Welcome to Inside the Crown

Where we go...inside the crown

Thanks for joining me here on Inside the Crown. If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with my work, and I’m happy that you’re reading me in yet another spot on these here interwebs. From a random Wordpress blog I started to Pine Tar Press to BP Kansas City to Royals Review with some work at Baseball Prospectus in between, I’ve been writing about the Royals for more than a decade now.

But I’ve been a fan since birth. Which means I’ve seen some really, really, really bad baseball. Thankfully, the mid-2010s brought some really, really, really good baseball. It’s funny because the bad baseball can sometimes be easier to write about, but the good baseball is WAY more fun. Hopefully we’ll be back to the good baseball soon.

What I’m planning on doing here predominantly once the season starts on ItC is something that I’ve had a really good time with on Baseball Prospectus. Maybe you didn’t get a chance to read them because they were behind a paywall or you just didn’t care because they weren’t typically about the Royals, but the Prospectus Notebook was something I’ve loved writing. Essentially, the idea from it was to take something from the previous day’s game and really expand on it. It could be a single pitch, a single plate appearance, a single inning or really anything.

Just to give a little example, think back to the second game of the 2020 season, which was also the Royals first win. It was also their first extra innings game of the season, so it was our introduction to the runner on second to start the inning. The Royals sacrifice bunted and then Maikel Franco hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the lead run. That’s interesting, but it’s not what I would break down here. No, remember the bottom of that inning when Greg Holland started in trouble due to that runner on second and then hit the next batter. The winning run was already on base with nobody out.

In this space, I’m going to break down the bottom of that 10th inning and you’ll get it right in your inbox the next day. Holland struck out three straight hitters, and not just any three straight hitters but the top of the Indians lineup, which was basically three of the only four or five hitters in that lineup worth worrying about. It was impressive and deserved its own space. Sometimes it won’t even be that important of a play.

It might be highlighting an impressive plate appearance in the third inning of a 7-2 final. Maybe it’s a pitch sequence from Kyle Zimmer in the sixth inning of a blowout. Whatever it is, though, it’s something I really love doing.

I won’t do it every day, but I’m planning on three or four games per week just to break down something interesting from the night before. Sometimes it’ll be big events, sometimes not so much, but I think it’ll be really interesting to look at the game from that perspective. I’ll have some pieces before the season starts and hopefully I’ll see you at The K this summer. It’ll be nice to get back to going to baseball games. And then breaking them down ItC style.

Thanks again for reading, and I hope you tell your friends and we can build a fun community here.