Luinder Avila’s rise with Royals has been fueled by All-Star teammate’s guidance
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Luinder Avila shut down the Phillies over five innings in a 5-2 Royals win.
- Wacha advised Avila to stay aggressive and trust his stuff in the zone.
- Avila owns a 5.05 ERA across 17 games and figures into Royals’ pitching plans.
Luinder Avila stood in front of his locker with confidence. The 24-year-old starter knew the best was yet to come.
On Sunday, Avila neutralized a hot-swinging Philadelphia Phillies lineup. He shut down the Phillies across five innings in the Royals’ 5-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
“You see his heartbeat on the mound,” Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney said. “He doesn’t quiver out there no matter what the situation.”
Avila successfully navigated Philadelphia’s All-Star trio of Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh. He allowed one run on three hits and registered four strikeouts.
“Respect to them, but we are in the big leagues,” Avila said via a translator. “Everybody is a star here. So I had the ball in my hand and I had to pitch, execute pitches and go get people out.”
It was an eye-raising performance. In his last four starts, Avila has allowed seven earned runs in 19 ⅔ innings. The Royals have won each game. That equates to a 3.20 ERA.
Avila is well-regarded within the organization. In spring training, Royals manager Matt Quatraro felt Avila could develop into a frontline starter. And during the World Baseball Classic, Royals catcher Salvador Perez raved about his fellow countryman.
“He is one of the best in here,” Perez said. “The stuff he has is one of the best. He just needs to throw more strikes like he did on (Sunday).”
The Royals expressed a similar sentiment. It’s why Avila has turned to Royals teammate Michael Wacha for advice.
“Ever since I got here, he took me under his wing,” Avila said. “I’m always there. I watch his bullpens and he can locate with the best of them. So I feel like if at one point I learn how to locate like he does, I’m going to do good.”
Wacha is a strong role model. The 2026 All-Star is lauded for his pristine command across 14 MLB seasons.
However, he still remembers the early days of his career. He referenced how former St. Louis Cardinals teammate Adam Wainwright was a key mentor. It was Wainwright who encouraged Wacha through the rigors of an MLB season.
Now Wacha wants to do the same.
“This is a job, but you want to see this game grow,” Wacha said. “You want to see young guys get better in this game and reach their full potential.”
Avila often chats with Wacha prior to starts. They review the pitching notes and create a game plan to work on things in bullpens and catch play.
“I feel like he does a great job of accessing his outings and kind of what went wrong, what went good and what can we build off,” Wacha said. “That’s important to continue to grow in this game.”
Wacha knows strike-throwing is important. So, he provided Avila with a few tips to operate more efficiently in the strike zone.
The biggest tip was to stay aggressive. And most importantly, Wacha felt Avila should trust his stuff against all opponents.
“I’ve fallen into those outings, you know, multiple outings in a row, where I wouldn’t say scared, but maybe timid to trust my stuff in the zone,” Wacha said. “You fall behind and then that hitter is in the driver’s seat in the box.
“So from my experience, the best case is getting ahead, and that way you are in that driver’s seat. And you can kind of go wherever you want after that.”
Avila features a five-pitch arsenal. Both his fastball and sinker can reach 96 mph while his slider registers a 34.9% whiff rate, per Baseball Savant.
This season, Avila has thrown 55.4% of first-pitch strikes. His biggest hurdle is continuing to stay ahead in counts.
“If you are throwing that at high-90s, that’s hard to cover which direction it’s going to go,” Sweeney said. “And then beyond that, you have the secondary stuff. Luinder has natural cut on his fastball, he’s got some seam-shift on his sinker that puts him in a really good spot.”
At times, Avila falls behind and it leads to increased walks. However, when he trusts his secondary pitches, Avila can be a dominant force.
“It’s about keeping their eyes looking at different spots,” Avila said. “My fastball cuts and the other one moves in on righties.”
In many ways, Wacha sees similarities to former St. Louis Cardinals teammate Carlos Martinez. The two-time All-Star posted a 3.74 ERA across nine MLB seasons. And he also made it through five years with a sub 3.00 ERA.
“Luinder is a little taller and gets a little bit more downhill than he did,” Wacha said. “But same type of electric stuff. ... When those guys are in the zone and attacking hitters, they have a lot of success.”
The Royals plan to feature Avila moving forward. He figures to have a key role as either a starter or reliever.
The club is currently without starters Cole Ragans (UCL injury) and Kris Bubic (shoulder) in the rotation. Ragans will miss the remainder of the 2026 season and Bubic is an impending free agent.
Avila has an opportunity to secure his spot. He owns a 5.05 ERA in 17 games (eight starts) across 51 ⅓ innings.
“I mean, the cool part is he’s so versatile,” Sweeney said. “He can be a starter and we’d like to continue on that path. But, you’ve seen him really good as a reliever, too. He’s got that mindset going into a game: Give them your best stuff for one inning. He understands what it takes to get through, in the future, 6-7-8-9 innings.”
Avila is next listed to start Friday in Baltimore. It will be his final start before the All-Star Break and a chance to build momentum heading into the second half.
“It’s been a lot of fun watching him go out there and see how he approaches his outings,” Wacha said. “He’s an unbelievable talent and has some really electric stuff. And (he’s got) the will to learn, too.”
