Talkin Royals

Kansas City's front office continues to add to the team. The offense, for the most part, has been alright this season aside from Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. Manager Matt Quatraro has tried multiple players in the leadoff spot, including Adam Frazier, Maikel Garcia, and Garrett Hampson. Despite Garcia's struggles, I believe he will return to form before October. In my opinion, Frazier has been the best of the three, but not by much, with a batting average of .197 as of late. Although Garcia and Hampson have better numbers than Frazier, neither one has been able to get the ball rolling at the top of the lineup. Kansas City decided enough was enough with the lack of production from the top of the order and struck a deal with the White Sox for veteran shortstop Paul DeJong. Chicago had brought in DeJong on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million plus incentives. The White Sox are a dumpster fire this season, clearly in a rebuild phase, but it wasn't supposed to b...

Kansas City has made significant strides this season to field a competitive team every night. The Royals' rotation is solid, with both Lugo and Ragans leading the pack. JJ Picollo made moves to improve the bullpen with the additions of Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and John Schreiber. However, aside from Schreiber, the bullpen has been inconsistent. Before the trade deadline, Picollo was looking to add an outfielder and a bullpen arm. The team struck its first deal with the Rangers to acquire pitcher Michael Lorenzen. Lorenzen is an upgrade over Alec Marsh, but it's unclear if he will be in the rotation or the bullpen. Shortly after acquiring Lorenzen, the Royals made a trade with Oakland for lefthander Lucas Erceg. Erceg is a great addition to the bullpen now and for years to come. Erceg is under team control until 2030 and isn't a financial burden. Although Erceg has years of team control, he's no spring chicken. The 29-year-old has a year and a half of big ...

era of 3.81 with a win-loss record of 5 and 6. The righthander has the ability to go deep into games, almost hitting 200 innings on the season. Lorenzen isn't a financial burden for the Royals. The Rangers brought the 32-year old to Texas on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million dollars guaranteed. The deal can max out at $7 million with incentives. Lorenzen has plenty of pitches at his disposal, seven. The seven pitches include: fourseamer sinker changeup slider cutter curveball sweeper The righthander doesn't rely on one pitch more than the others, he likes to mix it up. Kansas City in my opinion may have given up a little more than they should have for a rental player. What did the team give up? The Royals have decided to part ways with lefthander Walter Pennington. Many fans and likely the team had high hopes for the 26-year old. Pennington had made his major league debut on July 5th against his home team in the Rockies. Following the lefthander's debut, the te...

This past offseason Kansas City has shown they were willing to move on from struggling players, even if their defense is some of the best in the majors. Baseball for years has been a league where if you can't hit, you're out of a big league job.  The Royals under JJ Picollo have had shorter leashes on players. With that being said, Kyle Isbel's time in a Royals uniform may be running out. Fortunately for Isbel, Kansas City's Triple-A outfield depth is very thin other than Nick Pratto in terms of players that have pop in their bats. Aside from Pratto, the only outfielder in Omaha with big league experience is Drew Waters. Waters has been a disappointment to say the least. Waters came to Kansas City via trade with the Braves back in 2022 for the 35th pick for that year's draft.  Even with good play in Omaha, that doesn't mean a player is one flight away from returning to Kansas City. That's right, Nick Pratto. Pratto at this point in his career has...

Kansas City's rotation has been one of the best in the Major Leagues this season, with Seth Lugo standing out in particular. During the past offseason, the Royals made bolstering their rotation a top priority. Kansas City's front office successfully signed both Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to strengthen their starting five. General Manager J.J. Picollo's ability to lure Lugo from the Padres to Kansas City was particularly impressive. Since the beginning of his career with the Mets, Lugo had always aspired to be a regular member of a team's rotation. However, opportunities in New York were limited due to the presence of stellar arms such as Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Following his departure from the Mets, Lugo secured a starting role with the Padres, where he performed admirably with a 3.57 ERA and 140 strikeouts. Opting out of his deal with the Friars, Lugo joined the Royals, and since arriving in the Midwest, he has been a puzzle for op...

The boys in blue made a splash to bolster the bullpen, minutes after President Trump was nearly shot at during a rally in Pennsylvania (pierced the President's ear).  Kansas City's bullpen up to this point had been struggling, primarily at the closer’s role. The team started the season with Will Smith as the team's shutdown guy. Smith lost his job as the closer after blowing multiple save opportunities. The front office struck a trade with Washington on Saturday to acquire closer Hunter Harvey. Kansas City's farm system entering the season was considered weak, but despite the depleted system, the Royals were able to acquire right-hander Hunter Harvey for third baseman Cayden Wallace and Competitive Balance Round A pick 39. Harvey was a former first round selection by the Orioles. Harvey's journey to the US Capitol was thanks to a waiver claim by the Nationals. In 2022 the Nationals claimed the right-hander off waivers from the Giants.  Harvey comes to Ka...

Self-defense is more important now than ever, and teams like the Royals are promoting it through various events. In 2008, the Royals held a self-defense class called T.A.K.E. to support The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation and honor Ali Kemp's life. Similarly, the Kelsey Smith Foundation, named after a girl abducted at a Target in Kansas in 2007, also focuses on teaching self-defense. The Royals later honored Kelsey Smith's memory as well. Ali Kemp's murder in 2002 had a profound impact on the Kansas City metro area. At 19, Ali was working as a lifeguard in Leawood, Kansas, during the summer. Her father believed it was a safe job: "It was a wonderful job, a neighborhood pool. And you would think the safest place in the world." However, her shift on that fateful day turned tragic. Around 3 p.m., Ali called a friend for company, but the friend missed the call. Shortly after, Laurel Vine, another friend, arrived at the pool and saw a man leaving. Thinking ...

The 2004 Kansas City Royals were far from a good team. They finished the season with a dismal record of 58 wins and 104 losses. Despite their struggles, the team boasted a roster that included a mix of past and future All-Stars: Zack Greinke Carlos Beltran Benito Santiago Juan Gonzalez Jose Bautista Mike Sweeney However, the Royals' pitching staff, outside of Zack Greinke, was particularly lackluster. Greinke, starting his career in 2004, made his MLB debut on May 22nd against the Athletics. Despite a promising start, his chance to become the youngest player to earn a win in the majors at the age of 20 was spoiled by a blown save from closer Jeremy Affeldt. Nonetheless, Greinke went on to achieve significant success in his career, winning the CY Young Award in 2009, appearing in six All-Star Games, and earning six Gold Gloves, although he never secured a World Series ring. Outfielder Carlos Beltran, unlike Greinke, expressed reluctance to leave Kansas City: "I crie...