KC Royals: Brad Keller and the rest of the 2020 rotation predictions

Though they struggled in 2019, the KC Royals rotation may look similar come 2020, without any further free agent moves and breakouts in spring training.

The KC Royals and fans are starting to gear up for the 2020 season. It’s quickly approaching and players will start to report before you know it. Soon, the team and fans will get so see what previous Royals players have been working on over the offseason, and what newer players may have to offer.

There are a lot of questions that have to be answered once spring training arrives. Depending on whether or not Alex Gordon returns, the outfield will need to be solidified. The recent signing of third baseman Maikel Franco raises some questions, and first base is still up in the air.

There could be changes that come in all forms around the field and fans could see many players moving positions or at least trying out some new things. The positions that may get the most looks, though, will be the pitchers.

Pitching was one of the biggest issues for the Royals in 2019. While many of the pitchers struggled with consistency, there was also a lack of understanding roles for the first portion of the season. Though it was mainly in the bullpen, it seemed as though pitchers were never really sure what their role was, starting, relief, closing, etc.

Hopefully, in 2020, the pitching roles will be a little more concrete from the start. Adjustments can always be made as needed, but players should be able to focus on a role and not have to expect a change daily.

There is still some time left in the offseason, but if the next few months continue like typical Royals offseasons, there won’t too many more changes to the current roster. With that, let’s make some predictions at who will be in the Royals 2020 starting rotation.

One young pitcher has shown his worth to the KC Royals and is likely to find himself in the rotation for years to come.

When attempting to decide who will be in the KC Royals rotation for 2020, the first name that may come to many fans’ minds is Brad Keller. Keller was a breakout pitcher in 2018 who started his career in the bullpen but stepped up in a time of need and finished the season as a starter.

In 2018, Keller started 20 games, playing in 41, and held an ERA of 3.08. He was a lockdown for the future rotation and a breath of fresh air for a team that was struggling with pitchers. Keller is not one to strikeout out every batter, but his ability to keep the ball on the ground rivals just about anyone and his low home runs against speaks volumes as well.

Keller found his way to being the opening day starter in 2019 and blew fans away with a great game, pitching 7 innings giving up only 2 hits and striking out 5. Keller continued to pitch throughout the season, but struggled greatly with walks, causing his ERA to rise to 4.19 on the season.

While Keller struggled in some areas, he also seemed to have less run support than many other pitchers, ranking 175th in run support out of 178 pitchers who started at least 10 games.

Though Keller seemed to regress a bit in 2019, he still showed enough to be a lockdown candidate for the 2020 rotation. He is a young arm that has proven he can compete, and with continued work, he could turn into a good pitcher for years to come in the future Royals rotation.

While Jakob Junis has seen his struggles, he has proven that he has the stuff to compete, and could easily make his way back into the rotation in 2020.

Jakob Junis, like Keller, is another pitcher that is very likely to return to the rotation, though some rumors have him moving to a role in the bullpen. While there is really no telling at this point, for the moment, it looks as though he will continue his spot in the starting rotation.

Junis has been a decent, middle to back of the rotation pitcher for the Royals. One thing working in Junis’s favor is that he has been able to start 30 and 31 games over the previous two seasons, giving the Royals a starter who can at least eat some innings.

Junis is another pitcher that has seemed to regress, but can still manage to find some good work for the Royals. Junis saw his ERA jump from a 4.37 in 2018 to a 5.24 in 2019. This was likely, at least in part, due to some control issues as seen through his walk rate.

In previous years, Junis gave up just over 2 walks per 9, but that number jumped to 3 in 2019, continuing the trend seen in most of the Royals pitching staff. His strikeout rate stayed consistent, bumping up to 8.4 form 8.3 in 2019 and his FIP hit 4.82, up just a bit from his 4.64 in 2018.

There has been some talk of moving Junis to the bullpen, suggesting he is more effective on his first time through the order, but due to his ability to eat innings, it’s likely the Royals will give him another shot in the starting rotation.

If Junis continues to struggle, he may see his time as a starter cut short, but the Royals need pitchers who can consistently start instead of playing the round-robin of starting pitchers fans have seen in the past.

Mike Montgomery still has a lot to prove for the KC Royals, but his improvements at the end of 2019 give hope that he can figure it out for a rotation spot in 2020.

A third likely option for the KC Royals starting rotation in 2020 is Mike Montgomery. Montgomery, who was originally drafted by the Royals, came back to the team in a trade that saw veteran catcher Martin Maldanado off to the Chicago Cubs.

Montogomery played various roles for Chicago, seeing games as both a starter and a reliever. In 2019, he saw 20 games with the Cubs, all out of the bullpen. Montgomery became vocal about his desire to start games and felt he was at his best when he was starting. The Royals decided to give him a shot.

While he did see some struggles after coming to Kansas City, Montgomery improved in almost every aspect of his pitching from his first half of the season in Chicago, and over more than double the innings.

