Jaylon Thompson covers the reports that Alec Zumwalt is out as Royals hitting coach.
The offense struggled at key points. The Royals got off to a slow start this spring with a 22-37 record entering June. The club posted a .650 OPS in May as the offense couldn’t get into an early season rhythm.
Things started to turn around down the stretch. Rookie catcher Carter Jensen began to ascend behind the plate and Jac Caglianone tapped into his immense power. Both players won the American League Player of the Month
award.
Yet, the Royals couldn’t overcome their early strugles. It’s easy to point to down seasons from Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, among others. The trio dealt with injuries at different times, which zapped their production.
Craig Brown reacts.
What I believe this move signals is that the Royals feel there’s more to come from their offensive performance. I can’t disagree there, but the club would be better served to finding two or three productive bats from outside the org. The Picollo Era has been marked by awarding too many plate appearances to too many sub-mediocre hitters.
Zumwalt has been in the sights for a segment of this fan base for the better part of two seasons. I get it. When a team underperforms—and the Royals have certainly underperformed—there needs to be accountability. Owner John Sherman’s guy is Picollo. Picollo’s guy is Quatraro. So someone on the coaching staff needs to take the fall. Or be reassigned.
Philip Ruo at Royals Keep evaluates Royals hitters the Royals picked up last season, like Isaac Collins.
In one respect, Collins succeeded in solidifying left field. Collins accounted for 78% of the plate appearances from Royals left fielders in 2026. He also provided a noticeable improvement in offensive production with a slash line of .214/.321/.324 with an 84 wRC+ and 0.2 fWAR. However, his wRC+ and fWAR rank second-to-last and last among qualified primary left fielders. Collins was brought in for his on-base skills and plate discipline, but he saw a noticeable decline in his xwOBA from .322 in 2025 to .294 in 2026, which places him in the 15th percentile in the majors.
Dominick Williams at the Star has a photo collection of memorable Royals moments from this year.
Ben Rice hits a grand slam in a Game 1 Yankees win over the Red Sox.
The White Sox have their first postseason win in five years, defeating the Astros.
Phillies manager Don Mattingly goes to Jhoan Duran in the seventh and it backfires in a loss to the Braves.
Padres pitcher Michael King takes a no-hitter into the seventh in a win over the Cubs.
Ken Rosenthal wants reseeding after the Wild Card round for the postseason.
Why each playoff team will or won’t win the World Series.
Miami does not plan to trade pitcher Sandy Alcantara this offseason.
The Mariners want to hire an experienced manager.
The Tigers part ways with two coaches.
The Marlins fire hitting coach Pedro Guerrero.
The Twins plan to meaningfully invest in payroll and contend next year.
Athletics infielder Zach Gelof sues the Tigers for an injury he sustained at Comerica Park.
Former Royals pitcher and All-Star reliever Liam Hendriks retires.
17-year-old Mathis Albert becomes the youngest player to ever score for the US Men’s National soccer team.
The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx fall to the New York Liberty in the WNBA playoffs.
The Senate overwhelmingly passes the Protect College Sports Act.
AI actress “Tilly Norwood” glitches and suddenly speaks Chinese in a live TV interview.
The Game of Thrones movie will come out in 2029.
Your song of the day is Goth Babe with Moments/Tides.
