Kansas City Royals Bullpen Battle: Spring Training Week 1

Every week this season, we will be taking a look at the relievers in the Kansas City Royals bullpen as well as a select few in the minor leagues. Each player’s performance over the last seven days will be highlighted – for better or for worse. The pitchers are broken up into four categories: potential call-ups, on the bubble, safe, and locks.

Pitchers and catchers reported to the Royals’ complex in Surprise this past Tuesday. The team has yet to play a game; nothing’s set as of now. As a result, this week we will be trying to predict the members of the Royals’ Opening Day bullpen. As camp rolls along, players could impress and work their way closer to locking up a spot on the roster. They could struggle and find their place on the team in jeopardy. Those results will be reflected here week to week.

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For the purpose of this exercise let’s assume the Royals break camp with an 8-man bullpen. The starting rotation will be made up of Danny Duffy, Ian Kennedy, Nate Karns, Jake Junis, and Jason Hammel.

Although the glory days of the Kansas City bullpen are firmly in the rear view mirror, there are still plenty of intriguing names vying for a spot on the roster. So without further ado, let’s take a look at some and try to predict where they all will fall into place heading into the 2018 season.

Potential Call-Ups

–Miguel Almonte

The 24-year-old righty was the only top-rated Royals pitching prospect not to be traded away during the team’s 2015 championship run. To this point, Almonte has been unimpressive at the major league level–giving up 9 runs, 9 walks, and four home runs in 11 games. His command is what has troubled him most often in his young career.

The good news is that Almonte put up a 1.72 ERA across 47 innings for Triple-A Omaha in 2017. His BB/9 also decreased to 2.5: his lowest figure since 2013. Although he started in over half of the games he appeared in last year, his future appears to be in the bullpen. With a strong showing in camp this spring, it is not out of the question that Almonte could snag the final bullpen spot and start to live up to his vast potential.

–Tim Hill

Hill was added to the Royals’ 40-man roster in November, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. It is clear the front office may see something in Hill, especially when considering who went unprotected. Hill is a strikeout machine with 176 Ks in 159 career minor-league innings. With the losses of Scott Alexander and Ryan Buchter, the Royals are short on left-handed relievers. Hill and his unique submarine delivery could be in the right place at the right time to grab a coveted seat in the pen.

–Kevin Lenik

Plucked from the independent leagues, Lenik is a name that has been thrown around a lot as a potential bullpen candidate. His fastball is capable of reaching the upper 90’s. If he can blow it by enough hitters this spring, Lenik could make a nice middle reliever.

–Richard Lovelady

This beloved pitching prospect has a big future ahead of him. Lovelady carved through the Carolina League to begin the 2017 season. He posted a 1.08 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, and 10.25 K/BB across his first 21 games–all with Wilmington. After being promoted to AA Northwest Arkansas, Lovelady continued to impress…just not as much.

His 2.16 ERA and 1.23 WHIP were still plenty good, but his K/BB took a big hit at 2.77. This is a pitcher that could be closing out the Royals’ next playoff win, but he may need at least one more half-season in the minors before he is fully ready.

–Andres Machado

Machado got a call late last season after rapidly climbing through the Royals’ system. He started the year off in High A and ended up in the Royals bullpen just five months later. During his brief time with the big league team, he struggled immensely. Machado gave up 9 runs in 3.2 innings with the Royals in a two-game sample. He received high praise from Dayton Moore and the front office upon his original call-up, and will more than likely receive another in 2018. It just won’t be on March 29.

–Eric Stout

The other left-hander the Royals decided to add to the 40-man roster last fall was Eric Stout. He is currently in the same boat as Tim Hill, trying to make the team as one of the few left-handed relievers in camp. Stout has been building up his resume in the minors the past couple years. He is ready to contribute now but may have to serve as depth for a while until injuries or trades open up a spot for him.

–Kyle Zimmer

If he’s healthy, he really doesn’t have much to prove in the minors. Zimmer’s clearest path to big league playing time is as a late-inning reliever. Maybe this is the year.

On the Bubble

–Kevin McCarthy

Although it went largely unnoticed, Kevin McCarthy had a very solid season for the Kansas City Royals in 2017. The second-year reliever gave up just 16 earned runs in 45 innings with the team. It’s actually a positive that McCarthy went under-the-radar last season. Middle relievers are there to quietly soak up innings, and that’s exactly what he did. He deserves a spot in the bullpen to start off the year. McCarthy still has options and with such stiff competition there is a chance he begins 2018 at AAA, but this is where he belongs.

–Brian Flynn

After being acquired by the Royals for Aaron Crow in 2014, Flynn carved out a nice role for himself in the bullpen during the 2016 season. He appeared to be a lock to make the team again in 2017 until he fell through his barn roof before Spring Training. Flynn appeared in just one game last season and isn’t fully guaranteed to make the roster because of it. Still, he’s the most experienced lefty the Royals have and that gives him an edge over some of his competition.

Safe

-Brad Keller and Burch Smith

The Royals traded for both of these pitchers after they were selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Because of this, they need to stay on the major league roster the entire season or be returned to their former teams. In a rebuilding year, neither will likely be cut in Spring Training. Keller has more of a chance long-term at becoming a back-end starter, while Smith has a big fastball that should be useful coming out of the pen. If both can hold their own against major-league hitters, they should be able to hang on for the duration of the season.

–Jesse Hahn

It would be an absolute stunner if Jesse Hahn did not break camp with the Royals. In a perfect world, he would actually break camp as the fifth starter by bumping out Jason Hammel. With that scenario unlikely, Hahn should take over the Chris Young swingman role for the 2018 Kansas City Royals. He will be the first man up if (when) a starter goes down with an injury.

Until then, he will chew up a couple of innings here and there to give the rest of the bullpen a rest. Hahn still possesses big potential and has battled injuries for much of his career. If he can stay healthy and claim a spot in the rotation, the Royals will have easily won the Brandon Moss trade.