While in Chicago, Montgomery managed an ERA of 5.67 over 27 innings of relief, an FIP of 6.21, walks per 9 of 4.3, and a strikeouts per 9 of 6.0. In Kansas City, Montgomery started 13 games over 64 innings, held an ERA of 4.64, an FIP of 5.23, a walks per 9 of 3.0 and a strikeouts per 9 of 7.2.

While there are still some areas where he can continue to improve, the improved numbers he showed in going from reliving to starting are something that should be considered when deciding the rotation for 2020.

Montgomery proved that he could improve and that he had the stuff to be a starter. Now, with an offseason to work and spring training to prove what he has, he will likely be given the chance to start the season as a starter and become a part of the long term rotation.

While the fifth spot is a bit unknown at this point, the signing of Jesse Hahn could turn out to be a steal for the KC Royals if he can get back to his old form.

The fifth spot in the rotation for the KC Royals is ultimately a toss-up. It’s difficult to decide who might take over the spot as it seems the Royals either have relief pitchers with some shaky starts, or starters who didn’t cut it and have been moved to a relief role.

For this reason, Jesse Hahn becomes the fifth starter in this prediction. Hahn was non-tendered and became a free agent in early December, only to be resigned by the Royals a few weeks later to a club-friendly contract.

There has been mention of the Royals using Hahn in a bullpen role for 2020, but if he can show he still has what it takes in spring training, he may be on his way to the starting rotation instead.

Hahn originally came to the Royals in an offseason trade with the Oakland Athletics along with Heath Fillmyer for Ryan Buchter and Brandon Moss. Unfortunately, since he has come over in that trade, Hahn has not seen much time with the team as he has been injured and recovering from surgery.

In 2019, Hahn saw his first major league innings since being with Oakland. He was used in 6 relief appearances over 4.2 innings. His strikouts per 9 jumps out at 13.5 over this small sample, but so does his high walks per 9 at 11.6 and his ERA at 13.50.

Of course, this sample is incredibly small, but it is still concerning. The Royals obviously saw something they liked, though, leading to the team resigning him to a year contract. While Hahn has not seen the time over the last few years that some pitchers have, he has seen the time in the past as a starter.

Whether minor or major league innings, Hahn has spent the majority of his time starting games for both Oakland and San Diego. It will remain unknown what Hahn can really produce until spring training, but if he can keep the ball under control and pitch as he has in the past, he will likely be the fifth man on the Royals starting rotation for 2020.

There will always be some outliers and other options, though the Royals options still have a lot to prove if they are going to be trusted with a rotation spot.

While the rotation looks to be pretty well lined out for the KC Royals, there are a few spots that could be up for grabs though, especially if the team decides to try some pitchers in new bullpen roles. While the options the Royals have for starters are slim, there are a few pitchers on the roster that could find their way into the rotation.

Jorge Lopez

If there is any pitcher on the roster that is most likely to end up in the rotation at some point in the year it’s Jorge Lopez. Lopez has struggled greatly in this time with the Royals, but he has also shown at times that he can be incredibly effective.

He was used in a split role in 2019 seeing 39 games overall with 18 starts. His 6.33 ERA doesn’t provide a lot of confidence, but the isolated games where he is on keeps the Royals’ hopes alive with Lopez. 2019 may be a make or break season for him, but if a starter is needed or he proves himself in spring training, Lopez could find his way back to the rotation.

Glenn Sparkman

Glenn Sparkman is likely not the first name that fans would think of when deciding who to put in the starting rotation. He is likely a long shot, like Jorge Lopez, but if there is a need, the Royals have used Sparky as a starter in the past and a great deal in 2019.

He started 23 games in 2019, holding an ERA of 6.02. He held a low strikeout rate and didn’t seem to struggle with walks as bad as some pitchers, but gave up 2.0 home runs per 9. Sparkman has shown good talent, but he is likely better off in a bullpen role. Still, if needed, Sparkman is another possibility for the rotation if needed.

Stephen Woods

Stephen Woods was the Royals Rule 5 draft pick, ensuring his place on the 26 man roster for 2020. While not all Rule 5 picks work out, the Royals certainly hope Woods will help with their pitching woes.

Woods has never seen major league time but pitched well in low A ball for the Giants and Rays organizations. He has struggled some with injury but managed 86.1 innings in Single-A Plus in 2019, holding an ERA of 1.88. He has been primarily used as a starter and while he struggles with walks, he doesn’t allow a lot of home runs. While he is likely low on the list, if he impresses come spring training, Woods could find himself starting some games in 2020.

Pending the KC Royals making anymore free agent signings, the rotation seems to be pretty well laid out, at least in terms of who will be fighting for the spots. There won’t be a lot of differences in the KC pitching as of yet, so fans can only hope that some of these pitchers while finally have their year, or at least continue to progress positively.