Thanks for the newsletter, David. Though late to the party, I have enjoyed it, and been impressed with your thoughts and information. Looking forward to what you have for the off-season. Highs and lows this year for sure; from Salvy's incredible season to Mondi's disappearance. There are many intriguing things to look forward to for next year. The plethora of young pitching. The emergence of Nicky Lopez. Maybe a Dozier bounce-back. Free agent signings or trade. And of course, the ongoing Mondesi mystery. Aside from the young pitching, the other thing that has me excited is how much talk there has been lately about a very nice problem: too many players to fit into nine line-up spots. Pratto and even Pasquantino pushing Santana at first. Witt, Mondi, Lopez, Merrifield, Dozier, Melendez, Isbel, Olivares and others...fighting for about four positions on the field. What a terrific problem to have, when players actually win spots instead of playing by default.
Thanks for reading, Clark! Better late than never! There is so much to consider this winter. It's a much more interesting winter than we've had in awhile here in Kansas City, so I'm excited to dig in.
Thank you for your dedication and insights all year here and weekly with Soren Petro on 810. Looking forward to what this off-season brings. Hopefully, the trade that hurts so good.
Agree with Clark. Thanks for the newsletter this year David! I'm sure it it quite the time commitment but I do enjoy it even though I was late to the party as well. I will say on this young pitching. As you get invested, it does get hard to watch them fail. I want Kowar to succeed, and hopefully he figures it out. But man, he was awful this year at the big league level. In the end, it may mean nothing so that's the good news.
Hey, like I said to Clark, better late than never! Thank you for subbing and reading! Yep, getting invested is the Michael Scott meme of there being no question that I'm ready to get hurt again haha.
Thank you David, your articles were a great way to help enjoy the Royals this year. As you search for winter article topics, I am hoping that you will have one for spring training attendees (I have never been but plan to go), in terms of good places to stay/eat, attendance habits, etc. I did not think I was hearing correctly when my wonderful wife, out of the blue, not only asked if I wanted to go next spring, but then looked up the schedule to find a possible 10 and 6 game stretch to go. Wow! Secondly, I am hoping that you will do/update the "musical chairs" position watch over the winter, whether based on real info, gleaning from tidbits, or just fun guessing. As I currently see it, the only (fairly?) sure starters on Opening Day will be Salvy at catcher and Taylor in CF. But, thankfully, this is only good news as, instead of having just one above average and one average (or slightly below average) starter, we instead have a very fun game of who goes where. I am guessing Benny in LF, that we will extend or arbitrate him but, after that, my oh my - I think, with one exception in which I know the position but not the player (Santana or Pratto at 1B), that we have 5 above average or potentially above average players (Whit, Nicky, Mondesi, Witt, MJ) and 5 positions for them, with the guessing game of who gets SS,2B,3B,RF,DH. Fun! Like having possible Christmas mornings over not just the 12 days of Christmas, but over how ever many days it is from now to the beginning of spring training. I hope that you and all of your readers have a great offseason!
Glad you're here, Steve! I will definitely write about Spring Training beyond baseball. When I head down in March, it'll be my first time in three years, but absolutely my favorite trip every year when I actually go. And since it'll have been three years, it'll be all about my favorite restaurants for eating, so it'll be a good primer for me to remember which to prioritize!
You're right. It'll definitely be a game of musical chairs and I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do it! So there'll be plenty of that too.
If you're there to experience the Phoenix area and are just planning on going to Royals games, I'd stay in Scottsdale. It's a bit of a drive to Surprise, but they won't be there every day anyway and there's just not much beyond chain restaurants and stuff there. Scottsdale is more fun. Or Tempe if you're looking for more of a college town vibe. But if you're planning on going to the back fields every morning and staying after for autographs or hitting another team's game, I'd stay in Surprise because you'll be so much closer.
But the best restaurants are almost all in Scottsdale and that's where the best stuff to do is too, so that's what I'd recommend.
Like all the others David, I have really enjoyed your newsletter each morning. I also was late to the party, about six weeks ago or so. I slept late this morning so am just now reading this morning. I especially enjoy your pitching breakdowns and graphs and live videos. I will be intrigued this winter about how 2B, RF, and 1B shakes out next year and who gets traded this winter. What they do with Mondesi also interests me. Good luck on your move coming up. I look forward to reading you all winter and can't wait for 2022 season.
