SportsBeat KC: Kansas City Royals Are Matching Last Year’s Pace. Is That Good Enough?
[Music] Welcome to Sportsbeat KC, the Kansas City Star Sports podcast presented by Underdog. We’re talking Royals today with beat writer Jaylen Thompson. And Jaylen, it’s been too long. How have you been? I’ve been good, Blair. You know, hanging in there, going all over the country, following this team, you know, so it’s been a fun time. Yep. And your travels have taken you to Houston where the Royals won the first game of a three-game set with the Astros 7 to five. We’re going to get into that game and um some recent play by the Royals, but you know, one thing that struck me and I I looked this up after the after the win last last night. We’re recording this of course on Tuesday. Um the the win pushed the Royals record to 25 and 18 and that’s the same record they had at this point last year after 43 games. And I don’t know how I feel about that. I I don’t know if I think a year ago we were all just so happy to see the Royals have a winning early, you know, first six weeks of the season after coming coming off the 106 loss season. And so we go in and and then of course they go on to make the playoffs. This year the expectations were higher and they’ve had some great stretches this year, but they were coming off, you know, a couple of losses to the Red Sox over the weekend and they’re not hitting well. They go down to Houston and, you know, we know Houston’s got the the championship pedigree and everything. So, I guess it’s my long- winded way of saying I thought it was important for them to show up last night and and they did just that. Let’s just take a quick look back at the at the Monday night game. Uh the bats came out early and uh they had to feel good about that. Yeah, I I think when you look at the two records from this year and last year, they’re pretty similar. And if you’re going to compare the 2023 24 team to the 2025 team, you have to kind of look at it in a vortex 2024 you didn’t have any real expectations. You were just hoping that the Royals could potentially be better than they were in 23, which was when was it wasn’t hard to do. Um, right. And you and you see them going out and being competitive and it felt good. I always like giving a nod to Royals insider Josh Baneer. He says it’s the sophomore album. That’s what he calls the 2025 season. And I think this year because of what you saw from them in 2024 making the playoffs, you were expecting them to be pretty good. And in in some in some respects they haven’t been. Offensively they still have to put that together. Uh you had a series like you mentioned against the Red Sox where they had just four hits. I mean, four runs and they did have just four hits on that Sunday game, right? But, um, you the pitching has always been consistent and I think it might be even a little bit better than it was last year. So, in that respect, I think that this team is better than the 2024 team. A lot of that goes to Chris Bouic being able to slide into that rotation in a better bullpen with Carlos Stavves and Lucas Ersk. And I got to mention Steven Cruz. uh even though he gave a couple runs yesterday, he’s been really good coming up. But until the offense really puts it together and really shines, then I don’t know if this team has taken a full step further from where they were in 2024. That’s a good point. So, let’s let’s get right into that. Um the one of one of the refreshing aspects of the game on Monday was the fourrun was it third inning? uh when they you know they strung together hits and a lot of it happened after two two outs. So you had you know um success with runners in scoring position which is something that this team has not had much success at this season a year ago. That was one of their calling cards, right? They they hit 282 with runners in scoring position. That was second in Major League Baseball. They went into the Astros series at 228 uh batting average with runners in scoring position and it was kind of painfully obvious during the Red Sox series. Um and and really most of the year just not having success when coming to the plate with runners in scoring position and that’s everybody you know as good as Bobby Wit’s been playing and um you know he he and and and you know Vinnie Pascantino who made a living uh with runners in scoring position last year he wasn’t great in those situations but it was it was refreshing to see on on Monday them come through in those moments. I guess Jonathan Indie had one of the big hits, the the bloop single uh with two outs and I think it was was Isbel on second who had doubled. So that kind of unlocked them and got them going. But what uh what do you think is, you know, is it just baseball, just law of averages that maybe they they shouldn’t have been as good as they were last year in those situations and they’ll end up being better this year in those situations? Yeah, you you would hope so. And I think a lot of it too, look at when you look at Monday’s game, they scored seven runs after the third inning. And if they would have played maybe three or four more innings, who knows where that game would have ended up because they didn’t add on. They just kind of stayed there kind of the tors and the hair where they ran out to this giant lead and the Astros slowly slowly slowly slowly came back and thankfully you only played and you need 27 outs in baseball otherwise I don’t know how that game would have turned out for the Royals yesterday but they got the win and like you said they they