KANSAS CITY -- After Royals Rally last weekend served as the unofficial kickoff for Spring Training, several players went from Kansas City to Arizona to prepare for the official start of Spring Training next week.
The Royals are looking to put last year’s 97-loss season quickly behind them with a roster full of youth and almost an entirely new coaching staff ready to guide them. Kansas City did not have a busy offseason full of acquisitions, but instead looked at the processes behind the scenes and put its confidence in the internal improvements of the young core at the Major League level.
As pitchers and catchers roll into Surprise, Ariz., here’s a quick rundown of key Spring Training facts:
When is the first workout for pitchers and catchers?
Wednesday, Feb. 15
What is the date of the first full-squad workout?
Monday, Feb. 20
Where is the team’s facility?
Located in Surprise, Ariz., 25 miles northwest of Phoenix, Surprise Stadium is the Spring Training home of the Royals and Rangers. It’s located on N. Bullard Avenue, off of Bell Road.
Can fans attend workouts?
Workouts on the backfields are open to the public daily, with times varied based on the team’s practice schedule (typically all workouts are in the mornings). Parking is free, and the Royals practice facility is located on the northwest end of the stadium complex off Bullard Avenue and Buck O’Neil Way.
Who are some new faces fans should know?
The Royals’ focus was on arms this offseason. They re-signed Zack Greinke, although he’s very familiar to Royals fans. New pitchers Jordan Lyles, Ryan Yarbrough, Aroldis Chapman and Josh Taylor will all be donning Royals uniforms for the first time this spring.
Kansas City also has a number of non-roster players who will be competing for spots on the Opening Day roster, like reliever Nick Wittgren, infielder Johan Camargo and utilityman Matt Beaty.
New faces on the coaching staff include manager Matt Quatraro, pitching coach Brian Sweeney, bench coach Paul Hoover, assistant pitching coach Zach Bove, bullpen coach Mitch Stetter and infield coach Jose Alguacil.
Who are some of the top prospects invited to Major League camp?
The Royals haven’t released their full spring roster yet, but an initial round of non-roster invitees were released. The list included Nick Loftin (ranked No. 4 on the club’s prospect list by MLB Pipeline), Tyler Gentry (No. 8) and Luca Tresh (No. 15).
Maikel Garcia (No. 5), Drew Waters (No. 7), Jonathan Bowlan (No. 11), Angel Zerpa (No. 12) and Alec Marsh (No. 19) are all on the 40-man roster and will be in big league camp.
Which players will be participating in the World Baseball Classic?
Rosters aren’t finalized yet, but the Royals have several big league players who plan to represent their countries next month:
Team USA: Bobby Witt Jr., Brady Singer
Team Italy: Vinnie Pasquantino, Nicky Lopez
Team Puerto Rico: MJ Melendez
Team Venezuela: Salvador Perez, Carlos Hernández, Angel Zerpa, Max Castillo, Edward Olivares
When is the Royals’ first Cactus League game?
Feb. 24 vs. the Rangers at Surprise Stadium
What are a few other notable spring games?
The Royals will face Great Britain in a WBC exhibition game on March 9 at Surprise Stadium. They also will travel to Las Vegas and face the Rockies for Big League Weekend from March 18-19.
Will Royals spring games be televised?
Bally Sports Kansas City will televise 10 games this spring, beginning on Feb. 25 against the Rangers. The other games on TV include Feb. 28, March 4, March 8, March 11, March 14, March 18, March 21, March 23 and March 26.
Nearly every spring tilt (30 of the 34) will be available to listen to, either on 610 Sports Radio, 1660 The Score or via webcast exclusively on royals.com.
When is the last game in Arizona?
Sunday, March 26 vs. the Cubs in Mesa, Ariz.
Will there be any additional exhibitions before the regular season?
The Royals have two exhibition games against the Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington on March 27-28.
What are the details for Opening Day?
Kansas City opens the 2023 season at home, facing the Twins at 3:10 p.m. CT on March 30 at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals will be wearing their full powder blue uniforms for the first time in decades, and they’re giving a Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead away to fans.