Talkin Royals

Carlos Santana has been playing baseball in the majors for 15 years. Santana played in Kansas City for two seasons, 2021 and 2022. The first baseman's numbers while in a Royals uniform weren't bad, but they weren't exactly great either. While in Kansas City, Santana had a batting average of .215, just above the Mendoza Line. Before signing his two-year deal with the Royals, Santana had a great career with 216 home runs and a whopping 710 RBIs. As his career is likely nearing its end, we continue to see him decline at the plate. Santana may be aging, but when he's up to bat against the Royals, it's a different story. The 38-year-old has played a total of 159 games against Kansas City, and he gives the Royals and their fans fits. The first baseman owns an eye-opening .286 batting average just against the Royals. It gets worse. Santana has faced Royals pitching 566 times (a number that will increase as his career continues). He has batted in 88 runs against...

Back in 2018, Kansas City drafted several pitchers, including Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, and Jackson Kowar. Aside from Singer, neither Kowar nor Bubic (prior to his Tommy John surgery) nor Lynch have consistently performed well. For the most part, the 2018 class has been a bust. The following year, however, has shown better results, primarily with right-hander Alec Marsh, selected 70th overall. Marsh made his major league debut in June of last year. Last season was a struggle for Marsh. In his rookie campaign, he posted an ERA of 5.69 in seventeen games, eight of which were starts. It wasn’t the best way to start a big league career. Fortunately, Marsh didn’t let his rookie struggles weigh him down heading into this season. He has flourished so far, with an ERA under 3.00 at a solid 2.72. The 26-year-old had to battle his way onto the Royals' opening day roster and compete for a spot in the starting rotation against Jordan Lyles and Angel Zerpa. Lyles had the upper hand ...

The state of Kansas and the Kansas City metro have several connections to US Presidents, such as the 33rd President Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although both Kansas and Kansas City have connections to the late Presidents, none of Kansas City's professional baseball teams such as the Monarchs, Athletics, or the Royals had the chance to meet either of them. However, former Royals manager Ned Yost has been to the White House more than once. Yost has met five US Presidents during his time in baseball. The former manager's first interaction with a President was with 39th President Jimmy Carter while living just outside of Atlanta. Yost said the 39th President attended games regularly: "Jimmy used to come a lot to the Braves games, and you could walk down the tunnel going to the dugout when Jimmy was there because Secret Service guys were all outside his little room they had for him and I’d waltz right in there and go sit down,” Yost said. “Him and Rosa...

Baseball is a sport of transitions, constantly shifting between promotions and demotions. Among the positions, pitching witnesses the most frequent changes. It's uncommon for a veteran in their mid to late 30s, who has predominantly been a reliever throughout their career, to transition to the starting rotation. However, exceptions do occur. Seth Lugo is one such example, a pitcher who persevered in pursuit of his dream to become a starter. Originally drafted by the Mets in 2011, in the 34th round, Lugo progressed through the team's farm system as a starter. However, after making his Major League debut in 2016, he predominantly served as a reliever, making only 38 starts during his seven-year tenure with the Mets. Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, Lugo entered free agency, eager to secure a spot as a starting pitcher in the big leagues. Despite his aspirations, the Mets didn't afford him the opportunity to establish himself as a full-time starter at t...