BREAKING NEWS: I finalized today’s post about 7:00 last night. Settled down to watch TV. Scrolled my Bluesky feed later in the evening and got this:
So, when you read the post below, factor in that Jac Caglianone will be in the Royals lineup when they play the Cardinals Tuesday night in St. Louis.
The First 60 Games: The Royals have now played 60 games of their 162-game schedule. It’s been a little uneven.
First 20 Games: 8-12
Second 20 Games: 16-4
Third 20 Games: 7-13
Season to date: 31-29.
The Good (Pitching): Last year, the strategy was to spend money on good pitchers who would keep the games close enough for an adequate offense to score enough runs to win. It worked! The staff ERA was 3.76, and the Royals went 86-76 and made the playoffs.
The same strategy is in place this year, and the pitching is even better. ERA to date is 3.13.
The Average (Defense): This is the most difficult to measure, but the Royals are in the middle of the pack (e.g., Fielding Bible rankings here).
The Bad (Hitting): Runs per game. In 2024, the Royals scored an average of 4.54 runs/game. In 2025, it has been 3.23. Ouch.
Home runs. In 2024, 170 home runs. In 2025, 34 so far, dead last in MLB. At this pace, the Royals won’t hit 100 homers this season.
Hitting with men in scoring position. In 2024, led the American League. In 2025, near the bottom.
The Ugly (Running): If it feels like the Royals are running into a lot of outs, it’s because that’s true. In 2024, they stole 134 bases and were caught stealing 31 times. This year, 47 steals and caught 21 times. For some perspective, Tampa Bay has 82 steals this year and has been caught stealing 17 times. The key difference is Mikael Garcia who last year was successful 37 times in 39 attempts. This year, he has 10 steals but leads the league in being caught (7).
The Chart: In team stats at this link in Baseball Reference, one of the tables is “Wins Above Average,” which ranks overall performance and breaks that down by position. Under this metric, the Royals pitching staff is the second best in baseball. The batters come in at #28 of the 30 teams.
One player in the Royals lineup is in the top 10 at his position (Bobby Witt Jr., #2 at SS). Three positions are about average (1B, 3B and CF, mostly played by Pasquantino, Garcia and Isbel). The rest are at or near the bottom. Below, an instructive chart on these rankings by stats guru Jeff Nelson. Green is good, yellow is meh, and red is bad.
The Hope: The Royals needs are obvious, and I’m sure owner John Sherman and GM J. J. Picollo are looking for the elusive hard-hitting outfielder. One possibility is of course Jac Caglianone who is currently blasting long home runs in Omaha (click here). When will he be ready for the “show”?
Bobby is having a good season, but not on last year’s pace when his OPS was .977. This year to date, .822. Salvy’s year is reflected in the chart above – the Royals catching tandem of Perez/Fermin is ranked 27th.
So, the hope? Bobby, Salvy and Jonathan India return to last year’s level of play. Drew Waters continues to improve. Vinnie hits more often with men on base (he was an RBI machine last year until he got hurt). Mikael Garcia continues hitting (his OPS is higher than Bobby’s). Pitching stays strong.
And the dream. “When will you be in KC, Jac Caglianone/Our Royals nation turns its lonely eyes to you.” Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel.
102 games to go.
The Barrier: The Royals made attempts in the offseason to solve their corner outfielder problem, but they were outbid on the free agents they pursued. The payroll gap between the big and small markets is immense and not likely to change.
Below are the payroll numbers for all teams, inclusive of the luxury tax paid by high-spending teams. The Dodgers number of $482.5 million is made up of player payroll ($331.7 million) and its luxury tax bill ($150.8 million). That means the Dodgers pay more in luxury tax than the total payroll of half of MLB teams.
Giveaway Nights at the K: Rita and I recently attended a couple of games at the K that featured giveaway items.
May 17 – Replica Rings: Championship rings are a popular item. Below, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas on opening day in 2016 after receiving their rings for winning the 2015 World Series.
So, a good giveaway to draw a big crowd to the K would be replicas of the ring.
And it worked as some 36,134 fans were at the game (25,000 got rings). There was also a great turnout of the roster and front office from 2015. For the opening pitch, Wade Davis took the mound and threw to Drew Butera, the same battery that pitched/caught the final pitch of the 2015 World Series.
Below, our crew at the game flashing our 2015 replica rings. From left, Pat Titterington, Lonnie, Cheryl Dillard and Rita.
