the prospects are a little further behind after a raft of promotions over the last two years but Chris Wolff at A level and TP Bender in rookie ball performed well enough to suggest the conveyor belt will continue to run smoothly.