KC Royals: Brady Singer looked good in major league debut
The KC Royals struggled in game 1, but game 2 saw the debut of a top pitching prospect and provided some hope for the future.
While it may still not seem completely real, the KC Royals are playing actual, regular season baseball. Game 1 didn’t go the way the team hoped and they were unable to get the offense going. Game 2 saw a different story though.
The offense still struggled to get points on the board, but a few players managed to help out. Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez smashed back to back home runs in the first inning to put points on the board. Cleveland answered back in a shaky third inning, but luckily the new extra inning rule played into the Royals favor as they were able to send pinch runner Brett Phillips home for the winning run.
While the back to back home runs are great, the focus of the day for the Royals should be on the pitching. A lot of positives were seen by way of the bullpen. Ian Kennedy put together 2 scoreless innings with a strikeout and Trevor Rosenthal struck-out 2 over 1 inning.
Scott Barlow seemed to be having some control issues for the second night in a row, but managed to pull everything together, walking 2, but striking out 2 over 1 inning with no runs allowed. Even better yet, Greg Holland got the save for the Royals. It’s starting to feel like old times again
Likely the most anticipated portion of the night though falls to the debut of Royals top prospect Brady Singer. Singer was drafted by the Royals in the first round of the 2018 draft out of the University of Florida, and since that moment, fans have been waiting for the young pitcher to find his way to the majors.
There had been plenty of talk, suggesting that Singer would see major league time during the 2020 season, but nothing official at first. With a 5th spot still open, and multiple pitcher having to sit due to positive COVID tests, it was obvious that Singer would see some time.
The 23 year old pitcher made it to AA ball during the 2019 season, so his jump to the majors, while not all that crazy, may be surprising to some. In his first start, though, Singer looked like he was ready for the challenge.
Singer was not perfect in the win over Cleveland, but he looked good given the circumstances. Singer managed 5 innings, allowed 2 hits and 2 runs, walked 2, and struck out 7. He only threw 80 pitches, and of those, 49 were strikes.
His command was a bit shaky at times, and he seemed to let things get away from him a bit in the third inning, but Singer always battled back. Looking as though nothing bothered him, Singer battled through any tough moment, and helped lead the way for the Royals win over the Indians.
The season should start to heat up soon as games continue to progress. With an exciting prospect like Brady Singer on the mound for the Royals, there should be plenty to watch, and some good games for fans to catch during the 2020 season.