Brock Beauchamp

We're looking for contributors to write Royals content over the offseason! First, feel free to reach out via email at brock.beauchamp@royalskeep.com or reply to this article. Writing Articles If you’ve ever wanted an audience for your Royals takes, this is the perfect place. While we generally lean into analytics and analysis, we also take a “come as you are” approach to baseball and give writers a lot of leeway to write about the game in a way that interests them. That could manifest in historical pieces, previews, or regular series. It’s a matter of finding your niche in the fandom and carving out a space for it. Making Videos We're also looking for videographers! Most of our content is on the shorter side (3-7 minutes), though we have space for plenty of different formats and ideas. Like the writing side of the site, we usually lean into analytics, but it's not the only path we're open to exploring. It is also noteworthy that we pay our content creators. It’s certainly not enough to quit your day job. So don’t do that. However, it might be enough to show that we value your time, talent, and effort. If you know someone who might be interested in creating Royals content as a side job, please share this with them!

Every offseason, we offer our You’re The GM! tool to build your ideal Royals roster. This year, we’ve updated and streamlined the tool a bit to improve the experience. The idea behind this feature is to give fans a chance to play the role of General Manager (or CBO or PoBO… you get the idea) for their favorite team, the Kansas City Royals. It’s meant to give fans the opportunity to discuss (and, let’s be honest, argue) how they would approach the long, dark MLB offseason. This tool is intended to be informal and fun, so we’ve left it as open as possible. There is a payroll “budget” that loosely resembles the Royals' 2025 payroll, but there is no penalty for going over that number. It’s a guideline, nothing more. Second, you can submit as many blueprints as you like throughout the offseason. As the offseason landscape changes, users often return multiple times over the winter and create new blueprints. Before we get into the breakdown of the tool, you can save your blueprint and come back to it at any time. The only restriction is that you must register an account on the site to create a blueprint (so we can save a draft for you and also post the blueprint for others to discuss). Let’s get into the tool itself. It has four quadrants that work best if addressed in a counter-clockwise order (this tool works much better on a desktop due to its complexity, but it will work on mobile devices if need be). Top Left: The 26-Man Roster We have created a rough guideline for the Royals' 26-man roster today. The roster is flexible; you can add or remove players as you see fit. We’ve also included either guaranteed salaries or, in the case of arbitration and contract options, the recommendations of MLB Trade Rumors. This section is where you build your roster and make changes based on the following two sections. As you make changes to players and salaries, the total payroll number (right side of the screen) will change, allowing you to track your budget on the fly. The bottom field in both columns is for any dead money you assume during the course of your offseason. Acquiring dead money should be uncommon, but we want to give users the option to take on dead salary if it suits their purposes. Bottom Left: Arbitration & Trade Decisions Here, you will find a selection of arbitration options and internal options (usually from the 40-man roster or minor leagues) to assist in building your offseason roster. On the right-hand side of this column, you will see Trade Candidates, a list of the 40 players most likely to be traded this offseason, per MLB Trade Rumors. To help you get up to speed with these candidates, we offer a direct link to the MLBTR write-up on trade candidates. Bottom Right: Free Agents Here, you will find the top 50 free agents, again per MLB Trade Rumors. These are sorted by position to facilitate quickly finding your desired free agent and include the recommended salary for that player. Because this is a blueprint for a single year, we only include their projected salary for the coming season, not the number of years or anything else. To help you get up to speed with these free agents, we offer a direct link to the MLBTR write-up on the best 50 free agents available this winter. Top Right: Dead Money, Your Total Payroll, & Commentary The only unalterable field on the page is Dead Money; it is players to whom the team has committed money but has no reasonable way to get out of the contract. Below that, you will see the recommended budget, your current total, and the percentage you are over or under that budget. Again, keep in mind the budget is only a guideline, and you can go above it as much as you like… But defend your choices, coward! The following field is Title, which gives other users an idea of what to expect with your blueprint (e.g., Be Unreasonable, Sign Kyle Tucker!). When your blueprint posts for other users, it will read “Your Username’s 2025 Payroll Blueprint: Be Unreasonable, Sign Kyle Tucker!”