Most improved prospects heading into 2020 for KC Royals

Drafted from Stanford in 2018, Kris Bubic was sent to Idaho Falls to close out the summer. Turning in a decent performance for a first-year professional, he really hit the gas in 2019.

Striking out 53 hitters in 38 innings is not a shabby way to begin for a career.  Kris Bubic had a large WHIP mainly due to issuing a free pass every other inning and his ERA hovered around 4.00. In 2019, though, he was dominant at two different levels.

In nine starts with the Lexington Legends, Bubic looked like a man among boys.  He held hitters to a .164 average and a WHIP of 0.88.  He also struck out 1.57 per innings while cutting the walks down to one per three frames.

A promotion to the Wilmington Blue Rocks did not slow him down at all.  In 17 starts, Bubic threw two complete games and one shutout and had a crisp 2.30 ERA.  He still struck out more batters than innings pitched and kept his WHIP around 1.00.

Not yet on the 40-man roster, Bubic received a call as a non-roster invitee to spring training. This will be a good experience and a measuring stick to see how he performs against hitters who are at the major league level or close.

Bubic did get in a B game against the Texas Rangers on the 23rd and after surrendering a leadoff home run on a 3-2 fastball, he settled down to strike out three in two innings.  Pretty much a lock to start the season in the minors it will be interesting to see if he forces his way into a call up this season although most predictions have him debuting in 2021.