Royals Rundown: A Kansas City Royals Podcast · Kansas City Royals Baseball

Royals Reset: Inside Spring Training with MLB.com's Anne Rogers

·36 min·3 clips

Anne Rogers explains why the Royals are aggressively pursuing pitchers with high chase and whiff rates this season.

This episode features Royals Rundown hosts Jake Milham and Jeremy Greco interviewing MLB.com Royals beat reporter Anne Rogers from spring training in Surprise, Arizona. Rogers provides an insider's view of camp as the team prepares for the 2026 season. She shares that the overall vibe is professional, a tone set since the 2023-24 offseason when several veterans joined the club. A key storyline is the new coaching staff, including assistant hitting coaches Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames and assistant pitching coach Mike McFerrin. The Royals recently traded for pitcher Mitch Spence, who will build up as a starter but is viewed as a swingman with valuable minor league options. Rogers notes the bullpen has been a clear target for adding more swing-and-miss, citing acquisitions like Nick Mears. New position players like Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins are fitting in well, with Collins bringing plate discipline that could factor into the leadoff hitter competition. Carter Jensen will get significant reps as the primary catcher with Salvador Perez playing in the World Baseball Classic. The fifth starter spot and several bullpen roles are open competitions, with more innings available due to WBC absences. Rogers believes the WBC experience will be a net positive for a player like prospect Jack Caglianone, who will play for Team USA. She predicts the Royals aim for a winning season and could contend for the division if everything goes right. The tone is casual and conversational, with hosts and guest sharing personal off-season stories about family and Rogers's dog, Harry. The discussion is educational for dedicated fans, blending roster analysis with camp observations. Royals fans seeking early spring training insights and roster breakdowns will love this episode. Listeners looking for game analysis or hard news might find it too preliminary.

As heard by us

A spring-training check-in that stays practical about camp observations and roster fit.

Royals Rundown stays with a spring-training sit-down with Annie Rogers, who joins live from Surprise, Arizona, and keeps the focus on a practical baseball question: what changes when a club wants more swing-and-miss?

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Why you'd press play

You want a straight spring read from Surprise, Arizona, not hot takes from the couch.

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