. The following field is Your Comments & Explanation, a long-form field meant to type out the rationale behind your decisions. Here is the place to fully explain your trades (including which players are leaving the Royals to bring in new players), why you targeted specific free agents, and any promotions from the minors you advocate or any options you declined to extend to a specific player. This is often multiple paragraphs; you can write up as much detail as you desire. That’s it, you’re done! At this point, you can either publish your blueprint to the forums or save it for later if you feel it’s incomplete. Thank you for joining us at Royals Keep. I hope you enjoy playing the role of general manager, at least for a moment! Start Your Payroll Blueprint Now

Welcome to an all-new Royals analysis and news site! Along with launching a new forum for Royals fans, we will now provide thoughtful articles from fellow Royals fans and writers. It is all part of an ongoing effort to create a one-stop shop, a community for passionate Royals fans. So, what can you look for and expect from the front-page articles of Royals Keep? To answer that, I’d like to encourage you to click on one of our established sister sites, Brewer Fanatic, for what you might see over time from some of your favorite Royals writers. Here is what you may find over time: Deep statistical analysis on a player or topic. For those who enjoy looking into baseball's many advanced statistics, some articles may help explain team or managerial decisions, provide situational analysis, and more. Minor league articles. The plan is to have daily minor league reports on the Royals' affiliates throughout the minor league season. You will see how the teams did, how the players performed, some highlights, and more. In addition, we will provide prospect rankings and more. Player profiles on major-league players or minor league players. As relationships develop, we hope to conduct player interviews and share stories. Maybe there will be stories on current minor leaguers, big leaguers, or even former big leaguers who call Kansas City home. News articles from the day. If a player gets hurt, we will try to analyze how the front office will adjust the roster and maybe how the manager will alter lineups, rotations, roles, etc., as well as trade or free-agent analysis. Draft coverage before, during, and following the MLB Draft. Historical articles digging into some of the great (or not-so-great) Royals teams since the formation of the team in 1969. But the history of baseball in Kansas City is long and filled with interesting topics and stories. Video! In the coming days, we’ll roll out our video section, featuring short videos about the Royals' major and minor league players. We are not looking to duplicate Brewer Fanatic. We want to add to that community and provide more options for Royals fans to connect to their favorite team. The articles, much like the writers, will likely evolve, and that’s a good thing. What if I want to write for Royals Keep? That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked. First, feel free to reach out via email at brock.beauchamp@royalskeep.com or contact any of the other writers and express interest. But you will also note that the user blogs page is still there. If you’ve ever wanted an audience for your Royals takes, this is the perfect place. We will frequently monitor the blogs, and if we see quality writing and interesting topics, we may reach out to you about writing for the front page. It is also noteworthy that we will be paying our front-page article writers. It’s certainly not enough to quit your day job. So don’t do that. However, it might be enough to show that we value your time, talent, and effort. We ask that you support our writers by clicking on their articles, reading them, and leaving comments, questions, and feedback on the topics. This is just an extension of the forums and another way to enjoy following the Royals. I am seriously looking forward to knowing much more about the Royals, their farm system, and more. You can also follow Royals Keep on X, Bluesky, and Facebook.

