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Royals Insider Jaylon Thompson checks in.
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00:00Daily is on KFH.
00:04And now, digging deeper with the teams you follow,
00:08it's another Sports Daily Insider interview on KFH.
00:14All right, welcome back in, everybody.
00:16It is Sports Daily here on KFH.
00:19Jacob Albrock, Brady Bowman with you,
00:20joined now by our Royals insider, Jalen Thompson.
00:24Jalen, how are you this morning?
00:26I'm doing good. How are you guys doing?
00:28Good. Accidentally, we're in all black now,
00:32and I see you've joined the Royals' funeral today
00:35because they are eliminated, so nicely done.
00:39It's been an interesting second half.
00:41They've been good in the second half, but they are done,
00:46and it sounded like I listened to, of course,
00:50the Royals play each and every night here on KFH.
00:52I was listening to a little bit of the postgame last night,
00:54and John Rave said, look, they want to spoil some seasons here,
00:59and you like to hear that, right?
01:02What do you expect down the stretch here?
01:04Do you expect any significant changes to what they're doing
01:10or the way they're playing or anything now that it's official,
01:12or do they just go business as usual here?
01:15I think in this rare case, they go business as usual
01:19because they've had so many players that have been out this year,
01:24and they're finally getting them healthy.
01:26So yesterday's game and really Tuesday's game,
01:30you saw the full lineup be back in there.
01:33Sands, maybe Jack Caglione and Salvador Perez
01:37because they're pretty much splitting the designated hitter roles,
01:40and neither of them can play their positions
01:42due to sore elbows right now.
01:45But, yeah, I think they're going to play it out
01:48as if they're another 162 and they're in a playoff race
01:53because, like you said, John Rave said it best.
01:57They can spoil a lot of seasons this year,
01:59and down the stretch, they got the Pirates coming up,
02:03but they're pretty much out of it.
02:05But then they have the White Sox and the Guardians to end the season.
02:09And one of those teams is going to be pretty much celebrating
02:13a postseason berth at Coffman Stadium when they clinch.
02:16So maybe the run's going to make it tough on both of them
02:19while they come through.
02:21Jalen, as we digest the realization that the season is pretty much over
02:27and they're eliminated from the playoffs,
02:30it's been such a great second half,
02:32especially since the All-Star break.
02:34Well, I mean, even like a week or two after the All-Star break,
02:36it was still kind of looking like, oh, the first half's continuing
02:39and then just something caught fire.
02:41What is it about the second half that's so different from the first half?
02:46Is it just, like you mentioned, players getting healthy
02:49or do they just catch fire a week or two after the All-Star break
02:52and putting us in this position where there is some optimism
02:55going into the next season?
02:57What do you nail down as far as what's been the switch the second half?
03:02There's two things.
03:03You got the improved play of Carter Jensen and Jack Caglione.
03:08I think both of those guys are going to be really good
03:11for a long time in Kansas City.
03:14Really, if you look at what Carter Jensen's doing,
03:17he's putting up a terrific season.
03:19Probably should get a lot of love in the rookie of the year race,
03:23but it's kind of hard to do when your team is in last place
03:26and the teams that's above you, this kind of white sauce,
03:30have like three different rookies that are playing at a high level.
03:34Same with the Guardians that are right there as well.
03:36So it'll probably go to one of those stars on one of those teams.
03:41But you can't discredit what Carter's doing this year.
03:45He's leading the league among all rookies in extra base hits.
03:48His 24 home runs, his best one will set a new world rookie record.
03:55Taking in everything he can do.
03:57I thought it was funny yesterday.
03:59Anthony goes, I asked him what was the game plan against Nelson Velasquez,
04:05former Royal, in that seventh inning.
04:08He said, just throw whatever Carter called.
04:10So I thought it was cool that he gave Carter a lot of credit there for that.
04:16But, yeah, I think those two guys are going to be the tent poles of what you can do next
04:21season
04:22with this team offensively.
04:24And I think the pitching, right?
04:26Many people don't know, but since the all-star break, the Royals had three pitchers with a two ERA.
04:32That's Michael Walker, Noah Cameron, and Randy Dobnett.