they produced with two runners in scoring position with two outs. So, I think that’s something that they can build on. But I I I truly think that they have to figure out a way to be more consistent offensively because the law of averages says your pitching staff can’t be this dominant all year long. It’s going to be some stretches where the pitching staff is going to falter a little bit and that’s just what it is in baseball. I mean, you have four guys, three almost five guys that have under a four RA. So, I mean, you’re really pitching well from that starting rotation and can they keep it up? Can they can they continue it? I mean, that’s that’s that’s ask me a lot to tax on the starting rotation to be almost perfect when your offense is not giving you three runs a game, right? And correct me if I’m wrong that in that rotation the one who’s over for erra is Cole Reagan’s who’s arguably had the best stuff of of anybody on on the the rotation and is still if he’s not the leader among the major league leaders in strikeout. So he is um uh I I I think he will uh figure it out and we we’ll see some vintage Cole Reagan’s down the road. But to your point, Jaylen, um again, going into last night, 2.99 erra for the pitching for the for the entire staff. That’s second in Major League Baseball. They lead the majors in quality starts. You know, that’s uh six innings with three or fewer runs earned runs allowed. That’s at 22. Um they just go, it seems to me, quality start after quality start after quality start. This rotation is is is excellent. And it I think we’re going to get to a point if this keeps up where, you know, some of us who really like the history of the of baseball and the history of the Royals are going to have to start comparing this rotation to some of the best that the Royals have ever had. It it is it is really really been solid through the first few weeks. And yeah, that’s why they’ve got these remarkable numbers. There’s, you know, they they average what is it 3.4 4 runs per game. The only teams with worst uh run per game uh outputs right now are the Pirates, the Rockies, and the White Socks. And take a look at where those records are, you know. Yeah. But at 3.4 runs a game, the Royals are still seven games over 500. And um and they’re 17 and 18 when scoring four or fewer runs. Nobody else in baseball has more than 10 victories in that stretch. So they’ve done some t tremendous things because of their pitching and um one can only one a Royals fan can only hope that the bats heat up, you know, getting get Vinnie off the schneide and Salvador Perez’s power. You know, he’s only still only two home runs and hasn’t had one in a month. You know, Mike Garcia off to a great start. I think I think I read in your story he’s one for his last 18 or something like that. So, you know, he’s he’s cooled off a little bit. So, hey, their home run total they they’re still sitting at 20 no 28 now because of Matt. He got one last night, but that’s still last in Major League Baseball. Base on balls, they don’t take walks. They’re the third worst in baseball at that. They’re they’re the sixth worst in on base percentage. I’m going on and on, but the I think the point is they got to hit better. And um and and at least for now, and we’ll get into this in a moment, but at least for now, they’ve got to do it with who’s on the roster right now, right? Who’s who are their 26? And do you see any any solutions to to this issue? Yeah, they have a very big one in that’s sitting in double A, but they don’t. But of the 26 right now, I mean, of the 26 of the 26 right now, without the the the the star phenomenon that’s um I I think it has to come down to Vinnie, Bobby, and Salvi. They have to be better. And we know what Bobby gives you. He’s going to he’s hitting. He’s gonna hit over 300. He’s going to do it’s really not him. But you need Vinnie and you need Salvi to be producers to help protect him in that lineup. Like you said, Salv Perez has two home runs this year. When’s the last time that you’ve seen Salvi have two home runs in his middle of May almost. You just you just haven’t seen it. You just you just don’t expect to see that from him. And I get it. He’s he’s he just had a birthday. He just turned 35, I believe. Right. So, I mean, father time is is undefeated. That’s that’s what they always say. And I’m not saying that Salvi is slowing down, but you gotta kind of when you look at it through that lens, you have to be like, well, he is 35 year old years old and he’s a catcher. And typically in baseball, that’s when catchers start to slow down. Uh the Cardinals, you saw it with Yier Malian. That’s just three hours uh to the to the east. What happened there? So, you got to be able to rely on more than just Salvi. And that’s where Vinnie Pascantino comes in play. You he’s he’s leading the team in RBI’s or second in RBI’s. And he’s has the home runs. I believe he has six of them. Um so, he’s got to continue to play at that level, but you have to have more people come alongside of Bobby W Jr. and Mikel Garcia. And I think you mentioned Kyle Isel is and I thought that was a really good point. Quietly as is kept, he’s having a really good year at the plate. A really good year at the plate. And I don’t think people really recognize that because he’s bat snip in the order. But the quality of the bats that he’s been putting up, being able to move the runner over, flip the lineup over, like you mentioned, the two out double that kind of sparked that uh that second inning there uh where they scored