Sports Illustrated’s Trey Donovan looks at an “odd season” from Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr..
2026 was a season that saw BWJ’s overall profile change very little as he was still elite in most categories. The biggest change for him came in his walk rate as he put together a career best 10.6% walk rate. His batted ball profile saw little change from 2025 to 2026, and the biggest changes in his plate discipline profile were he swung a little less, mainly due to the fact he saw 44.4% of pitches
in the strike zone.
He also didn’t regress in terms of the expected numbers, hard hit rate, barrel rate, and average exit velocity. For most of those, he still ranked in the 90th or better percentile in the expected numbers, hard hit rate, and average exit velo, while still maintaining a 76th percentile barrel rate. In fact, looking at his Savant page, he pretty much stayed in the same percentiles across the board, while improving his walk rate. His ISO took a dip to .159 despite having this profile and he really didn’t get the power going consistently.
BWJ 2026 boils down to the expected results never truly lining up with the actual results. His expected batting average was .302 (100th percentile), expected slugging was .504 (96th percentile), and xwOBA was .378 (96th percentile). Now, expected results aren’t the end all be all, but the correct process was always in place for him in 2026. He hit the ball hard and often, drew more walks than usual, and not much in his profile changed. The only thing that didn’t go right was the final result.
No one is safe from Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, even Temu.
Got the Temu app on your phone? Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has a message: delete it.
Hanaway sued Temu, the China-based shopping app many Kansas City shoppers use for cheap deals. The lawsuit says Temu priced items and collected users’ data without their knowledge and claims that data may have ended up with the Chinese government.
“My advice to all Missourians is to delete this app. Temu lied to you, stole your data, packaged it up, and potentially delivered it to the CCP,” Hanaway said. “Our office will continue to crack down on illegal operations that intentionally harm Missouri consumers through deception and unlawful business practices. We will fight to protect Missourians’ privacy and to secure restitution for those victimized by Temu.”
Kansas City Star’s Pete Grathoff looks at the lesser-known Kansas City-area native in the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching plans this postseason.
Any rooting guide for Royals fans in the MLB playoffs is likely going to begin with whoever is playing the Yankees. But there is good reason to be supporting the Milwaukee Brewers beyond the kinship of small-market teams. The Brewers have a pair of former Kansas City-area high school pitchers on their staff. Most know about Jacob Misiorowski, the likely Cy Young winner who grew up in Grain Valley, and still returns to the city (and its trading card shop) during the offseason. Lesser known is the man who got the save Monday night in Milwaukee’s 7-4 win over the Dodgers as the Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series. That was Aaron Ashby, the former Park Hill High School star.
What should Vinnie Pasquantino do in the Royals’ fantasy football league?
Kings of Kaufman’s Brian Burrows looks atIan Happ as a possible addition to the Royals outfield this offseason.
Though Happ’s his batting average through his first 10 seasons is 20 points lower, his on-base percentage is almost the same, and his slugging percentage is 10 points higher, resulting in very similar OPS numbers (.783 for Happ and .774 for Gordon). Gordon has beaten Happ in hits by almost 200, but the Cubs’ left fielder already has more home runs in his career than Gordon ever hit.
The similarities don’t stop on offense either. Both had won four Gold Gloves in left field (Happ could still win his fifth in 2026). Gordon had a few more All-Star appearances (three to one), and a higher career bWAR and fWAR. It’s not a perfect comparison — those are hard to find — but Happ has the same steady eddy feel out in left that Gordon did.
With Happ likely headed into free agency this offseason, the Royals could finally find a solution to the problem spot they’ve had out in left since Gordon retired. Even if Happ is looking for a long-term commitment, the Royals should consider signing him to give a familiar feel to their outfield.
Royals Keep’s Kevin O’Brien looks at the Royals’ standouts from the first seven Arizona Fall League games, including a close look at Frank Mozzicato.
The most intriguing arm so far in Arizona may be Mozzicato, a former first-round pick who hasn’t been consistent in the Royals organization since being drafted in 2021. The lefty has been Rule 5 eligible and hasn’t been selected, which suggests he’s not exactly a “desired” asset in the league. That said, he showed progress in Northwest Arkansas, finishing strong in the last two months of the year with a 3.86 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 18.2 IP.
So far in Arizona, Mozzicato has struck out three batters, allowed no runs or walks, and surrendered only two hits in two innings. It’s a small sample, but the stuff has been encouraging, and he’s shown strong chase rates in the AFL.
It would be nice to see Mozzicato’s stuff play up even more, especially the four-seamer. However, his strong grades on the cutter and four-seamer show he has the potential to have a strong mix at the Major League level. While Mozzicato’s game is inconsistent, his profile feels similar to Daniel Lynch IV, who struggled as a starter but proved reliable as a reliever. He needs to prove a bit more this fall and spring, but Mozzicato has gotten off to an encouraging start in the AFL.
The Maneater’s Tamia Knowles looks at the final series for the Royals.
ESPN reports that the Seattle Mariners get the green light to interview Houston Astros manager Joe Espada for their vacant role.
FanGraphs’ Jon Becker examines the postseason performance of Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss. Ben Clemens does the same for Chicago White Sox skipper Will Venable.
Hitters are showing more success and aggression in using the ABS challenges in the postseason.
The Athletic’s Will Sammon and Sam Blum ponder if Rays manager Kevin Cash overcompensated from a notable postseason blunder in Tampa Bay’s ALCS opening loss.
Despite being a pre-spring castoff, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. has carved out a valuable role for himself.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wonders if this is how the Los Angeles Dodgers dynasty ends with NLCS struggles.
Spencer Seguin analyzes how teams should approach the rotation in the Wild Card round.
The Athletic’s Zack Meisel recounts the 2026 season for Cleveland Guardians slugger Nathaniel Lowe amid a postseason surge.
How did some Kansas City Chiefs players spend the early bye week?
Kansas City Sports Network announces partnership with UMKC Athletics.
If you are a numbers person like me, consider a submission for the NFL’s Big Data Bowl.
Speaking of numbers, I did an analysis and presentation on what tradeable draft picks could look like in MLB.
Sargento is trying to recreate the highly processed but gooey American cheese in a natural version.
Could the best version of cotton crop be found by going back to its roots?
Pope Leo XIV has part of his right lung removed following a lung cancer diagnosis.
Today’s song of the day is Lodi When by Zach Bryan, part of his upcoming EP release this Friday.
