Royals Pitching Staff Ranked No. 10 Among Postseason Contenders
Despite their recent four-game losing streak, the Kansas City Royals appear to be pointed towards the postseason. They own an 82-69 record and sit in the second American League Wild Card spot.
They have been largely carried by Bobby Witt Jr. on the offensive side. Witt has had a tremendous season and now finds himself in the MVP conversation. However, the pitching staff has been good as well.
The additions of Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo have paid off and helped them form one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. But there are some issues with the bullpen.
Stephen J. Nesbitt and Chad Jennings of The Athletic ranked every contender's pitching staff and had the Royals at No. 10, citing their rotation as a strength and their bullpen as a weakness.
"The team could use a typical four-man rotation without needing piggybacks or other postseason gimmicks. It could be one of their greatest strengths, especially if they make a deep run and rotation depth gets tested," Nesbitt and Jennings wrote. "The bullpen, though, is another story. The Royals have the fifth-worst bullpen ERA in the second half."
Obviously, the Royals have a very strong starting rotation. Wacha and Lugo were perfect compliments to Cole Ragans and Brady Singer. But the bullpen is a little bit of an issue.
If the Royals are going to make a deep run, they'll do so because of their rotation, which could carry them. But they'll need their relief corps to carry some of the load as well. They have a solid closer in Lucas Erceg but did just lose Hunter Harvey and James McArthur to the injured list.
Their depth will certainly be tested. We'll see how they fare in October.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.