Have you wondered where the Royals' minor league teams play? Who are their coaches? Where can you find their schedule and rosters? We have the guide for you. At Royals Keep, we would like to become a top site for Royals information, as well as for Royals minor league teams and prospects. As we grow, we will continue to grow our minor league coverage. In 2021, a new minor league alignment brought several changes across baseball. Some minor-league teams were shut down. Others were a List Of Royals Affiliate Teams (click to jump to section) Omaha Storm Chasers - AAA Northwest Arkansas Travelers - AA Quad Cities River Bandits - High A Columbia Fireflies - Low A Arizona Complex League Royals (Peoria) Dominican Summer League Royals (Boca Chica) Upon agreement, the Royals (and all other clubs) signed 10-year Player Development Agreements. Here are the Royals' affiliates, where they play, their schedules, and where you can order tickets. Triple A: Omaha Storm Chasers League: International League (West Division) Stadium: Werner Park (Capacity: 6,434 fixed seats (total capacity of 9,023 including berm and standing room only) 12356 Ballpark Way Papillion, NE 68046 Tickets: (402) 734-2550 Website: https://www.milb.com/omaha How long have they been the affiliate? There has been professional baseball in Omaha going back nearly 150 years. The Omaha Royals began in 1969. They played in the Triple-A American Association as the Royals' affiliate. The Royals needed a Triple-A affiliate that year because they were one of four MLB Expansion teams. The other new teams that season were the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, and the Seattle Pilots. Omaha played its game in the legendary Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. In 1997, the American Association disbanded. Its teams are split between the International League and the Pacific League. Omaha played in the Pacific Coast League from 1998 through 2020. During the minor league restructuring before the 2021 season, Omaha remained with the Royals. From 1969 through 2010, the team was called the Omaha Royals. However, in 1998, they began considering a new team name. Fans and the team voted to rebrand as the Omaha Golden Spikes in 1999. While the best amateur player in the country is named the Golden Spikes Award winner, the team name wasn’t baseball-related. The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1969 in Promontory Summit, Utah. That is where a golden spike was driven into the ground —the final spike that connected the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It was meant to honor the railroad tradition in Omaha, which was the headquarters of Union Pacific. In 2001, Union Pacific sold its 50-percent share of the team. Soon after, the team returned to being the Omaha Royals. In 2011, the team moved out of Rosenblatt Stadium (home of the College World Series) and into Werner Park, a new $26 million stadium. They also decided to rebrand the team again. This time, the Storm Chasers' name appears to have stuck. Fifteen seasons later, that is still the name. In 2021, with the minor league realignment, Omaha was moved to the International League. Did you know? Warren Buffett was a minority owner of the team from 1991 to 2012 2025 Coaching Staff Manager: Mike Jirschele (retired after the 2025 season after 48 years in professional baseball and 38 years in the Royals organization.) Hitting Coach: Bijan Rademacher Assistant Hitting Coach: Darin Everson Pitching Coach: Dane Johnson Assistant Pitching Coach: David Lundquist First Base Coach: Pat Osborn Radio Voice: Nick Badders 2025 Omaha Storm Chasers Roster Omaha Storm Chasers Schedule Double A: Northwest Arkansas Naturals League: Texas League (North Division) Stadium: Arvest Ballpark (Capacity: 6,500, max capacity 7,800) 3000 Gene George Blvd, Springdale, Arkansas 72762 Tickets: (479) 927-4900 Website: https://www.milb.com/northwest-arkansas How long have they been the affiliate? In 1987, the Wichita Wranglers became the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. From 1995 through 2007, the Wranglers were the affiliate of the Royals. Bob Rich Jr owned the Wranglers, but they were seeing low attendance in Wichita. In 2006, he reached out to Springdale, Arkansas, hoping to move his club there, but