Kauffman Corner

Before the 2026 Royals season began Rany Jazayerli, David Lesky and Soren Petro each made five Bold & Daring Predictions for the season.  How did they do? David Lesky (Publisher - Inside the Crown/@DBLesky) and Soren Petro (Sports Radio 810-WHB, 810whb.com/@SorenPetro) are joined by Rany Jazayerli (Co-Founder of Baseball Prospectus/@Jazayerli) to look back at their preseason thoughts and decide if they were too bold or too daring.   Breaking the Royals team Homer record. Multiple 40 homer hitters. BWJ is MVP. Top 10 Farm System. Pitching Staff top 10 in K’s. Maikel scores 125 times. Carter in the leadoff. Chourio gets dealt! Ragans breaks the K record. Top half of the AL in BB’s. Top 5 base running team. Loftin establishes himself. Cags posts a .340 OBP. Avila leads the Royals in Saves. Ballpark to Washington Square Park. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s no doubt the 2026 season was a disappointment for the Royals organization and its fans.  But it was nothing compared to the disappointment that was the preseason predictions put forth by the Kauffman Corner Podcast. David Lesky (Publisher - Inside the Crown/@DBLesky) and Soren Petro (Sports Radio 810-WHB, 810whb.com/@SorenPetro) are joined by Rany Jazayerli (Co-Founder of Baseball Prospectus/@Jazayerli) to discuss what they got right (very little) and what they got wrong on their predictions for the 2026 Kansas City Royals. Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year Breakout Player Biggest Disappointment Best Position Player Best Pitcher Best Reliever Biggest impact Rookie Top Prospect Royals Record Season Story Line Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Royals pitching staff was decimated with injuries this year.  With the exception of Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron the results from the ones who did pitch weren’t very good. David Lesky (Publisher - Inside the Crown/@DBLesky) and Soren Petro (Sports Radio 810-WHB, 810whb.com/@SorenPetro) discuss just how bad it was on the mound for the Royals in 2026.  The grades are ugly! Don’t count on injury prone pitchers. The replacements struggled as well. Seth Lugo never did find it. The bullpen blew up immediately. How many relievers can be a part of the solution? What are the moves the Royals need to make? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A solid offensive finish to the season was not enough to save the grades for the Royals Position Players. David Lesky (Publisher - Inside the Crown/@DBLesky) and Soren Petro (Sports Radio 810-WHB, 810whb.com/@SorenPetro) discuss each position on the field and hand out their later grades. Carter Jensen makes Catcher an A. Vinnie’s struggles hurt First Base. Solid performance for Massey. Missing Maikel hurt! Bobby’s always an A! Other than Cags the OF is a problem. What DH? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Royals GM, JJ Picollo and Manager, Matt Quatraro met with the media last week to discuss what went wrong last season and what the beginning of a plan to fix it looks like. David Lesky (Publisher - Inside the Crown/@DBLesky) and Soren Petro (Sports Radio 810-WHB, 810whb.com/@SorenPetro) discuss their reactions to how the Royals described what happened in 2026 and what their vision is for 2027. Changes with the Hitting Coaches. Why the slow start? Where’s a Closer? Improvement in the Outfield. Making uncomfortable trades. Extensions for Jensen and Caglianone? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.