those four runs. So guys like that, uh, I think they still need more production out of the outfield. They haven’t gotten that. Uh, Hunter Renfro, he hasn’t been the guy that they envisioned when they signed him. Kevin Vigio is he’s he’s he’s a good utility player. Mark Hannah, he’s a great uh veteran in the in the lineup, but those guys don’t scare opposing teams, offenses, I mean, and and and their pitching staff, so they have to pick it up. And I don’t know where that’s going to come from. It has to come from their top three though, I believe. Yep. Um, couple of notes. Uh, even with this issue, uh, the Royals went five-2 on that home stand that included the White Socks and the Red Sox and, um, I don’t know if it includes the the Astros opener, but they were 16-4 in their last 20 games, which is the best record in baseball over that span. So, yeah, 17-4 now. Is it 17-4 over the last 21? So, that’s best record in baseball over that span. Uh the fact that we’re kind of harping on where they can improve suggests that there are expectations for this team, right? This is not a they this is still a team that especially with this pitching that we think should end up being in the playoffs and the analytics agrees with us. If you look at anywhere where there’s there are, you know, playoff projections, the Royals are part of it. So, I guess what we’re saying is um find some hitting and we think everything’s going to be okay. Yeah. Are are are we being too hard on the Royals? That I maybe maybe that’s what it is. Uh because if you look at their record, like you said, 17 and four in their last 21. They have 25 wins. Not that many teams in Major League Baseball have 25 wins right now. Um, and they are playing a brand of baseball where their offense is not helping them, but their pitching staff is doing all the work. So maybe maybe we are being a little bit too hard on them, but it’s just a matter of they’ve been playing well and I think we should just give them their credit that they have played well to to get to this point where all the different warts and things they have right now. I like being in this place where you feel um some emotion about this team whether you know it’s positive or negative you’re feeling something because there were too many seasons a lot of times Jaylen before you became the beat writer here you just didn’t feel anything you kind of didn’t care you know they had a bad week it’s like okay it’s the Royals they’re they’re not going anywhere they don’t seem to have much um going for them prospects are not not there but you So now because of what they what you know Matt Cotero and JJ Picolo and what this organization did a year ago to get to 86 victories unexpectedly into the playoffs um you just want more and and you you see where they’ve made so many good moves. Um they they seem to have the you know the right roster. They’re doing it with pitching. They’re doing it with defense. And let’s let’s take a moment to talk about the double play last night. one of maybe the defensive highlight of the season for the Royals and they did it without their regular shorts stop. It was started by Michael Garcia who was playing shorts stop. Bobby Whit was dhing for the first time this year. So they do it with great starting pitching, great bullpen, great defense. Tell us about that double play that you covered last night. Yeah, Michael Massie made an incredible play to on a baseball from um Isaac Parades up the middle. And I think just watching that play develop, Massie said that it really all comes down from being prepared, being able to be in the right position to to make that play. Cuz if you look at the play from different angles, the ball is tailing away from from Massie. So he had to go with a back with his backhand to make the diving stop. Then he flips it to uh Mel Garcia rushing across the bag which is a hard thing to do and you have to have timing because one misstep and that ball is flying towards home plate again. So he catches it then he throws it to Vinnie Pascantino who makes a stretch and he gets the out. And Benny is very popular for his stretches um in recent years and that being able to uh to be able to stretch like he can. And that play was essentially a big play because it was bases loaded in that third inning and the Royals had a four-run lead and you know if Michael Waka gives up a hit there it’s 4-2 and things could be totally different than what it turned out to be. So that was a huge huge play for Michael Massie to do that. And it just shows that all the hard work that the Royals are doing to really put themselves in a position to win games like we just talked about without their offense really showing up. Like they showed up yesterday for those two innings, but if you ask any roles player, they would like to continue to add on through every inning in the game instead of just having the second and third be where all the offense comes from. But you need plays like that to help support a pitching staff if you want them to continue to keep their numbers under the two two runs a game or or wherever they are combined right now. So, I mean, it’s impressive. It It really is. Take a swing at picking sports this baseball season with Underdog. Playing on their app is as easy as choosing higher or lower on player stats. Get them right and you could win up to 1,000 times your money. Sign up today using promo code KC Star to get a gimme pick as a part of your first cash entry, plus up to $1,000 in bonus credits when you deposit. Must be 18 plus and presence