Lee Judge
The Kansas City Star
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Past articles by Lee:
The Royals and the need for confidence, or why Ned Yost and Dayton Moore remain upbeat
Talk to big-league ballplayers and they’ll tell you confidence — or the lack of it — can determine the outcome of a confrontation. → Read More
Not keen on baseball metrics? There are other ways to see if a guy plays sound defense
If baseball fans can’t trust defensive numbers, or metrics, what should they look for, and how should they rate a player’s defense? → Read More
Not bad for a summer job, but are baseball’s ‘advanced defensive metrics’ accurate?
Math anxiety, laziness and lack of attention to detail make us susceptible to loan officers, used car salesmen and the people who come up with advanced baseball metrics. → Read More
When it comes to Royals baseball, God — and winning — is in the details
Depending on which source of inaccurate Internet information you subscribe to, “God is in the details” was said by Gustave Flaubert, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe or Groucho Marx. This saying can apply to the Kansas City Royals. → Read More
What the Royals are doing well (stop laughing), and where they need to improve
Uf you want to know how and why the Kansas City Royals are a mile under .500 and what needs to improve, you might want a bit more information. Here’s what they’re doing well, and what they’re doing poorly. → Read More
Baseball’s ‘fourth true outcome’? People don’t seem to want to watch the other three
The new baseball language for walks, strikeouts and home runs is the “three true outcomes.” According to Baseball Reference, these are considered “true outcomes” because they’re the only events that do not involve the defensive team, other than the pitcher and catcher. → Read More
Ned Yost and the plight of the major-league red(bass): old-school against new-school
Red-(bass) is baseball slang for a guy with a temper. Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost said he wasn’t sure where the term originated, but he freely admitted he used to be one. → Read More
Unraveling ‘spin rate’ in baseball: How much does it really matter?
Every time the Wizards of Analytics roll out a new metric, a certain segment of fans react as if we’ve discovered the Rosetta Stone of Baseball. New stats have their place in MLB, but they’re not everything to consider when evaluating players and plays. → Read More
Keller vs. Anderson: With suspensions in, let’s interpret baseball’s unwritten rules
Here’s the problem with baseball’s unwritten rules (hello Royals’ Brad Keller, White Sox’s Tim Anderson): They’re unwritten. And that can cause problems. → Read More
Talking streaks: One continues (Royals at 10), one ends (Merrifield made it to 31)
Today we’re talking streaks. First up, the Kansas City Royals’ 10 game losing streak, a skid that’s followed wins in their first two games of the year. Then, a look at the 31-game hitting streak by Whit Merrifield. → Read More
A series of struggles: meet a Kansas City Royals bullpen in search of routine
Baseball is played pretty much every day from mid-February to early November and as a result requires and rewards consistency. It’s not what you do in one game; it’s what you do in 162. → Read More
Who’s the fastest Royals player? It depends on how you measure speed
The Kansas City Royals have plenty of candidates for the title of Fastest Player On The Club: Terrance Gore, Billy Hamilton, Adalberto Mondesi and last year’s stolen base champion, Whit Merrifield immediately come to mind. → Read More
The Royals’ opener approaches: Here’s what we don’t know and why we shouldn’t know it
It’s become an annual rite of spring for reporters to ask Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost questions about the team and for Yost to say it’s far too early to answer those questions. → Read More
Opening day is nearing. Will the 2019 Royals stick to the game plan?
In 2014 and 2015, the Royals were known for speed, defense and a great bullpen. Some thought they got off track in 2018 when they signed free agents Jon Jay, Lucas Duda, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar. → Read More
Ain’t broke, don’t ‘fix’ it: Major League Baseball is about to make the game worse
Major League Baseball is testing out some new rules in an independent league back east. If they like what they see during this trial run, they could soon be implemented at a park near you, including the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium. → Read More
Royals fans got talent? The story behind the national anthem at Kauffman Stadium
Every year the Royals have to find 81 people to perform the National Anthem and an unspecified number to perform God Bless America. → Read More
Why the Kansas City Royals are signing players you don’t really care much about
The Kansas City Royals reached the World Series twice thanks in part of a supporting cast of players whose signings, at the time, seemed pretty pedestrian. → Read More
Royals spring training: the high times and ‘wild nightlife’ of baseball’s preseason
With social media increasingly everpresent in our lives, including at spring training in Surprise, Arizona, the Kansas City Royals’ big-league ball players try to limit the chances their faces could wind up viral for the wrong reasons. → Read More
What today’s Kansas City Chiefs fans can learn from the success of the 2014-15 Royals
Kansas City Chiefs fans might be worried about the team’s playoff history, but read Star columnist Sam Mellinger’s recent article on Patrick Mahomes and it doesn’t sound like he’s feeling haunted by the Chiefs’ past playoff failures. → Read More
Before we get to 2019, did Joe Buck ruin the World Series? Or was it analytics?
Whether or not you like Fox’s Joe Buck and his co-broadcaster, John Smoltz, is a matter of opinion. But here are a few things about the 2018 World Series that we know for sure. → Read More