KC Royals Claim Nick Tepesch From Dodgers

The KC Royals bolstered their AAA pitching depth by claiming 27-year-old right-handed starter Nick Tepesch off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

To make room for Tepesch on the 40-man roster, the Kansas City Royals moved Kris Medlen to the 60-day disabled list. Since Medlen has already been on the DL longer than 60 days, the move makes no difference in Medlen’s potential return later this season.

The 6’4″ 240 pound Tepesch is a control pitcher whose fastball sits between 88-92 mph and relies on his sinker to get ground balls. He lacks a “swing and miss” pitch, but might play well in front of a good defensive team with a big ballpark. So, yes, the KC Royals are a good fit for him.

Nick Tepesch first earned the call to the major leagues with the Texas Rangers in 2013, and started 39 games for the Rangers between 2013-2014. He has also made one start for the Dodgers this season. His career 4.68 ERA in 223.0 innings pitched with a mere 5.4 K/9 suggests he’s nothing more than a bottom of the rotation option in major league baseball. He does sport an acceptable 2.9 BB/9, so he gets the ball over the plate.

Tepesch is grew up in the Kansas City area and graduated from Blue Springs High School. He pitched for the Mizzouri Tigers in college before the Rangers drafted him in the 14th round in 2010. He was college teammates with major league pitchers Max Scherzer and Aaron Crow.

The fact is, adding Tepesch isn’t anything for KC Royals fans to get excited about. The only way he’d play any kind of significant role for the Kansas City Royals this season is if the team suffers a string of rotation injuries. Tepesch needs to do something rather drastic before anyone can hope he can be a significant piece of a major-league puzzle, such as developing much better command or adding new pitch.

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Until such a time, he’s little more than replacement-level organizational filler.