Oakland Ballers Sign Former Kansas City Royals Draftee

The Oakland B's have added a pitcher that can be used as either a starter or a reliever

The Oakland Ballers (a.k.a B's) have announced their latest addition to the roster in right-hander Christian Cosby, a former 14th round selection of the Kansas City Royals back in 2018. 

Cosby spent 6 years in the Royals organization, getting to as high as Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2022. His best season came in 2021 when he posted a 4.15 ERA in 25 games, with 104 Ks and 23 BB in 86.2 IP. He’s even pitched in the Pioneer League before, where he won the league championship in Idaho Falls in 2019, then a Royals affiliate. He’s even pitched in the Pioneer League before, where he won the league championship in Idaho Falls in 2019, then a Royals affiliate.

In that 2021 season the righty had a 10.8 strikeouts per nine rate and was only walking 2.4 per nine. 

Cosby really struggled in a small sample size in 2022, posting a 15.51 ERA in 15 2/3 innings of work between High-A and Double-A and was ultimately released in January of 2023. 

The B's assistant general manager, Tyler Petersen, had this to say of Cosby's signing: "Christian is the kind of player that we think could perform very well for us and is someone that could attract attention based on those performances. I think we’ll see him used in a starting role but his versatility is certainly a bonus when the coaching staff is figuring out how to structure the pitching staff. With so many young players having their first taste of professional baseball coming in 2024, Christian’s veteran leadership will be very important.”

Cosby had been used as both a starter and a reliever both in college and in the Royals' system, though most of his appearances have been in relief.

The Ballers also announced that in addition to the two Pioneer League tryouts in Florida and Arizona, there will be an additional tryout locally. The details of that tryout will be revealed at a later date.