04:35So, I mean, if the offense could have hit a little bit better earlier during the stretch
04:42before they went on that 12 or 13, they could have flipped some of those games
04:46and they could have probably still been in the playoff mix.
04:48But, like they always say, that's baseball.
04:51It is.
04:53Look, and I don't think they're really in danger.
04:57And I guess this becomes the question.
04:59I don't think they're really in danger of screwing up the lottery at this point.
05:08I think they have the sixth worst record right now in baseball.
05:13And what is 15 teams, I believe, in the lottery, right?
05:17So, you know, there are – the Royals have 10 games left.
05:2510 games left.
05:27I suppose they could go on a 10-game win streak and kind of get a little messy in that.
05:34But to get to 15, I think they're pretty safe.
05:37So, I think we can sort of put that to the side a little bit.
05:41I don't know what the different odds are or anything else,
05:43but I don't think we worry about that anymore.
05:45Do you?
05:46Like, is that a concern at all?
05:47I feel like they can play as well as they can play,
05:50and it's not going to mess anything up for the draft, basically.
05:53Yeah, but I also look at it like this.
05:56This team – the draft is great, and they will get a player that can help.
06:01But if you look at what this high-A team has done,
06:06they are stacked and loaded with talent down there in high-A.
06:10I mean, they pretty much walked through all competition.
06:13You're talking about Zion Rose, Kendry Churio, Davis Shields,
06:17Blake Mitchell, Ramon Ramirez, the list goes on and on,
06:21one of the guys that they have down in high-A that are really good.
06:26The problem with this Rose team is simply that they need to be better next year.
06:31They got to win next year because the clock is ticking,
06:36whether people talk about it or not.
06:38But 2030, when that season's over, Bobby Wade Jr. can decide,
06:42I can leave and go wherever I want to go,
06:44or I can stay and continue my contract.
06:48So, yeah, he holds really the cards there.
06:52That's really where you have to focus and look at the Rose from that lens,
06:55as in how do we win before Bobby makes his decision
07:00on whether he wants to exercise and opt out or not after 2030 season.
07:04Oh, he's going to opt out.
07:06It's whether they can re-sign him again, right?
07:08Like, there's no chance he doesn't opt out.
07:10Is there?
07:12I mean, I think you probably have to.
07:16He might opt out and the Royals can get an extension or something.
07:19Yeah, yeah.
07:19But he'd be insane not to opt out.
07:22So that's where you have to really put your lens on the Kansas City Royals
07:26and how do they get better to prove to Bobby Wade Jr.
07:30that Kansas City is the place to be.
07:32So I think that's why it's important this offseason that they go get pitching
07:36and they build a winner, a consistent winner,
07:39because he's the number one priority.
07:42And 2030 is not that far away.
07:45No.
07:45Yeah, Jalen, speaking of the future and the Royals,
07:49the Royals today announcing that they have selected a construction team
07:52on the downtown ballpark.
07:54We're getting some more kind of details out of that.
07:56And one detail that's come out,
07:58actually there's a couple things I ask you about this,
07:59but one detail that came out that the plans call for a 34,000-seat stadium,
08:06which would be, according to this report,
08:11it would have a smaller capacity than any other current MLB stadium.
08:15The K at its height was a little over 40,000 seats.
08:19But this report also says it's also kind of the trend on new ballparks
08:23is a lesser seat than the past.
08:27What's your thoughts there on that 34,000 capacity number?
08:31I think it's a good idea.
08:33I mean, going to several games at the K, you guys can attest to this too.
08:39Most nights, it's not really filled, right?
08:42It's around 15,000 to 18,000 fans on a good night,
08:48unless you have a team that travels like the Cardinals or the Yankees
08:52or the Cubs or, you know, et cetera.
08:55Those fans are going to travel.
08:56But 34,000, I think it's a good set number.
09:00And you got to remember too, where they're going to put the stadium at.
09:03It's going right downtown.
09:05So you really don't have that much space
09:08to really craft a super mega Jerry Dome
09:12or Jerry's World or wherever you want to call it.
09:15They have the NFL.
09:15So I think it's 34,000 is a good number.
09:19And I think the Royals, when they build this new stadium,
09:22they're going for mixed-use development.
