I tried my best to trade Pat Strathman for literally anything, but no takers. So here I am again, talking #Royals with him on ESPN Wichita. Maybe next year.
David Lesky
@dblesky.bsky.social
I write about the Royals on Inside the Crown and talk about them weekly on Kauffman Corner. And I do some radio too, so that's kind of cool. insidethecrown.substack.com/subscribe
The #Royals had the ace on the mound (I’m sort of kidding), the superstar back and they got to celebrate the home run king. And then they won big. Baseball was fun last night. We should enjoy nights like that.
Bobby's Return, Salvy's Celebration and Another Dobnak Win
The band was sort of back together for the Royals, and they put an end to an ugly stretch.
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JJ Picollo and the #Royals certainly made a choice yesterday. Love it or hate it (and I really don’t know how anyone could love it), they’ve charted their course for 2027. If they don’t succeed…
Royals Trade Deadline Reaction: The Plan is Telegraphed
The Royals didn't surprise anyone by keeping all their controllable assets. Now they have to make good on this.
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The #Royals getting Carlos Duran for an injured Kris Bubic is pretty dynamite. I'll break it down tonight on Kauffman Corner and tomorrow on Inside the Crown, but Duran is a big dude with a big fastball and an outstanding slider.
I did NOT go nearly as in-depth as usual on this week's Weekend in the Review. The performance didn't deserve it. But I still wrote it, and it's still free for everyone to read about the #Royals' brutal weekend.
Weekend in Review: A New Royals Low
The worst team in baseball curb stomped the Royals as the trade deadline arrives.
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The end result was brutal, but look under the hood of yesterday’s #Royals loss and what really mattered all came up positive. Noah Cameron was amazing. Cags destroyed a baseball. But a terrible bullpen with a questionable choice did its worst work yet.
No No-No for Noah as the Royals Bullpen Blows Another
It was shaping up to be a heck of a day for Noah Cameron and the Royals until the bullpen made their presence known.
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Why wouldn’t the #Royals win a game led by a great start from Randy Dobnak, a Salvador Perez TRIPLE and a homer/stolen base game from Tyler Tolbert? Read all about it on Inside the Crown. The link is in the replies.
Randy, Salvy and Tyler Lead the Way
If you predicted how the Royals would win this game, well, you're a liar.
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Given the choice of watching last night's ninth inning on repeat for 24 hours or talking to Pat Strathman, I'd choose the ninth inning. But I don't get that choice. So please listen to us talk #Royals on ESPN Wichita.
Less than a week before the deadline, it seemed like a good idea for me to put my top 25 #Royals prospects on paper. The system is in much better shape at the top with a lot of intriguing names down the list. It’s a system on the rise.
2026 ItC Midseason Top 25 Royals Prospects
The Royals farm system is improving because of star power rising to the top.
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A milestone homer highlighted a winning weekend (but a series split) for the #Royals. The Weekend in Review is feee, as always, and dives into Salvy’s blast, Noah Cameron’s bounceback, some clutch home runs and more.
Weekend in Review: Salvy Takes Over as Royals Keep It Going
They lost the first of the weekend (and the first of the series before it), but the Royals turned it around and are 7-3 since the break.
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George Brett was the #Royals sole home run leader for more than 40 years, but Salvador Perez joined him at the top of that leaderboard yesterday with a home run that ignited a game-winning rally. It was a special day that we all deserved.
Salvy Ties George to Help Royals Sweep
One Royals franchise icon matched another and helped get a win along the way.
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I tried to schedule a root canal to get out of talking to Pat Strathman but no luck. So now I have to do something far more painful and talk to him about the #Royals. Listen in on ESPN Wichita.
In a disaster year, you take any win you can, and Luinder Avila’s best start of his career is certainly a win. It helps the #Royals won the game too. The link is in the replies. Read all about Luinder’s big night and the rest about a game that clinched another series win.
Luinder's Best Start Yet
Luinder Avila put another one in the column that he could be a long-term answer in the Royals rotation.
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Usually the #Royals are fighting to salvage a game in a series. This time, they had the series in hand and got the doors blown off then in the finale. The Weekend in Review is free for all and breaks it all down.
