Royals must consider taking training wheels off of top pitching prospects this spring
Along with the monotonously repetitive grind of spring training, albeit sun-drenched and under seemingly never-ending baby blue skies, Kansas City Royals camp will feature an added measure of intrigue and suspense courtesy of its starting pitching rotation.
Four of the five designated spots in the traditional rotation will be fairly well spoken for when pitchers and catchers report Feb. 11 in Surprise, Arizona. Veteran left-handers Danny Duffy and Mike Montgomery will join a pair of right-handed 20-somethings who’ve endured their share of growing pains in Brad Keller (24) and Jakob Junis (27).
“We’re going to have to rely on somebody right now to step up in that fifth starter role,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said last week at FanFest.
The question of who will round out this quintet, important in itself, looms larger because of the ramifications it potentially has on the development plans of some of the organization’s top prospects.
“I’m not completely comfortable with our starting pitching depth,” Moore said. “It’s as much supply and demand as it is anything else within the industry.
“We do feel and recognize that we have a lot of really talented young starting pitchers on the horizon, so we don’t want to get in the way of their advancement. But at the same time we’re making kind of an advanced decision that a lot of those guys are going to start the year in the minor leagues.”
Must the Royals delve into a pool of prospects who’ve not pitched above the Double-A level in the minors?
The Royals believe Glenn Sparkman and Jorge Lopez, who each had stints in the rotation last season, are best suited for the bullpen, as well as hard-throwing Jesse Hahn.
Last season basically served as a lost year for left-hander Eric Skoglund after he served a 80-game PED suspension and then made just six appearances, including four starts, in the majors. He posted a 9.00 ERA while opponents batted over .300 against him.
Heath Fillmyer, who cleared waivers after having been designated for assignment last week, struggled in three starts last season (10.50 ERA, .346 opponent batting average) though he pitched through a shoulder ailment early in the season.
The real crux of the quandary about the fifth spot deals with the fact that the Royals have invested so much of their time and resources in recent years in evaluating, acquiring and developing high-level pitching talent, but much of it is viewed as not quite ready.
Moore alluded to the fact that their top prospects, many of whom will be in big-league camp, are expected to begin this season getting seasoning in the minors.
“We have a battle plan like anybody else,” Moore said. “We have a script going into spring training of when we think a player or pitcher might be ready to make it to the major leagues. But strong organizations, healthy organizations, organizations that make good, sound decisions certainly aren’t afraid to make adjustments and be flexible in that plan.”
Waiting in the wings
Minor-league pitchers Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Jake Kalish, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, Daniel Tillo and Tyler Zuber will report to big league camp for the first time next month. Bubic, Lynch, Kowar and Singer were all drafted in the 2018 first round.
Baseball America ranked Lynch the No. 2 prospect in the club’s farm system, followed by Kowar (No. 3) and Singer (No. 4), while Bubic ranked eighth.
Singer and Kowar finished last season pitching at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where Singer earned the club’s pitcher of the year award.
Lynch, a left-hander, spent the entire year at High-A Wilmington, where he missed several starts because of elbow discomfort. Bubic, a left-hander, was chosen High-A pitcher of the year after beginning the season with Low-A Lexington.
“There’s a template in place, and first and foremost I don’t want to hurt them,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “So how can we protect them? How can we prepare them? I think one of the greatest things we can do is throw them right into spring training and make them feel like they’re a part of this team so when and if they have an opportunity to come, it’s a smooth transition.”
Patience and prudence will certainly factor into all the discussions going forward.
However, if those young pitchers demonstrate an ability to help the big league club win immediately after back-to-back 100-loss seasons, it will certainly intensify the pressure externally as well as internally to turn to the young arms sooner than later.
“I’ve heard from pretty reliable sources that they’re the real deal, that they’re all they’re made out to be,” Royals All-Star infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield said. “We’re ready for them. We’re ready to see what they can do.
“I’m hoping they’re preparing like they’re going to come to spring and fight for a job. Because that’s what we need. We need that kind of attitude. If they’re going to help us, I don’t think we’re going to hesitate to see how much they can help us.”
