The Royals went into this season not really expecting to contend, but rather to use the year as a time to evaluate their young players. Still, there was hope that some of the young players could surprise, and maybe the team could have some success in the standings, enough to give them hope for the future.
Instead, this season has been an utter disaster in the standings. The team is 62 games into the season and has a record of 18-44, the second-worst start in club history behind only the 16-46 record in 2006 that got then-general manager Allard Baird fired.