Royals Roundup, Oct 26: Bryan's AFL Debut, Jackson's 1985 Gem, 2026 Pearson, Playoff Lessons

[Royals Keep]

Here is some of the latest Royals analysis and history from around the internet. The roundup covers Brooks Bryan's AFL performance, Danny Jackson's historic immaculate inning, Nate Pearson's 2026 season, playoff strategy, a potential trade for Jac Caglianone, and off-the-wall trade ideas with AL Central rivals.

• Coming off an injury-shortened '26, this Royals prospect is lighting up the AFL (MLB.com). Notes the strong performance of Royals catching prospect Brooks Bryan in the Arizona Fall League, highlighting his two home runs in his past two appearances, a .296 batting average, .704 slugging percentage, and his transition from first base to catcher.
• He threw the only immaculate inning in postseason history ... and didn't know until 30 years later (MLB.com). Revisits Danny Jackson's 1985 World Series immaculate inning, which he unknowingly pitched until 2015 when a trivia question revealed it; Jackson struck out three batters on nine pitches in Game 5, and the feat went unnoticed at the time.
• 2026 Royals season in review: Nate Pearson (Royals Review). Looks back at Nate Pearson's 2026 season with the Royals, noting his strong early performance (21 innings, 20 strikeouts, 0.43 ERA in first 20 outings) before a late-season decline (21.60 ERA in final six appearances), and his injury-plagued career history.
• What can the Royals learn from the playoffs? (Royals Review). Argues that the Royals should prioritize developing four competent starting pitchers and increase their trade activity, citing the success of the Rays and Brewers in using reliable starters and making impactful trades, and notes that the Royals' recent trades have been less forward-thinking compared to those teams.
• Royals could make a painful but brilliant move to build around Jac Caglianone (Kings of Kauffman). Argues the Royals should trade Vinnie Pasquantino to move Jac Caglianone to first base, citing Caglianone's offensive potential, Pasquantino's high 2027 salary, and the team's need to address pitching injuries, while noting Pasquantino's improved defense and late-2026 power surge.
• 1 off-the-wall Royals trade with each division rival that would be mutually beneficial (Kings of Kauffman). Argues that the Kansas City Royals could benefit from making unconventional trades with each AL Central rival, citing specific players such as Jac Caglianone, Riley Greene, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Michael Wacha, and potential trade targets like Taj Bradley, Zyhir Hope, Tanner Bibee, and Tristan Peters.