Talkin Royals

The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and

Since the departure of Whit Merrifield, the Kansas City Royals have struggled to find a long-term replacement at second base. Although Merrifield has been gone for just two seasons, the team has faced challenges in securing a dependable option for the position. Over this period, the Royals have experimented with various players, including Nicky Lopez, Chris Owings, and Nick Loftin. Despite being part of the 2022 and 2023 rosters, Massey has not been able to firmly establish himself at the position, due to ongoing competition from other players. In the most recent offseason, the Royals added Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson to their roster. While these additions were not intended to replace Massey, they were meant to provide depth. General Manager J.J. Picollo explained the strategy: “He’s a player we’ve had a lot of interest in over the last couple of years, and when we thought about the offseason, we were thinking about how we need to put a team together and what we need.