In April, the Royals seemed headed to a surprise run at contention, but by the end of the season, they were right about where most projections had them - at 74 wins. But how they got there is the interesting part. They had a surprisingly good season for Nicky Lopez, a near-MVP performance from Salvador Pérez, and it was Carlos Hernández that emerged from the group of young pitching prospects to put together the most promising results.
But that was offset by some disappointing performances from players the team was counting on to take a step forward. One bad season does not doom a career, however, and many of these players could bounce back next season.