We assumed the rings would be plastic, but they are metal and heavy. Not gold and diamonds like for Hoz and Moose, but very nice. They are inscribed on the inside, just like the originals, for the three rounds of postseason play. Beating the Astros in the ALDS, the Blue Jays in the ACLS, and the Mets in the World Series.
May 27 – Pasquatch Necklace: Vinnie Pasquantino’s nickname is “Pasquatch,” a mashup of his name and the mythical Sasquatch (Bigfoot). When Vinnie gets on base in games at the K, a Sasquatch figure emerges from the Royals Hall of Fame to show his support (video here).
Vinnie embraces the name and wears a “Pasquatch” necklace. The Royals gave out copies of the necklace to the first 8,000 fans on May 27.
Attendance for the game was 17,383, so 9,383 did not get a necklace (Rita and I were in that group). There was a sighting of the Pasquatch in the 8th inning when Vinnie was hit by a pitch and took first base.
The starting pitcher for Cincinnati was former Royal Brady Singer who got the win. Below, Singer pitching to Jonathan India, one of the players Cincinnati traded to the Royals for Singer. This photo was taken through the screen from our seats behind the visitor’s dugout (thank you David).
Here’s a TV shot from the other side of that screen. The two women just above the right shoulder of the batter are Rita (in the hat) and Cheryl Downs. I am behind Rita and Joe Downs is behind Cheryl.
Home Run Trivia:
Salvy and the Bay: It’s always fun to see Salvy hit a homer, but especially cool if you also get a view of San Francisco Bay. The view is my primary reason to rate Oracle Park in San Francisco as one of the top MLB parks. Check out the view as Salvy’s homer lands in the right field stands (video here).
Home Run Derby: Each of the 10 members of the Clemente Home Run Derby pick eight players in our draft. We can make three moves during the season, to either jettison poor performers or replace injured players. Max Muncy was on my roster and hit all of one homer in the first seven weeks. So, even though Ronald Acuna was still on the injury list, I took him to replace Muncy, hoping Acuna would soon be back. After I made the move in the afternoon, Muncy hit a home run that night. Then he hit another the next day. I was already down two for my move.
Bad news, right? Maybe not. Acuna got activated a couple of weeks later, and on his first pitch after a year off, hit a home run (click here). The next day, he hit a second homer. I’m cautiously optimistic (but torn since Muncy hit three homers over the weekend).
The winner of our derby gains possession of the “Rolling Cup,” a traveling trophy mistakenly inscribed as “Rolling” instead of “Roling,” as in Steve Roling who had won the derby three years in a row. This is my segue into a heartwarming event Rita and I attended a week ago Saturday. It was a mass/renewal of vows/reception for the 50th wedding anniversary of Steve and Judi Roling (still rolling along after all these years). Congratulations Steve and Judi.
Karma at 442’: A couple of related home runs for the Royals organization this past Friday night.
(i) Bobby in KC: Bobby Witt’s homer Friday night was the 3,000th homer at Kauffman Stadium (video here). The first was hit by John Mayberry on April 19, 1973, at what was then called Royals Stadium.
(ii) Jac in Omaha: Royals phenom Jac Caglianone hit his sixth home run in just ten games since moving up to AAA Omaha (video here).
Here’s the karma part: Each of these two homers went 442 feet.
New Royals Stadium: Big day today. The Missouri legislature begins a special session that includes consideration of funding for stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs.
Kansas is still in the mix, especially with the news that a Royals affiliate has purchased the loan covering a potential Johnson County site.
As for me, and this is no surprise to Hot Stove readers, I’m still rooting for downtown. So, I liked Mayor Q’s subtle (?) post after the Memorial Day Celebration at Union Station. Sure sounds like a good plan for baseball at Washington Square Park.
Norm! (RIP): When I’m in the mood for nostalgia laughs, I rewatch episodes of Cheers (final season, 1992-1993) and Seinfeld (final season, 1997-1998). Both have great ensemble casts and superb writing. As Rita will attest, they make me laugh out loud. George Wendt who played Norm on Cheers died last month.
One of the most recognizable signature scenes in TV comedy is Norm walking into Cheers to be greeted by the bar patrons and responding with a quip (see every one of those scenes here).
This past Saturday night at the annual Big Slick fundraiser for Children’s Mercy, Wendt’s nephew Jason Sudeikis and other celebrity hosts honored Wendt by leading the crowd in singing the theme song from Cheers (video here).
Larry Brewer (RIP): Larry Charles Brewer, my friend for the last 65 years, died on May 16, 2025. He was 83. Obituary here.
