4 key New Year’s Resolutions for the 2022 KC Royals

KC Royals New Year’s Resolution No. 2: Make Brady Singer use a third pitch.

This is important—so important, in fact, that the Kansas City brain trust should consider sending Brady Singer down to the minors early next season if he won’t develop and throw the changeup the club clearly wants him to utilize much more frequently than the 3.9% of the time Baseball Savant says he did in 2021.

Simply put, it appears the Royals need to get their young starting pitcher’s attention. Third pitches expand a hurler’s repertoire, keep opposing batters guessing and off balance, and give their owners an alternative when their primary pitches aren’t working. Unfortunately, Singer didn’t have an effective extra pitch when he couldn’t get handles on his sinker and slider last season, and he and the club suffered from it.

Time and room to work on and refine a third pitch without risking big league losses, not punishment, are the reasons to send Singer to Triple-A Omaha if he doesn’t begin spring training throwing his change, or another secondary pitch, much more often. Maybe Singer will report to camp with such a pitch ready to go; let’s hope so.

If not, it will be time for the club to have a serious sit-down with their potential long-term pitching star.