09:23So it's not just the stadium.
09:26It's also other things they want to put around it
09:28and, you know, making an attraction for Kansas City.
09:30And the baseball stadiums will be a part of it.
09:34I think they'll be fine with 34,000.
09:36That's usually around what they sell out with anyway
09:39at Kauffman Stadium.
09:40So I don't think it's going to be too much of a crazy step back.
09:43But according to Baseball Almanac, for the record,
09:46the Royals have never averaged 34,000 fans a year.
09:50Their peak in 2015, after a trip to the World Series
09:54and the World Series year, was just under 34,000.
09:57And in those best years of that era,
10:00they were somewhere usually between 25,000 and 31,000.
10:03So honestly, I think it's probably a perfect number.
10:06Jalen Daniel Lynch looked good last night.
10:09That's two starts in a row that have been serviceable starts.
10:13He's mixed in.
10:15Now, if we look at his numbers, you know, they're not elite numbers.
10:18But really, since mid-August, other than that game in Toronto,
10:23he's been okay.
10:25And yesterday, his best start, for sure, that he's had thus far.
10:30What's the return?
10:32What's the vibe?
10:33What are you hearing on the plan with him after this year?
10:37I mean, at worst case, he'll probably be in contention
10:43for one of those starting spots, where if it doesn't work out
10:47or if they get someone that's better than him at that position,
10:51they can easily put him back in the bullpen.
10:53And I think he's done a great job in showing that he has a role.
10:57He has value.
10:59It's just a matter of how does he best fit with the 2017.
11:05Because if they go out this offseason and they get two front-line starters,
11:10then you're in a really good spot where you can maybe move him back to the bullpen
11:16and let him go back to that high-leverage role.
11:19And that helps your team for that season and going forward.
11:22So it's really just – it's good for him that he has that confidence
11:26to pitch at that high level against an Astros lineup that was really aggressive.
11:30I thought he did pretty well after Jeremy Pena,
11:33who's been hitting the baseball all over the yard this series.
11:36He gets the double, but then he strikes out Jordan Alvarez.
11:38He gets out of the first inning, and then he just was on cruise control
11:42the rest of the through.
11:43So I thought Daniel Lynch had one of his most complete performances of the season.
11:48Last night, I think that that can only help him going forward as 2027 gets around
11:54and the Royals decide what they want to do with their pitching staff.
11:57It's just so many variables, guys.
11:59I mean, who knows if it's going to be a lockout, if it's going to – what's going to happen.
12:04And our players are going to sign early.
12:06And he obviously – there's so many variables.
12:08So for Daniel Lynch to continue to pitch like he's been pitching,
12:11pretty much going to have a spot on the team next year.
12:13It's just a matter of where it's going to be.
12:16Jalen, I want to go back to the downtown ballpark again, looking at the KC Star,
12:21one of your colleagues, Chris Higgins, writing a story that is talking about an election date
12:25for a petition seeking a vote on the Royals Stadium.
12:29I'm wondering, and in an April election date, this will be a proposed ordinance
12:33that could affect the plans for the future Royals Stadium and Crown Center.
12:37What do we do about this?
12:38How much could this come up to works?
12:40Or is this just kind of something that probably won't pass and it'll be done
12:44and we just move on as usual?
12:46I don't know too, too, too much about it because, you know,
12:49I've been on the road and everything like that with the team.
12:52But from what I've read and what it sounds like, I mean,
12:57you got people that want to see it come to fruition in the court of opinion
13:04from the public vote, right?
13:06So just a matter of, I don't know if it's going to get that far.
13:11It could.
13:12But from what I'm hearing, the Royals are still, you know,
13:16gung-ho, full steam ahead about putting the stadium downtown.
13:19And they pretty much got the funding to do it.
13:23So it's just a matter of when, not if, if you ask me, my opinion.
13:28Okay.
13:29Jalen Thompson, Kansas City Star.
13:31Follow along at Jalen Thompson on X.
13:35It's a funeral today, Jalen.
13:38But not as depressing as one might normally be.
13:41There's a little optimism.
13:43We appreciate it.
13:44Yes, sir.
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