Royals GM Names 'Most Indispensable' Player Who Could Decide Team's Playoff Success
The Kansas City Royals are used to flying under the radar in 2024.
No one expects a team that won just 56 games the prior season to make a playoff push. But the Royals came out of the gates swinging and never looked back. Though they have played .500 baseball since mid-May, Kansas City has done enough to hold onto a playoff spot all summer.
It was clear, though, that the Royals needed reinforcements at the trade deadline, especially for their ailing bullpen. General manager J.J. Picollo delivered, and the bullpen has been just good enough ever since to keep the Royals from falling back to the pack in the American league.
One bullpen piece in particular has shined for the Royals since the trade deadline. Lucas Erceg, who was acquired from the Oakland Athletics on the day of the deadline, Jul. 30, has taken over the closer role to great effect.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic asked executives of all the playoff contenders around Major League Baseball who their "most underrated, yet indispensable" players had been throughout the season, and Picollo said Erceg had been the Royals'.
“Lucas taking over the high-leverage role in our pen has allowed others to have defined roles. He has shown that he can face the heart of a lineup in crucial situations and get the job done. Don’t know where we’d be without him," Picollo said.
Erceg was having a good season in Oakland, especially for a 29-year-old in his second big-league season. But he's taken things to a new level with the Royals. He's pitched to a 3.10 ERA with a ridiculous 1.15 FIP in 20 1/3 innings, and he's gone 8-for-10 in save opportunities.
Those numbers are good for anyone, but they're remarkable for Erceg in particular, given his peculiar career path. He played four full minor-league seasons as a third baseman in the Milwaukee Brewers organization before making the switch to pitching part-time in 2021.
Turns out, throwing 100 miles per hour is a pretty viable career path, and Erceg has ran with the opportunity ever since. Now, he hopes to help the royals run to a World Series ring.
More MLB: 'Could Shock Everyone': Are The Royals 'Real' World Series Contenders In 2024?
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org