This newsletter has been a daily must read since I started my subscription. I look forward to your thoughts during the off-season. One question—did the Royals lead MLB in first-inning runs allowed this season, and if so did they approach any records?
Thanks again for your excellent coverage. I also enjoy your interviews on 810. Good luck with your move.
Thank you for the kind words, Mark! The Royals were actually second in first inning runs, one behind the Diamondbacks. No real surprise that six of the 10 best teams in the first inning were playoff teams, two more were .500+ and one of the others was the Tigers, who were actually pretty good after early May.
This was a really fun Royals season (I know, 74-88, but I still enjoyed it), and Inside the Crown made it even better every morning. I appreciate your dedication to it. May the Offseason Baseball Gods bless Brady with a third pitch, Kowar with better command, and Bobby Witt Jr. with a lifetime contract forever and ever amen.
Why stop there? How about MJ with the ability to play everywhere and still hit? Or Benintendi and Dozier's bats to think it's September all year? I feel like you're really leaving things on the table! Thanks for helping to make this community great this year, Kevin!
Thank you for the newsletter. I enjoy reading it. Thank You for doing the radio interview with Art H in Springfield. Enjoyed hearing you. When will the pitching coach be reassigned other organizational duties?
Thanks for reading, Dean! It was fun chatting with Art last week. As for Cal, I imagine we’ll hear something on him (and maybe Bradshaw) this week one way or another.
I wake up every morning just waiting to read your articles. You provide such great analysis and I appreciate how you praise players when they have done well and you are critical of them when it's needed. Plus your insight of the Royals is much better than and national writer. I hate that I won't be able to read your articles daily anymore. I look forward to your articles through out the off-season. If you have any other articles that you write please post them somewhere so it's easy for all of us to find. Thank you for a great season!!!
Thanks for the newsletter, David. Though late to the party, I have enjoyed it, and been impressed with your thoughts and information. Looking forward to what you have for the off-season. Highs and lows this year for sure; from Salvy's incredible season to Mondi's disappearance. There are many intriguing things to look forward to for next year. The plethora of young pitching. The emergence of Nicky Lopez. Maybe a Dozier bounce-back. Free agent signings or trade. And of course, the ongoing Mondesi mystery. Aside from the young pitching, the other thing that has me excited is how much talk there has been lately about a very nice problem: too many players to fit into nine line-up spots. Pratto and even Pasquantino pushing Santana at first. Witt, Mondi, Lopez, Merrifield, Dozier, Melendez, Isbel, Olivares and others...fighting for about four positions on the field. What a terrific problem to have, when players actually win spots instead of playing by default.
Thanks for reading, Clark! Better late than never! There is so much to consider this winter. It's a much more interesting winter than we've had in awhile here in Kansas City, so I'm excited to dig in.
Thank you for your dedication and insights all year here and weekly with Soren Petro on 810. Looking forward to what this off-season brings. Hopefully, the trade that hurts so good.
Appreciate you reading and listening! Whenever that trade happens, I'll break it down here!
Agree with Clark. Thanks for the newsletter this year David! I'm sure it it quite the time commitment but I do enjoy it even though I was late to the party as well. I will say on this young pitching. As you get invested, it does get hard to watch them fail. I want Kowar to succeed, and hopefully he figures it out. But man, he was awful this year at the big league level. In the end, it may mean nothing so that's the good news.
Hey, like I said to Clark, better late than never! Thank you for subbing and reading! Yep, getting invested is the Michael Scott meme of there being no question that I'm ready to get hurt again haha.
Thank you David, your articles were a great way to help enjoy the Royals this year. As you search for winter article topics, I am hoping that you will have one for spring training attendees (I have never been but plan to go), in terms of good places to stay/eat, attendance habits, etc. I did not think I was hearing correctly when my wonderful wife, out of the blue, not only asked if I wanted to go next spring, but then looked up the schedule to find a possible 10 and 6 game stretch to go. Wow! Secondly, I am hoping that you will do/update the "musical chairs" position watch over the winter, whether based on real info, gleaning from tidbits, or just fun guessing. As I currently see it, the only (fairly?) sure starters on Opening Day will be Salvy at catcher and Taylor in CF. But, thankfully, this is only good news as, instead of having just one above average and one average (or slightly below average) starter, we instead have a very fun game of who goes where. I am guessing Benny in LF, that we will extend or arbitrate him but, after that, my oh my - I think, with one exception in which I know the position but not the player (Santana or Pratto at 1B), that we have 5 above average or potentially above average players (Whit, Nicky, Mondesi, Witt, MJ) and 5 positions for them, with the guessing game of who gets SS,2B,3B,RF,DH. Fun! Like having possible Christmas mornings over not just the 12 days of Christmas, but over how ever many days it is from now to the beginning of spring training. I hope that you and all of your readers have a great offseason!