only if they got financing for a new stadium. A one-cent sales tax to help raise $50 million for the stadium passed in a close vote. Ultimately, it cost $33 million to build Arvest Ballpark, and the other $17 million went toward road and infrastructure improvements. There were a couple of potentially strong names for the new club in the new city and state. For instance, in an online fan poll, the #2 choice was the “Thunder Chickens.” That makes sense, as Springdale is home to Tyson Foods. In fact, each season, the team plays one game as the Thunder Chickens. Back in 1983, Rich bought the Buffalo Bisons for $100,000. Soon after, Hollywood came calling and asked Rich about filming scenes for The Natural at Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium. When the movie came out, attendance at the stadium nearly tripled for several years. The top choice by the fans was the “Naturals.” Fortunately, with the 2021 minor league realignment, the Royals' relationship with Springdale remained. 2025 Coaching Staff Manager: Brooks Conrad Pitching Coach: Larry Carter Assistant Pitching Coach: Sam Eades Hitting Coach: Andy LaRoche Assisting Hitting Coach: Chris Corbett Coach: Kevin Kuntz Radio Voice: Shawn Murnin 2025 Northwest Arkansas Naturals Roster San Antonio Missions Schedule High A: Quad Cities River Bandits League: Midwest League (East Division) Stadium: Modern Woodmen Park (Capacity: 8,500) 209 South Gaines St. Davenport, IA 52802 Tickets: (563) 324-3000 Website: https://www.milb.com/quad-cities/ Trivia: Without looking, can you name the four cities that comprise this Quad Cities locale? (Answers below) How long have they been the affiliate? Baseball has played a huge role in the Midwest, and in the Quad Cities area, there have been professional teams going back to 1879. There were several team names and league names. In 1901, the “Three-I League” started with teams from Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Over time, teams began working as affiliates for the big-league clubs. Starting in 1936, Davenport was an affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1946, they joined with the Cubs organization. In 1948, they became an affiliate of the Pirates. They became the 1950s with a couple of seasons with the Tigers, and at the end of the decade, they spent a couple of seasons with the White Sox. They began the ‘60s with the Milwaukee Braves in the newly formed Midwest League. Then the team had a little stability. In 1961, the Davenport Braves became the Quad City Braves, and the team has been “Quad City” ever since. From 1962 to 1978, they were an affiliate of the California Angels. They were with the Cubs again for six seasons, from 1979 to 1984, before returning to the Brewers from 1985 to 1992. They were with the Astros from 1993-1998, the Twins from 1999-2004, the Cardinals from 2005-2012, and the Astros again from 2013-2020. Since the restructuring of minor-league baseball in 2021, the Royals have been in the Quad Cities. What’s in a name? From 1946 to 1991, the Quad Cities team was named after their big-league affiliate. They held a “name the team” contest in 1991 and became the Quad City River Bandits. A dozen years later, another contest was held. From 2004 to 2007, the team was known as “The Swing of the Quad Cities.” A third contest was held, and they have been the River Bats ever since. Modern Woodmen Park On May 26, 1931, Municipal Stadium opened. The stadium was built for $165,000. It had light poles right from the start. In 1971, it was renamed John O’Donnell Stadium (named after a long-time sports editor at a local newspaper. In 1007, Modern Woodmen of America bought the stadium naming rights for $4.5 million. Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Stadium was designed for the likelihood of significant flooding. However, there have been four years during which flooding penetrated the stadium’s walls. The stadium has been named “the best minor league ballpark in America” in some form or another by a variety of media types, from USA Today to Baseball America and more. One reason for that is the view of the Rock Island Centennial Bridge (officially known as the Master Sergeant Stanley W Talbot Memorial Bridge) beyond the right-field wall. Over the past 20 years, they have continued to make improvements. There is an amusement park beyond the left-field wall that includes a 110-foot-tall ferris wheel, an old-fashioned carousel, bouncy houses, and more. Ah, Sugar Released in 2008, the movie Sugar was released. It was filmed between Davenport and Burlington, Iowa. It is the story of Miguel “Sugar” Santos, a young Dominican pitcher who gets the opportunity to attend spring training with the fictional Kansas City Knights. He gets assigned to the team’s Single-A team in Iowa (referred to as Bridgetown in the movie). He lives with a host family. He is one of just a couple of Dominicans on the team’s roster and faces bigotry on the field and around the community. He experiences some moments of success and becomes popular, only to face struggles and losses on the field. 2025 Coaching Staff Manager: Jesus Azuaje Pitching Coach: Derrick Lewis Assistant Pitching Coach: Clayton Mortensen Hitting Coach: Ryan Powers Assistant Hitting Coach: Kyle MacKinnon Radio Voice: Kyle Kercheval 2025 Quad Cities River Bandits Roster Quad Cities River Bandits Schedule Answer #1: Two of the four cities are in Iowa: Davenport and Bettendorf. The other two cities are in Illinois: Rock Island and Moline. The Quad City DJs, who had a hit with “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” in 1995, originated in Jacksonville, Florida. Not in the Midwest. Low A: Columbia Fireflies League: California League (South Division) Stadium: Segra Park (Capacity: 7,501 seating, up to 10,000 for sporting events) 1640 Freed St. Columbia, SC 29201 Tickets: (803) 726-4487 Website: https://www.milb.com/columbia How long have they been the affiliate? Columbia first had a pro baseball team in 1892, when the Columbia Senators. They lasted just one season. In 1904, they tried again, this time as the Columbia Skyscrapers. Over the next 57 seasons, they fielded a team in the South Atlantic League under various names. Following the 1961 season, the team moved to Macon, Georgia. Twenty-one years later, minor-league baseball returned to the capital city of South Carolina. They were a Mets affiliate from 1983 to 1993. After the 2004 season, the team moved to Greenville, SC. In 2014, Columbia approved plans for a new stadium. The team began playing at Segra Park in 2016. While they began as an affiliate of the Mets, and they moved into the new stadium as an affiliate of the Mets, they also spent over a decade in the Cardinals organization. When minor-league baseball re-aligned before the 2021 season, the Mets moved out and the Kansas City Royals came to town. 2025 Coaching Staff Manager: David Noworyta Pitching Coach: Taylor Bloye, Julio Pimentel Hitting Coach: Ramon Castro Coach: Tripp Keister Radio Voice: John Kocsis, Jr. 2025 Columbia Fireflies Roster 2025 Columbia Fireflies Schedule Complex League: Arizona Complex League (ACL) Royals League: Arizona Complex League Stadium: Surprise Stadium (capacity 10,714) 15850 N. Bullard Ave Surprise, AZ How long have they been the affiliate? The Royals began competing in the Arizona Complex League in 2003. Previously, they had been in Florida, playing in the Gulf Coast League. They had two teams in 2003, and the Royals 1 team won the league championship. Since then, the ACL Royals have fielded one team. They did not have a team in 2014, and then no one played in 2020. Since 2021, the Royals have fielded two ACL teams again, Royals Blue and Royals Gold. 2025 Coaching Staff Manager: Larry Sutton Pitching Coaches: Jesus Delgado, Christopher Marte Hitting Coaches: Wilson Betemit, Chris Nelson Assistant Hitting Coach: Joel Rivera Coach: Jesus Atencio Rehab Pitching Coach: Ken Knutson 2025 ACL Royals Roster ACL Royals Schedule Dominican Summer League: Dominican Summer League (DSL) Royals League: Dominican Summer League Stadium: Kansas City Royals Complex Boca Chica, DR How long have they been the affiliate? The Dominican Summer League began in 1985. In 1989, the Royals first had a team in the league. In 1990, they shared an affiliate with the Mets. In 1992, they teamed with the Cubs, and in 1992, they teamed with the Rockies. They were with the Cubs for just one season, but they continued with the Rockies until 1996. Since 1997, the Royals have had their own DSL team. 2025 Coaching Staffs (Ventura) Managers: Sergio de Luna Bench Coach: Quilvio