KC Royals: For Kyle Zimmer, the time to shine is now

The Royals have had a surprisingly good pitching staff this year, and their progress is helped by a long time player finally finding his way.

The KC Royals season is fully underway. While things may not be going exactly as the team and fans likely hoped, there have been a few bright spots, mostly with the pitching staff. While the offense continues to stay quiet, except for just a few games, the pitchers are doing everything they can to keep the team in range of a win, something that is not always the case in Kansas City.

Last night, everything seemed to be clicking for the Royals. In starter Brad Keller’s major league debut, along with great pitching from him and the bullpen, the offense finally woke up and provided some run support.

While the parade of hits was a welcomed sight to all who watched, one of the best performances of the night may have come from one of the relief pitchers, Kyle Zimmer.

For some, a great night for Zimmer might be a surprise or just another night for a bullpen arm. For other fans, though, a good performance from Zimmer on the mound means that everything is finally starting to come together for the former 1st round pick.

Zimmer is no new addition to the Royals organization. He was taken as the 5th overall pick in the 2012 Amateur Draft, out of the University of San Francisco by the Royals. He was coming off of a hot college season and looked like a candidate for the Royals to mold into their next big starter.

Zimmer had a good 2012 season between rookie and A ball, but saw a bit of a jump in ERA and walks when moving up to A+ and AA, nothing to be too worried about though. Unfortuatnely for Zimmer, a shoulder surgery in 2014 kept him out for most of the season and set back his chances of continuing as a starter.

He managed 64.0 innings of decent ball in A and AA during the 2015 season, but again saw a set back in 2016 when his shoulder caused problems, leading to another surgery. Zimmer made his way back in 2017, but continued to struggle and eventually saw himself out for the entire 2018 season rehabbing.

Finally, Zimmer got his chance in 2019. He was called up to the majors. Zimmer managed 18.1 innings in 2019, with an ERA of 10.80 and while he struck out 8.8 per 9 innings, he also walked 9.3 per 9.

Still, the Royals weren’t giving up. Zimmer had battled and pushed his way back to baseball through injuries and surgeries. The Royals had invested time in his progression and hoped to see the results.

Now, in 2020, it seems those results may be finding their way to the Royals bullpen. Zimmer has managed a small sample of only 8.0 innings so far in 2020, but they have been some of the most impressive innings from the Royals pitching staff.

Zimmer has an ERA of 1.13, has struck out 10 over his 8 innings, only walked 2, and has an FIP of 1.66. While there is plenty of season left, when Zimmer is on the mound, there is no doubt that the focus and motivation are present to be a star.

Zimmer has battled through injury to find his place among the Royals major league pitching staff and it looks as though 2020 may finally be his season. After years of struggle to find his way, it’s time for Zimmer to shine.

Kyle Zimmer has had a great start to the 2020 season. He looks determined to produce and motivated to put together an outstanding season.