Royals Reliever Has Flown 'Under The Radar,' Could 'Dominate October,' Says Report
Most would say it's already been a successful 2024 season for the Kansas City Royals. But why not get greedy?
At 82-69, the Royals have a postseason berth nearly locked up, with a four-game cushion over the rival Detroit Tigers for a Wild Card spot. It's a far cry from this time last season, when the Royals were about to lose their 100th game on their way to a last-place finish.
But although they've already defied expectations to get to this point, the Royals have to turn their focus to succeeding when the bright lights come on in October. They have plenty of talent, but they will need some unexpected contributors to step up.
One baseball writer believes he has identified one of those contributors.
On Tuesday, Mike Petriello of MLB.com named Royals reliever Kris Bubic as an "under-the-radar" bullpen arm who "could dominate October."
"Bubic’s 3.33 ERA doesn’t stand out, but the 2.18 FIP absolutely does, and 31 K's to four walks is stellar," Petriello said.
"As you'd expect from a now-healthy pitcher working in short stints out of the bullpen, the velocity is way up, from 91.7 to 93.2 MPH on his fastball, and a changeup that is now 5 MPH faster than it was three years ago. But it's this, too. It's the shelving of the curveball that didn't work, and the addition of a slider that plays better."
The Royals originally drafted Bubic out of Stanford in 2018's first round to be a starter, and that's what he was for his first four years as a big-leaguer. But he was kicked to the bullpen this season out of necessity, and that could wind up being his permanent home.
Bubic returned to the Royals in July after Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2023 season. His strikeout rate has ballooned, from a previous career mark of K/9 to 11.5 this season. He's letting it eat every single pitch, and it seems to be highly effective.
Recent baseball history is littered with former top starting pitching prospects becoming star relievers. Bubic could be the latest to follow that path, and the Royals' championship pursuits this year and in future years could benefit.
More MLB: Rangers Two-Time World Series Champ Could Price Himself Out Of Royals Negotiations
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