Veras, Hitting Coach: Fernando Martinez Pitching Coach: Leonel Santiago First Base Coach: Onil Joseph 2025 Coaching Staffs (Fortuna) Managers: Ramon Martinez Bench Coach: Irving Falu, Hitting Coach: Rosell Herrera Pitching Coach: Jose Veras First Base Coach: Ariel Venegas 2025 DSL Royals Rosters (Ventura, Fortuna) DSL Royals Schedule (Ventura, Fortuna) Additional Player Development Staff and Coordinators Executive VP and GM: JJ Picollo VP, Baseball Operations: George Brett Director, Player Development: Mitch Maier Director, Minor League Operations: Nick Leto Assistant Director, Player Development: Kevin Howard Assistant Director, Minor League & International Operations: Kristin Lock Special Assistant to the GM/Player Development: Chino Cadahia Special Assistant to the GM/Quality Control: Rusty Kuntz Sr. Director, Pitching Performance: Paul Gibson Vice President, Player Development: Ryley Westman Assistant Director, Player Development: Mike Daly Director, Baseball Operations: Allison Luneborg International Player Development Coordinator: Vicente Cafaro Player Development Coordinator: Clinton Sewell Director of Instruction, Defense, and Baserunning: Vinny Lopez Player Plan Coordinator: Molly Meyer Special Assistant, Pitching Coordinator: James Keller Pitching Coordinator: Jose Rada Hitting Coordinator: Jonathan Mathews Hitting Advisor: Scott Coolbaugh Infield Coordinator: Danny Worth Catching Coordinator: Oswaldo Pirela Special Assistant, Baseball Operations and Player Development: Scott Servais Special Assistant, Major League Staff and Baseball Operations: Allen Craig Special Assistant, Major League Staff and Baseball Operations: AJ Ellis Special Assistant, Major League Staff and Baseball Operations: Craig Stammen Special Assistant to the General Manager: Moises Alou Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations: Glenn Hoffman Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations: Trevor Hoffman Special Assistant, Baseball Operations: Mark Loretta Special Assistant, Baseball Operations: Hideo Nomo Special Assistant, Baseball Operations: Chan Ho Park Miles Between Stadiums Kauffman Stadium Werner Park Arvest Ballpark Modern Woodmen Ballpark Segra Park Kauffman Stadium X 160 174 288 871 Werner Park 160 X 266 286 1021 Arvest Ballpark 174 266 X 392 726 Modern Woodmen Ballpark 288 286 392 X 804 Segra Park 871 1021 726 804 X Royals Top Prospects For current Royals Keep Top 20 Royals Prospects, click here.

MLB Trade Rumors recently posted a piece on why the Royals might trade starting pitching to shore up an offense that held them back in 2025. Kansas City has assembled a rotation with depth, starting with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Michael Lorenzen. Entering 2025, Wacha re-upped on a three-year deal, Lorenzen returned on a one-year pact, and Lugo and Ragans were again set to headline the staff. Behind them, several internal candidates were positioned to compete for the final spot or provide reinforcement, including Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch IV, Alec Marsh, Kyle Wright, and left-handed prospect Noah Cameron. The club has demonstrated a willingness to reallocate pitching via trade. During the 2024–25 offseason, Kansas City moved Brady Singer to Cincinnati, creating a 179 2/3-inning gap that the organization identified as coverable with the aforementioned internal options. Kansas City’s run production trailed league norms in 2025. The Royals hit .247/.309/.397 with a .307 wOBA and 159 home runs, while MLB as a whole posted .245/.315/.404 and a .313 wOBA. Expected metrics showed roughly league-average contact quality, with a .326 team xwOBA, compared to the MLB mark of .324. The lineup’s top end produced, led by Bobby Witt Jr. at .295/.351/.501 with a .360 wOBA and .377 xwOBA, and Vinnie Pasquantino at .264/.323/.475 with a .345 xwOBA. Maikel Garcia added .286/.351/.449 with a .345 xwOBA. Several regulars and role players were below the club’s on-base and slugging averages, including Salvador Perez at .236/.284/.446, Kyle Isbel at .255/.301/.353, and John Rave at .196/.283/.307. In limited time, MJ Melendez posted .083/.154/.167. The distribution of production concentrated a larger share of extra-base impact among the core, with complementary spots providing lower OBP and SLG.