in a state where underdog fantasy operates. Terms apply. Concerned with your play? Call 1800gambler or visit www.ncpgambling.org. All right, let’s talk about a possible solution to the Royals offensive problems. Jaylen Thompson, beat writer for the uh Kansas City Star, covers the Royals for us. You wrote about Jack Kegleion last week. I had a really nice story. um talked to his high school coach and his dad and um and and and I learned something from that story about kind of where Kaggleó’s career changed because of an injury and tell us about that and what you learned about um about Kaggleó and and how um you know how his life may have been different if if it hadn’t been for this injury. Yeah, Jack Kaggleó was uh he was going to pretty much potentially get drafted out of high school as a pitcher and you know he was someone that a lot of scouts really raved about and as his dad put it when you throw 98 miles per hour they kind of want you as a pitcher. You know that’s just from the left side too. So those are left-handed pitchers with velocity do not grow on trees in in Major League Baseball. So that would have been something that could have been a great career path for him. So, he goes to an all-star game about a couple of months before the uh the the MLB draft at a high school and he blows his arm out and now you have to have Tommy John surgery and you know when when it comes to having injuries and having that surgery, it’s just a matter of well, will he be able to pitch at the same level again and what are some things that can be able to help him get back on track? He always could hit, but as his high school coach told him told me, they the the the scouts only came to see him pitch and then they would leave after his last at bat, before his last at bat, I’m sorry, because they they knew he was done pitching. So, they didn’t want to see him hit. So, he’s at Florida. That’s where he committed. And his dad put it plainly. He said if he hadn’t got hurt, he might not pick up a bat again because at Florida, he goes and he becomes a designated hitter and the rest is history. he starts hitting home runs and now he’s this two-way phenom that the Royals drafted and the power is all there and he’s uh he’s now leading the Texas league in double A in home runs and RBI. So, that’s just impressive how he’s done that in such a short order. No doubt about it. I think it’s up to nine home runs uh now and his ninth came off a left-handed pitcher which was pretty impressive. batting average up to 328 and um he is um he’s swinging the bat really well. What what let me ask you this question. If you were a the Royals general manager JJ Piccolo, if you sat in his chair for a day, would you bring up Jack Kaggleon right now? Well, that that’s that was the question I was going to ask you. So, let’s talk about this because what I think the the thing that I would look at I I thought the home run against a left-handed thrower was important um the other day. I that that shows me some progress that you know he’s he’s made. Listen, this is only his he’s only been a minor league baseball player for what for six weeks, right? As long as the season’s been going. Um, I I want to see him lower his chase rate a little bit, be a little bit more selective, you know, against double A pitching. I would give it I would give it another month or so. um let him get another, you know, maybe hundred at bats u played appearances in double A and then I would I would think strongly about having him up here for um at least the the second half of of the season. He is uh something to behold when when he gets a hold of a ball and it he hit a home run I think it was in Tulsa that I don’t think has come down yet. And yeah, he has got some incredible power. He’s got the kind of strength and power that we just haven’t seen from a Royals prospect in I don’t know how long. Um he’s everything that you that you want and that the Royals need right now. He will be a Royal this year. I I just think I I want to I want to emphasize to him to you know if I’m JJ Piccolo in the Royal scouting just to cut down on the ch you know on swinging at pitches out of the strike zone and uh make you know making contact and keep doing the power thing that you’re doing right now. I love that his batting average is up to almost 330. That’s also a great sign. Hey, think about this. Bobby Wit played an entire season in the minor leagues, you know, and uh you know, he half of it in in double A and half of it AAA and then he was ready to go when he came up to the Royals three years ago. He had a 2030 season and still hit just 254 I remember as a rookie, but um but I think he needed that year in the minor leagues. The Royals, they’re in a little bit different situation now. They’re a contending team. They weren’t then. they are now and and Jack Haggleó can be a piece that they really need um to to in the lineup. Now, where does he play? That’s what do you think is he do you move him into right field? You know, first base seems occupied right now. Um where does Jack Hegleon play if he is with the Royals the last two or three months of the season? I think you put him in right field and I think that like you said, you live with the strikeouts and you live with the still trying to figure out right field after not playing it much since high school. But that power and the ability to drive in runs is something that will transcend the Royals lineup. And I think that it it can travel from DA to the MLB really quickly. because you just can’t teach that. You can’t