The World Series is tied up at one apiece, with the Dodgers winning 5-1 on Saturday night. After scoring 11 runs in game one, the Blue Jays’ offense was silenced by Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamato, who allowed only one run in a complete game effort.
Now, the series heads to Los Angeles for three games. Toronto needs to take at least one in Chavez Ravine if they hold any hope of pulling off the upset (which I’m hoping for).
While the Royals’ news has been quiet (expected for most teams during the World Series), there were a few minor Royals-related content items this week. Thus, it felt appropriate for another edition of the “Reporter Jottings” on this Chiefs-less NFL Sunday (no World Series game today).
In this edition, I will share my latest post for Just Baseball, a Royals prospect’s home run in the Arizona Fall League, and a former Royals reliever’s World Series debut with the Dodgers.
Six Royals Takeaways at Just Baseball
My latest post for Just Baseball just dropped on Sunday, as I discussed six things that Royals fans could take away from the past season.
Here’s a bit from the piece, as one of my takeaways centered on the Royals needing to acquire another bat this offseason, via trade or free agency.
Kansas City did get help at the trade deadline, with Mike Yastrzemski having the most significant impact. The former San Francisco Giant posted a 127 wRC+ and 1.3 fWAR in 50 games and 186 plate appearances with the Royals. He is a free agent to be, but the Royals may be tempted to bring him back for another season or two, especially considering his plate patience (13.4% walk rate with the Royals) and defensive versatility (can play all three outfield positions).
However, Yastrzemski can’t be the only upgrade in the outfield. They need another bat to help an offense that ranked 26th in runs scored in 2025.
Last offseason, there were rumors that Kansas City was in the hunt for free agent Anthony Santander. Could the Royals get into trade talks with the Blue Jays to acquire him from Toronto, especially since they demonstrated they could make the World Series without him? Could they also be in the hunt for Taylor Ward from the Angels, whom they’ve been tied to in the past? Or could they spend some money in free agency and convince Alex Bregman to come to Kansas City over Boston or Detroit?
If you love baseball, follow Just Baseball, especially during the World Series, as the team has been producing great content, including post-game podcasts that recap each game. I have been making the Just Baseball Podcast a daily listen, and the team has done an excellent job.
Follow Just Baseball on social media and especially subscribe to their site for great baseball content from college to the MLB Draft to prospects to the Major Leagues, all year long.
Blake Mitchell Hits First Home Run in AFL
It’s been an up-and-down campaign for Blake Mitchell in the Arizona Fall League so far. However, on Thursday, he hit his first home run, a 116.5 MPH bomb that was the hardest-hit home run of the AFL season.
In 51 plate appearances with the Surprise Saguaros, the Royals’ top prospect in the AFL is slashing .200/.451/.286 with a .737 OPS. He’s showing excellent plate discipline (85th percentile chase and zone-swing rates) and is pulling the ball well (85th percentile Pull Air%). However, he’s still struggling with contact and batted-ball consistency, as illustrated in his TJ Stats profile.
With Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone graduating as prospects (it is expected that they will be on the Opening Day roster in 2026), Mitchell should be the Royals’ top prospect next Spring. Hopefully, this home run can help him have a strong finish to the AFL campaign, which would bode well for a bounce-back in 2026 after an injury-riddled 2025.
Klein Makes World Series Debut With the Dodgers in Game One
While the Blue Jays won a laugher over the Dodgers in game one, an intriguing aspect from Los Angeles’ blowout loss was that Will Klein, a former Royals prospect and a 5th round draft pick by the Royals in the 2020 MLB Draft, got to make his World Series debut.
Klein certainly showcased his stuff in his one inning of work at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Friday night.
Klein only generated one whiff on 14 pitches, suitable for a 10% whiff rate. However, his stuff was popping, as illustrated by a 118 TJ Stuff+ mark. He also flooded the strike zone with a 71.4% zone rate, and induced good chase and unproductive contact, as illustrated by his 50% and .217 marks, respectively.
The 25-year-old righty was included in the Lucas Erceg trade with the Athletics last season. He was designated for assignment by the Athletics this offseason and picked up by the Seattle Mariners, where he primarily pitched in Triple-A Tacoma. After getting designated for assignment in late June by the Mariners, the Dodgers, flush with bullpen issues, picked him up, hoping that he could thrive in their clubhouse and pitching environment.
He pitched only 15.1 innings with the Dodgers, but he thrived in that small sample. He posted a 2.35 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 2.74 FIP with a 30% K rate. He did post a 14.3% walk rate, which deflated his K-BB% to 15.7%. However, his stuff and whiff rate remained impressive with the Dodgers this season, as seen in his TJ Stats profile.
The zone rate was low at 44.3% and he did generate as much chase as he needed to with such a low zone rate (25.9%). That said, his 107 TJ Stuff+ and 26.5% whiff rate are encouraging marks that could make him a long-term middle-relief option in the Dodgers bullpen.
Klein didn’t pitch for the Dodgers in the first three rounds of the postseason. However, after Alex Vesia went on leave due to a personal family matter, Los Angeles added him to the World Series roster. The former Eastern Illinois product is the only former Royals player represented in this World Series matchup.
Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images