Glad you're here, Steve! I will definitely write about Spring Training beyond baseball. When I head down in March, it'll be my first time in three years, but absolutely my favorite trip every year when I actually go. And since it'll have been three years, it'll be all about my favorite restaurants for eating, so it'll be a good primer for me to remember which to prioritize!
You're right. It'll definitely be a game of musical chairs and I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do it! So there'll be plenty of that too.
Thank you, David. Any quick pointers on best place to stay would be most appreciated, as it is never too soon to make a cancellable reservation :).
If you're there to experience the Phoenix area and are just planning on going to Royals games, I'd stay in Scottsdale. It's a bit of a drive to Surprise, but they won't be there every day anyway and there's just not much beyond chain restaurants and stuff there. Scottsdale is more fun. Or Tempe if you're looking for more of a college town vibe. But if you're planning on going to the back fields every morning and staying after for autographs or hitting another team's game, I'd stay in Surprise because you'll be so much closer.
But the best restaurants are almost all in Scottsdale and that's where the best stuff to do is too, so that's what I'd recommend.
Thanks for all your hard work this year, David! I've enjoyed it immensely, as always.
You're my inspiration, Darin! Thanks for the kind words and support!
You're welcome! You might need better inspiration, though. :)
Like all the others David, I have really enjoyed your newsletter each morning. I also was late to the party, about six weeks ago or so. I slept late this morning so am just now reading this morning. I especially enjoy your pitching breakdowns and graphs and live videos. I will be intrigued this winter about how 2B, RF, and 1B shakes out next year and who gets traded this winter. What they do with Mondesi also interests me. Good luck on your move coming up. I look forward to reading you all winter and can't wait for 2022 season.
Thanks so much for reading, Paul! There is so much to talk about still that there'll definitely be a lot going on here all winter!
This newsletter has been a daily must read since I started my subscription. I look forward to your thoughts during the off-season. One question—did the Royals lead MLB in first-inning runs allowed this season, and if so did they approach any records?
Thanks again for your excellent coverage. I also enjoy your interviews on 810. Good luck with your move.
Thank you for the kind words, Mark! The Royals were actually second in first inning runs, one behind the Diamondbacks. No real surprise that six of the 10 best teams in the first inning were playoff teams, two more were .500+ and one of the others was the Tigers, who were actually pretty good after early May.
This was a really fun Royals season (I know, 74-88, but I still enjoyed it), and Inside the Crown made it even better every morning. I appreciate your dedication to it. May the Offseason Baseball Gods bless Brady with a third pitch, Kowar with better command, and Bobby Witt Jr. with a lifetime contract forever and ever amen.
Why stop there? How about MJ with the ability to play everywhere and still hit? Or Benintendi and Dozier's bats to think it's September all year? I feel like you're really leaving things on the table! Thanks for helping to make this community great this year, Kevin!
Postseason picks. Go...
Tune in tomorrow!
Thank you for the newsletter. I enjoy reading it. Thank You for doing the radio interview with Art H in Springfield. Enjoyed hearing you. When will the pitching coach be reassigned other organizational duties?
Thanks for reading, Dean! It was fun chatting with Art last week. As for Cal, I imagine we’ll hear something on him (and maybe Bradshaw) this week one way or another.
Really wish I had subscribed sooner! Love reading your thoughts on stuff.
I'm just glad you're here now, Conner!
I wake up every morning just waiting to read your articles. You provide such great analysis and I appreciate how you praise players when they have done well and you are critical of them when it's needed. Plus your insight of the Royals is much better than and national writer. I hate that I won't be able to read your articles daily anymore. I look forward to your articles through out the off-season. If you have any other articles that you write please post them somewhere so it's easy for all of us to find. Thank you for a great season!!!
Thank you, Ryan! But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. That three days a week is a minimum for most weeks, so you'll still get plenty here!