teach power. You can’t teach the ability to to hit the ball a country mile. I think the Royals, like you said, want to do like what they did with Bobby W Jr. and give him half of the time in double A, maybe half of the time in TripleA, his first full year, just to make sure that he’s supremely ready. But I think if you’re going to be a team that wants to make the playoffs and you want to push for the uh the AL Central division and you want to win that, I think you have to bring up this this golden gift I will say that the Royals have down in DoubleA and see what he can do in the lineup because your your outfielders aren’t giving you what you need to produce. And if who knows, maybe Jack Cavalion comes up and bats sixth in your lineup or maybe you bat him seventh in your lineup to start him out and then he rises up. But to have that threat of another power hitter in the lineup, it will change the way pitchers are going to pitch to him because you you know that these MLB pitchers once he gets up here, they’re going to try to challenge him with fast balls to see if his power is really what they say it all is. And if he starts hitting those fast balls out, then the Rose lineup looks different. And then now they got to pitch him differently and they’re going to try to pitch him differently. That means they got to pitch someone else differently. So I just think that it’s a way to do it and it’s a way to um help this Royals team if they don’t want to go out and spend the big money on a hitter at the trade deadline. Right. Right. That that’s also a possibility. I I suppose I I think this lineup could use two bats uh that aren’t there now with Kaggle being one of them. We’ll we’ll see if that happens. And just a just as a reminder, uh Royals last in Major League Baseball when home runs and 28. Um they are way behind their their power pace from last year when Bobby Whit had 32 home runs and Salvi had his usual 27 and Vinnie was I think he had finished with 19. They’re all below that pace so far this year. All right, Jaylen, before we wrap it up, um I don’t know if you’ll be back in time, but on Thursday, uh we’re gonna in the media, we’re going to talk to members of the 1985 and the 2015 World Series Championship Royals. Big weekend for the Royals. St. Louis Cardinals in town c and the the Royals are going to celebrate the 85 World Championship teams. I’m I’m really looking forward to that. I I kind of want to take a a stab at maybe comparing those two teams, see what they had in common. Uh, in both cases, I I I believe I need to double check this, but I don’t think either team I know the 85 team did not have the best record in baseball that year, and if the 15 team did, it wasn’t by much. So, they were both really kind of scrappy, gutsy, um, you know, big-hearted teams that, uh, maybe not the best two teams in Royals history, but the most accomplished teams in Royals history. And um and I know for you, you know, who who came after the uh the 2015 team, uh you must be looking forward to seeing some of these guys and and talking to some of these old Royals that uh that really have become legends in this town. Yeah, I I look at it kind of with a a different with a different lens because, you know, not being here when they went through and they won, but hearing the stories of how that team compares to this current unit of guys and you see the the bullpin was a strong part of of that team and the pitching staff was was pretty strong as well. but they actually went out and they got guys to supplement that pitching staff. So, I think it it really is an inverse of from the 15 team and this team, they always had guys that can hit in that lineup, but the pitching staff had to be supplemented. I think this team, they have guys that can pitch, but the hitting has to be supplemented. So, they’re kind of in versus in that regard, but I think that the 2015 team and this 2025 team are very very similar in in retrospect. And if they if this current team can put it together, maybe they could have a magical run in the playoffs like that 13 team because the pitching is just there. Now, when I look at the 85 team and I compare it to the 15 team, I think that the game was so totally different played between those two years. just cuz that’s like a a 40-year gap. But one thing remained the same. The Royals were the same type of brand of baseball that they always wanted to play, which is to be uh quick, fast, and physical um and be able to really put pressure on opposing teams. And I think that’s the key that we’ll see when both teams from 85 and 15 are together just of how similar they were and how they thought about the game and how they played the game and how they approached the game. And I think that’s a great story that you’re going to do. Try to compare the two because I mean those were the glory years for a lot of fans and I think they will be really appreciative to see both of those teams back in Kaufman this season. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. Okay, Jaylen, great conversation as always. Thank you for the time. Uh, I I wanted to shout out to our producers, Monty Davis and Randy Mason, and to our editors, Jeff Rosen and Scott Chason, for all their help on this show. Uh, you have been listening to Sportsbeat KC, the Kansas City Stars sports podcast. [Music]
On SportsBeat KC, Jaylon Thompson discusses the Kansas City Royals’ strong pitching, lackluster offense and the potential debut of top prospect Jac Caglianone.
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