Meet The KC Star’s new Kansas City Royals beat writer. Monday’s his 1st day on the job
The Kansas City Star has hired Jaylon Thompson as its new lead beat reporter covering the Kansas City Royals.
His first day on the job at the Kauffman Stadium clubhouse and pressbox is Monday.
Thompson, 28, comes to The Star after three years at USA Today. He has previously worked as an associate reporter with MLB.com, at 247Sports/CBS Interactive, with Fox Sports Atlanta and as a reporter with the Fayette County News of Fayetteville, Georgia.
“Baseball has always been part of my life,” Thompson said. “I remember the early days on the Little League fields trying to emulate my favorite players. It’s my family’s game.”
A 2017 graduate of the University of Georgia, Thompson completed college internships with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Houston Chronicle.
And he’s not kidding when he says baseball is his family’s game.
“My uncle played in MLB and I was drawn to his stories,” Thompson said. “He told them with so much passion. There was a deep connection to the game, his teammates and the fan base. I wanted to tell those same stories and found journalism as my vehicle to do so.”
Big-league storylines abound in KC. The organization has gotten off to a rotten start in 2023 but is trying to improve its development of young pitchers while continuing to evaluate options for a possible move downtown — a massive undertaking that would involve a ballot initiative and taxpayer dollars.
“This is a team that’s won just a quarter of its games,” Star sports editor Jeff Rosen said, “but readers remain eager to know what club officials are doing to ensure a better future for the Royals. Kansas City is, and always has been, a baseball town, and we think the Royals beat will be a great match for Jaylon’s skill-set.”
Thompson said he’s eager to get started.
“I have covered baseball from the high school ranks to the World Series,” he said. “For me, the goal has remained the same: Tell stories that resonate with fans.”
