Ex-Royals top pick's odyssey continues after Mariners' latest roster move

The Kansas City Royals have seen their fair share of old friends find new homes or enter transactional limbo this offseason and Tuesday provided the latest example.

In a similar fashion to his former Royals and Mariners teammate in Samad Taylor, Jackson Kowar also found himself designated for assignment by Seattle this week.

The move comes after the Mariners needed to make space on their 40-man roster following their acquisition of depth catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Royals division rivals in Minnesota.

This marks just the latest chapter of the former Royals first-rounder failing to find his footing in the big leagues since getting his initial call to the majors years ago.

Former Royals first rounder Jackson Kowar faces another career hiccup after Seattle DFA

Since making his debut in 2021 with the Royals, Kowar has been unsuccessfully chasing the immense expectations he set for himself as a standout arm at the University of Florida.

After a series of mid-3.00s ERA showings in Kansas City's minor league ranks from 2018 to 2021, Kansas City gave him the call in 2021, and quite frankly it couldn't have gone worse.

In nine appearances, eight of which were starts, Kowar tossed to an 11.27 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and .326 BAA across 30.1 innings.

Then, the next two seasons didn't really quell the narrative that 2021 was simply year jitters. In 2022 he only managed to make seven bullpen appearances and threw to a 9.77 ERA and then in 2023, he appeared in 28.0 innings across 23 relief appearances and posted a measly 6.43 ERA.

That would mark the end of his time with the Royals, as they'd end up sending him off to Atlanta in the Kyle Wright deal. The Braves would then flip him to Seattle just a few weeks later.

Then, after a lengthy IL stint due to undergoing Tommy John Surgery, Kowar would finally make his return to the majors in 2025, sporadically appearing in the M's bullpen and posting a respectable enough 4.24 ERA across 17.0 innings of work.

While it may not be with the Mariners, his first serviceable looking showing in the big leagues could very well result in some looks around the league should he end up on the open market. His 97.3 mph average fastball velocity placed him the 90th percentile of league pitchers and his primarily relied upon fastball-slider combo atop his arsenal resulted in both pitches holding BAA marks under .240.

Still, regardless of if he gets another big league shot, the "if" in that statement reads blaringly loud, as it's safe to say that a journeyman's career is likely not what many had in mind the day he was selected 33rd overall in the draft.