Photo: William Purnell/Icon Sportswire

In his second season as Royals pitching coach, Brian Sweeney had a new item for his priority list. He wanted his pitchers to be standouts defensively but he didn’t want to put them through the same basic drills they’d gone through in years past.

“They’ve covered first a million times, they’ve turned double plays,” said pitching coach Brian Sweeney. “Can we make it fun?”

The Royals have made it fun and – pardon the pun – they’ve made it work.

They have 25 Defensive Runs Saved from their pitchers this season. That comes from a combination of fielding balls and limiting basestealers. No other team is even close to them. The second-most Runs Saved is 10 by the Mets and Guardians.

If this sounds familiar, we wrote about it earlier this season, when we said the Royals had a staff of Zack Greinke’s. We’re bringing it up again because the Royals total is now the highest in the 22-year history of Defensive Runs Saved.

They currently share the mark set by the 2008 Tigers. That team was led by Kenny Rogers, whose 15 Runs Saved that season are the individual best in the history of the Runs Saved stat. Rogers won 5 Gold Gloves in his career, all but one of which pre-dates the Fielding Bible Awards, which he did win in 2008. 

The Royals are a little different. Their success is more spread out. They have 6 pitchers with at least 3 Runs Saved.

Most Defensive Runs Saved – Royals Pitchers

The success is the payoff for the work the team did in spring training, with the coach staff adding a layer of emphasis by creating a defensive competition for the pitchers.

Infield coach José Alguacil, rehab coach Ryan Eigsti and bullpen coach Mitch Stetter devised some games that incorporated the pitchers fielding balls at second base and shortstop and catching fly balls. These drills in the form of games ingrained footwork and glovework into each pitcher that has come in handy as the season has gone along. 

Look at some of the plays their pitchers have made this season.

Pitchers get points for implementing PFP tactics in games. Seth Lugo was the best of the bunch in spring training (one example of a prize he won was a day off). There will be a tallying of the results in the regular season too.

“Guys like to play for something,” Sweeney said.

As mentioned, the other component of this is limiting basestealers, which the Royals have been fantastic at this season. In a season in which the average team has allowed 108 stolen bases and has been caught at a 21% rate, the Royals have held opponents to 53 stolen bases and thrown out 34%. The Royals’ stolen bases allowed total is 35 better than the next-closest team (Red Sox and Tigers 88). And the next-best percentage is 27% by the Tigers

Defensive Runs Saved gives a portion of the credit to the pitchers and a smaller chunk to the catchers (Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin) for thwarting stolen bases. Royals pitchers have received 10 Runs Saved for stolen base deterrence and 16 runs for their fielding batted balls. Both totals are easily best in MLB. 

Though our stats show that most of the Royals pitchers have a better-than average time to the plate, Sweeney deferred much of the success on stopping steals to the catchers and third base/catching coach Vance Wilson. 

He pointed out that the Royals have both advance scouted the opposition thoroughly and done some self-scouting on their pitchers to stay ahead of their opponents.

“Of course, being quick to the plate is good but there’s more to it than that,” Sweeney said. “Eliminating tells (ways their pitchers tip off baserunners that they’re going to attempt a pickoff or throw a pitch), knowing who’s gonna run in what counts, having that awareness puts us in a better position.”

Said Michael Wacha: “We have two catchers who have bazookas that are quick as well. It’s not a crow hop going down to second base. They’re quick with transfer and pop times. Guys won’t even attempt against us.”

It was telling that Sweeney paused for a full two seconds before responding after we asked him his thoughts on the Royals’ stolen base stats relative to other teams. His answer summed up the mood of our conversation.

“When you make it important and see [results] on the field it makes a pitching coach pretty happy,” Sweeney said.

 Most Defensive Runs Saved – Pitchers (2024 Season)

* Tied with 2008 Tigers for most since Runs Saved first tracked in 2003