Bubba Starling has left pressure behind while at Royals’ spring training

Bubba Starling has been focused and confident during spring training, not unlike past years with the Royals.

But Starling said he’s playing without pressure he’s previously put on himself as a prospect.

“The more I try to put on myself, the more I stress and go out and not do what I want to do,” said Starling, an outfielder. “I just want to have some fun out there, be a good teammate with all the guys, go from there. Hopefully good things happen.”

The Royals made Starling, the former multi-sport star at Gardner Edgerton High School, the No. 5 overall draft selection in 2011, and has worked his way through the system. He hit .269 in the minors in 2015 but the average dropped to .183 with a .534 on-base-plus-slugging percentage combined at Class AAA Omaha and Class AA Northwest Arkansas last year.

Starling quickly put the season in the rear-view mirror.

“I can’t control anything that happened last year,” he said. “It’s over with … I’m ready for this season and moving forward.”

That movement started quickly after last season. Starling went to work on his stroke immediately after the season, becoming a regular at Building Champions Academy in Overland Park.

“I started earlier than I ever started, putting in the work. Hopefully it will pay off,” Starling said.

Does a hitting slump prompt a wistful thought about football? Starling opted for a $7.5 million signing bonus over a football scholarship at Nebraska.

“Definitely not,” Starling said. “That’s why I have my family and support of my teammates and coaches.”

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Bubba Starling has left pressure behind while at Royals’ spring training."