I met Larry in the fall of 1959 when we started college in Rolla, Missouri, at what was then called the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (now Missouri University of Science and Technology). We pledged Sigma Nu fraternity and quickly became good friends. In our sophomore year, I set him up on a blind date with my high school classmate Diana Sullivan. They dated on and off for the next 12 (not a typo) years. After that testing and retesting, they married, and this past year celebrated 53 years together (65 if you count those first 12). Mostly, they thanked me for introducing them.
After Rita and I married in 1981, Larry and Di became our travel partners for the next four decades. We visited five continents together and cruised the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Baltic. We were often joined by Jim Graham and his partner Sandy Thompson, and we called ourselves the “Big Six.”
Larry’s son Tom recently reviewed Larry’s “journals,” an extensive set of memories Larry entered on his computer over the years. Here is how Tom summarized the entries regarding the Big Six:
“This is the story of ‘The Big Six’: Larry and Diana, Lonnie and Rita, Jim and Sandy—three couples who spent years together traveling, laughing, and celebrating life. Larry’s journals offer a vivid and heartfelt account of these enduring friendships. His reflections—scattered across decades—form a portrait of camaraderie, shared joy, world travel, and a mutual appreciation for the absurdities and sweetness of life.”
Spot on. There is too much to share to put in this Hot Stove, but I have chronicled this 65-year friendship and our travels in a tribute to Larry (click here). Lots of photos in the tribute, like this one from the Galapagos.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Larry Brewer Edition: As noted above, I met Larry in the fall of 1959, and Sigma Nu party life was energized by…
“Shout” by the Isley Brothers (1959). It was cool that the release of the greatest party song of all time coincided with our introduction to fraternity life.
“Misty” by Johnny Mathis (1959). There was of course also slow dancing at the parties, and the artist with the best “belly-rubbing” songs was Johnny Mathis. “Misty” came out in the fall of 1959, and it supplemented a fraternity playlist of Mathis songs from his early albums (“It’s Not for Me to Say,” “Chances Are,” etc.).
“The Twist” by Chubby Checker (1960). This was a huge hit in our sophomore year. Chubby Checker’s version was on the charts for 18 weeks in 1960, including a week at #1. In late 1961, the song re-entered the charts for another 21 weeks, two at #1, becoming the only record to re-enter the charts and return to #1.
Larry was proficient at dancing the Twist, not just during his fraternity years, but for the rest of his life. He and Diana danced a lot.
“Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People (1978). Larry was always more than willing to be a “Village Idiot” and go to the stage and lead the formation of letters for this song.
“Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey” by Paul McCartney (Live in KC in 1993). In 1964, the Beatles appeared at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City as part of their North American Tour. In addition to their regular setlist, they added “Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey- Hey” for the local crowd. In 1993, when Paul McCartney was on his New World Tour, he did the same thing in his performance at Arrowhead. The Big Six attended the Arrowhead concert, and Rita had the distinction of also having been at the 1964 concert.
The next four are some of Larry’s favorites.
“Rocket Man” by Elton John (1972).
“New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel (1976). Rita and I had some fun trips to New York with Larry and Di.
“Only Time” by Enya (2001).
“The Look of Love” by Diana Krall (2001). Long-time fans of Diana Krall, the Brewers lured us to the Uptown years ago to see Diana Krall in concert. Excellent.
I’m finishing with two songs already played above, but these are different versions with their own stories.
“The Twist” by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (1959). Hank Ballard was the songwriter of “The Twist,” and his version went to #28. Chubby Checker soon followed and hit #1 (twice). Still good news for Hank – he got songwriting royalties for all Chubby’s sales.
Back in the days when the Grand Emporium was a mecca for live music in KC, Rita and I went there with Di and Larry to see Hank Ballard and his Midnighters. A great night of music and dancing. We took along my copy of Rock On, Norm N. Nite’s encyclopedia of early rock ‘n’ roll, hoping to get an autograph. But the band quickly left the stage at intermission and boarded their bus out front to take their break. Undaunted, Rita and Diana boarded the bus, and Hank was happy to sign.
“Shout” by Otis Day and the Knights (in the movie Animal House, 1978). In many ways (but not all), our Sigma Nu parties were like the ones seen in the 1978 movie Animal House, including the toga party with the band playing “Shout.” To continue the parallels with the movie, we were placed on social probation for a semester. But not double secret probation as happened to the Deltas in the movie (click here).
Good times. Good music. Good friends.
RIP Brother Brewer.
Walk-Off Photo: Rita and Lonnie with Larry and Diana at Royals spring training in Surprise, Arizona, in 2016.
