Former KC pitcher Peter Moylan on AL Central race: ‘Don’t sleep on my Royals’
Peter Moylan made a positive impact on the Royals during his two-year stint in Kansas City, both on and off the field.
While pitching in relief for the Royals in 2016-17, Moylan had a 3.46 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 104 innings pitched. In the clubhouse, Moylan kept his teammates caffeinated with his “Sledge-iatto” drink, crafted on his personal espresso machine.
Although Moylan retired following the 2018 season, he remains busy. He recently was hired as manager of the Melbourne Aces, a professional baseball team in his native Australia. Moylan also works on Bally Sports South’s pregame show before each Atlanta Braves game.
Moylan is co-host of the “Farm to Fame” podcast with Kelsey Wingert, and the duo recent discussed the Royals strong start to the season. They are atop the American League Central with a 9-6 record, and Moylan said it’s not a fluke.
“The Royals are good,” Moylan said in the episode. “I spoke to (Royals second baseman) Whit Merrifield during spring training and Whit told me, ‘Don’t tell anyone, but we’re gonna score some runs,’ so he wasn’t lying. This offense is potent, they’ve got some guys in the back end of the bullpen that can show up. Wade Davis and Greg Holland are probably a couple of years past their prime, but they’re still going to be able to get it done.
“And that’s if they can pitch, I think they’re really going to hit. And that Central is up for grabs. Everybody talks about the White Sox, everybody talks about the Indians, but don’t sleep on my Royals.”
Wingert asked if Moylan really believed the Royals could win the division.
“Without question,” Moylan said. “I’m not saying it’s going to be pretty and I’m not saying they’re gonna win the Cy Young, but I am saying that they are going to shock some teams, and they are definitely going to put a little bit of fear into someone like the White Sox.”
Moylan also said he’s impressed with rookie outfielder Kyle Isbel, who is batting .290 with five runs scored in 10 games.
“Everybody on the Royals are talking about Bobby Witt Jr., but this kid is someone who you’re going to have to worry about for years to come, too,” Moylan said.
Here is a clip from the episode:
You can listen to the entire episode here.
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 11:42 AM.
