By Adam Gardner | Aug. 10, 2026
There is something relaxing about following a sports team that has no hope for the current season.
The Kansas City Royals took 2-of-3 against the Minnesota Twins and then went 1-2 against the Chicago Cubs over the weekend to finish their most recent homestand with a balanced 3-3 record.
At no point did I stress about the results of those six games last week. Wins over the Twins made me think, “Oh, cool.” Dropping the series to the Cubs made sense because Chicago is much better than the Royals. The best thing about the weekend was Jac Caglianone, but we’ll get to that later.
It was a stress-free Sunday as we hung out with some friends and just kept tabs on the game while chilling in a swimming pool. The Royals lost, they remain in last place (by a lot) in the American League Central, and it is what it is.
I’m slowly accepting the likely conclusion that the Chicago White Sox are going to win the AL Central, which isn’t great. I like that the Royals have rivalries with the other AL Central teams but there has always been something about the White Sox that I really didn’t like.
Maybe it was because they wear black and when you’re growing up, all the kids shows have the villains dressed in black? Maybe it’s because their former broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson pushed my buttons the wrong way?
I don’t know for sure what started it, but I do know what set it in stone is when they had two fans rush the field and jump then-Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa. I know two people shouldn’t represent an entire group, but there was no coming back from that in my mind.
We’ll see if Detroit, Minnesota or Cleveland can pass the White Sox in the final weeks – I hope one of those three can do it.
Jac crushing baseballs
Jac Caglianone has his first 20-homer season in the big leagues thanks to a pair of absolute tanks on Saturday night. Cags hit a missile 448 feet in the first inning, then a moon shot that went 420 feet in the seventh inning.
Those are the things you love to see when you’re not worried about the outcome of the game.
Cags is showing off the reason the Royals drafted him so high just two years ago. I’m hoping he can go on a bit of a tear and reach 30 home runs this season. He hit 9 homers in June, so maybe he can hit a hot stretch again?
Hopefully the Royals Front Office has already started talks with Cags about extending his contract. He has the kind of power that’s hard to come by and he’s showing that he’s figuring out Major League pitching.
Jac is slashing .264/.317/.480 and has an OPS+ of 125 (league average is 100) and he doesn’t turn 24 until February. This is the type of hitter the Royals haven’t typically had in their system. I hope Cags watched the celebration for Salvador Perez setting the new franchise home run record and thought to himself that it will be his someday.
Just look at what he did at the plate on Saturday: the first player in MLB this season and the first Royals player ever to have 2 home runs and 2 doubles in the same game.
I mentioned in a post last week that the rest of this season is about who is going to prove themselves as part of the Royals future. We already knew Jac would be, but it’s fun to see him continue to develop his power.
Bobby Witt Jr. is still amazing
Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the greatest baseball players currently living. We need oxygen to breathe – I know I’m stating the obvious.
It’s just important to remind ourselves sometimes of what we’re seeing. Witt returned from the Injured List this past week and gave us a pair of 3-hit games. He also dazzled in the field and I never get tired of seeing him pull off things like this:
It’s kind of funny to see what the discourse is on social media when it comes to Witt. Some Red Sox fans were willing to trade every decent prospect they had for Witt. Now people are debating the start to Witt’s and Derek Jeter’s careers.
Jeter received 396/397 Hall of Fame votes in his first year of eligibility. This is who people are comparing Witt to.
It’s an interesting comparison because they’re different types of players. Witt has more pop in his bat, but Jeter hit for a higher average. Witt steals more bases, but Jeter was constantly in the postseason and produced on the big stage.
Jeter was a solid defensive short stop in his early years but his range dropped off. Witt’s the best defensive SS in the game and I don’t imagine he’s going to drop off any time soon as he just turned 26.
It will be more interesting to see how they stack up in another 10 years. I’m not trying to rush anything, though, because I want to savor the Bobby Witt Jr. experience.
Craig Kimbrel, come on down
I compared the Royals bullpen to a fridge after you get home from a lengthy vacation, but the Royals stopped by the store on the way home and added a little something, signing Craig Kimbrel.
Kimbrel is now on his 12th team as his career winds down and he could potentially wind up in the Hall of Fame himself. He has 440 saves in his career and was an absolute menace in late innings at his peak.
He hasn’t been effective this season at age 38, but the Royals need all the bullpen help they can get. Kimbrel now has a few weeks to show off what he can do for a potential contract next season, and the Royals will have plenty of innings to give him.
He’s pitched 33.2 innings this season and has an ERA+ of 88, below the average of 100. Maybe he can find something with the Royals? Or maybe the Royals will be a tricky answer to a trivia question in a few years when people ask “Who was the last team Craig Kimbrel pitched for?”
Tarik Skubal … again
The Los Angeles Dodgers made the splashiest trade at this season’s deadline when they swapped prospects for Detroit star pitcher, Tarik Skubal. It deserves an eye roll in one aspect because the Dodgers acquired yet another star name.
But in another aspect, I was kind of happy. Skubal now plays for a National League West team and the Royals wouldn’t have to go up against him in the division constantly. Or so I thought.
Skubal’s first home game pitching for the Dodgers is tonight, and wouldn’t you know it, the Royals are heading to Hollywood to hopefully spoil his home debut.
I’m looking forward to watching tonight’s game. It’s actually been fun watching the Royals go up against Skubal so many times and I’m interested to see Witt, Cags and Salvy face him again. Salvy, in particular, has had some interesting at bats against Skubal and the two seem to respect each other a lot.
Skubal is 5-9 against Kansas City in 19 matchups with the Royals in his career, sporting a 3.86 ERA. Those are interesting numbers considering he has a career ERA of 3.04 and has a 56-34 record against the rest of the league.
Plus it’s just the 15th time the Royals will play the Dodgers in Los Angeles, and we get to see if Noah Cameron continues his hot streak – which will be tested against a star-studded Dodgers lineup.
It’s a no-pressure situation for the Royals. LA is expected to win because of their stars, the absurd amount of money they pay their roster, and the glitz and glamour of Skubal’s first home start. But the Dodgers are 3-10 in their last 13 games and might be feeling some pressure to right the ship against the Royals.
Hopefully KC blue comes out on top of Dodger blue in tonight’s late, west-coast tilt.