Weekend in Review: A Royals Series Win
No, it doesn't mean anything anymore, but it's still nice when the Royals put a dent in someone else's playoff chances.
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I much preferred writing about the #Royals as buyers, but that’s not the reality this year so I went through the trade chips, trades in past years that match up, some prospects to keep an eye on and a whole lot more today.
2026 Royals Trade Deadline Primer
We're mere weeks away from a disappointing Royals team looking different.
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It’s been DAYS since the #Royals last lost. Is it all fixed now? I’ll discuss it with Soren Petro , Kurtis Seaboldt and @kylecollier810.bsky.social on Sports Radio 810.
We get a break from the #Royals, but I don’t get a break from Pat Strathman because I’m clearly being punished for something. Listen to us chat on ESPN Wichita please.
Taking Zion Rose sixth overall was exactly the strategy I didn’t want the #Royals to utilize, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t get a talented player, and it doesn’t mean they didn’t have a solid overall draft. I reviewed it all today.
2026 Royals Draft Review
The Royals went a different direction at the top, but overall had a nice draft.
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We deserve this break. The #Royals ended the first half in about the most perfect Royals way possible. I wrote about the weekend, the player of the week and the light week ahead. It’s free for all, as usual!
Weekend in Review: The Perfect End to the Most Imperfect First Half
The Royals finished up their pre-break schedule with a series that perfectly summed up their first 97 games.
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How to ruin a Friday: Step 1: Talk to Pat Strathman. That’s it. Super simple. I’m about to ruin a Friday by talking to him about the #Royals on ESPN Wichita.
We had fun for a couple of days, but the #Royals, as we know them in 2026, came back to end that Mets series. I wrote about that and a few notes at the end with some look ahead to what I'll write next week over the break.
Royals Back to That Familiar Feeling
The bats went nuts for a couple of days, but struggling to score and blowup innings are some of what has defined the 2026 Royals.
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What in the world is happening? The #Royals looked like they belonged on Field 9 at 3&2 in the first and then put up a second straight monster offensive game, all while Tyler Tolbert (Tyler Tolbert!) was getting a hit in 12 straight at bats. Another one with crazy stats galore!
Bonkers Part II: Royals Take Another Wild Game
You simply can't out-Mets the Mets. The Royals learned that the fun way.
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No biggie. The #Royals offense just did something rarer than a perfect game in a game started by one of the best pitchers in baseball. I wrote all about it with some truly crazy stats so make sure you get into it.
Royals Casually Dismantle Cy Young Candidate in Bonkers Game
The Royals offense scored more runs yesterday than they did all of last week. Sure sure sure.
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Only two games to review this weekend, but you can read about a real-life #Royals win! Plus, check out this week's Kauffman Corner, the player of the week and what's next for a floundering team.
Weekend in Review: The Weekly Win Came Sunday
The Royals still have one more against the Phillies, but at least they've split the first two.
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It has been a looooong week for me personally and for the #Royals, so rather than breaking down games that weren’t worth breaking down, I brought back Crown Jewels for a day to look at some topics going on around the team.
Crown Jewels Because the Royals Don't Make the Games Worth Writing About
It's been a long week for me, both personally and with the Royals.
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The #Royals haven’t lost a game all day, so let’s talk about them. I’ll join Soren Petro , Kurtis Seaboldt and @kylecollier810.bsky.social on Sports Radio 810. You’re all invited to listen.
The #Royals may be all sorts of awful, but nothing can ruin my day because I don't have to talk to Pat Strathman! I'll join Jackson Schneider to talk about what it's like to have such a low bar to clear. And maybe some baseball. All on ESPN Wichita in just a few.
The #Royals salvaged a game this weekend, but only after they were battered and bruised (literally in Nick Loftin’s case). The Weekend in Review is, as always, free for all. See what really ticked me off on Friday inside it.
Weekend in Review: Even With a Win, It Felt Like a Sweep
The Royals got manhandled Friday, walked off Saturday and limped to a win in the finale.
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The series started so well, but the offense went literally silent for 8.1 innings yesterday and Seth Lugo’s insistence on breaking balls led to him getting rocked. Just like that, it was a disappointing #Royals split. Read all about it here:
Royals Split with a Thud
The Royals still haven't been no-hit since 2008, but this was a close call.
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