Projecting KC Royals prospects: No. 2, Brady Singer

Brady Singer is the KC Royals’ No. 2 prospect. When will he join the major league club and start carving out a productive MLB career?

Although baseball games may be at a standstill, for the time being, that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited about the future. Brady Singer is a key piece to the eventual return to success for the KC Royals, and for good reason.

The No. 18 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Singer entered the Royals organization after a successful career at the University of Florida. In his first minor league season, he posted a 2.85 ERA in 148.1 innings across Single-A and AA. He quickly settled down in Northwest Arkansas and put together a terrific nine-game stretch to close out the year, spinning a 1.96 ERA in the process.

Singer is currently the team’s second-rated prospect and checks in at No. 59 on the MLB top 100. It is expected that he joins the big league team this season. Here’s what I wrote about him a few months ago:

"“There have been rumblings that Singer could be given an opportunity to compete during spring training and possibly even make the Opening Day roster. While that’s far from a lock, it’s a testament to how advanced he is for his age. College pitchers naturally spend less time in the minors than high school prospects, so it would make sense for a polished arm like Singer’s to debut at some point during the 2020 campaign.”"

Singer did indeed play in spring training. While an ERA of 4.76 isn’t great, he did have much better moments than the numbers would indicate. Whenever the season resumes, Singer will likely join the team shortly thereafter. Let’s discuss some possible scenarios for him.

Best outcome:

Once the 2020 MLB regular season begins, so does Singer’s time with the KC Royals. He takes the No. 5 starter spot in the rotation and never looks back. After working through one of the best rookie seasons in the league, he shoots up the depth chart and becomes the team ace by the end of the 2020 season. He cements his status as one of the better starting pitchers in the league for the next decade en route to multiple All-Star berths.

Worst outcome:

Singer either gets shell-shocked in the MLB or struggles out of the gate in the minors. It stunts his development and he’s forced to spend most — or all — of 2020 in AAA honing his craft. He comes back up in 2021 and is solid, but not nearly as good as everyone had hoped. He rounds out the back half of the rotation for years to come. This still presents tremendous value, though, which is a testament to Singer’s high floor as a prospect.

Most likely outcome:

Because he’s about as close to a sure thing as a pitching prospect can get, it’d be foolish to anticipate Singer failing. He’s going to be a solid starting pitcher, no matter what. How much better he gets will be up to him. In this scenario, Singer experiences a few growing pains in his rookie season but improves down the stretch and provides a ton of hope for the future. He cashes in on that potential and eventually headlines the rotation along with some draft-classmates.

Brady Singer is an exciting player. He’s fiercely competitive and wise beyond his years for a starting pitcher. It’s going to be fun watching him at Kauffman Stadium soon.