Ranking the Royals’ Bullpen Arms at the Quarter-Season Mark
At this point, there is very little good news regarding the 2022 Kansas City Royals. This team's rebuild has been extended another year. Currently on yet another losing streak, the Royals are 12 games back in the American League Central. That deficit is nearly insurmountable, especially considering how early Kansas City has fallen to the division's cellar.
Dating back to recent competitive years, such as 2014 and 2015, the Royals had solid bullpens. While the 2022 bullpen does not boast pitchers like Greg Holland, Wade Davis, or Kelvin Herrera, there are still good players. Scott Barlow, Josh Staumont and Joel Payamps are solid players, but they cannot carry this bullpen alone.
Kansas City's bullpen ERA (4.67) and WHIP (1.45) are the AL's worst, and there is no statistical redemption. The bullpen ranks in the league's bottom five for most stats, including earned runs, walks and saves. The group is simply not getting it done right now.
Just like any group, there are some bullpen arms that are better than others. Today, we rank each bullpen pitcher with at least 10 innings pitched in 2022.
9: Collin Snider
Collin Snider's debut started strong as the season-opener's winning pitcher. He only allowed two hits in his first seven appearances, and he was one of the Royals' biggest surprises. Snider was not a highly regarded prospect before he made his debut, but he still proved to be a worthy member of the bullpen.
Snider's performance then fell off a cliff in May. He has surrendered seven runs on 12 hits in eight innings of work. His May ERA is 7.88, which is very far from ideal. His overall 5.51 ERA is the highest of anyone in the Royals' bullpen.
Snider still has room to grow, with an electric slider and decent changeup and fastball. At only 26 years old, Snider should figure into Kansas City's 2023 bullpen nicely, For now, though, he needs to regain his April composure and finish the season's first half strong.
8: Taylor Clarke
Taylor Clarke, like Snider, started out the season very strong. In eight April appearances, he allowed one earned run and five hits. He recorded his first save since 2019 against the Chicago White Sox on Apr. 28, capping off a strong month.
Also similar to Snider, Clarke has had an atrocious run in May. In less than seven innings of work, he has given up 15 hits and seven earned runs. With that said, he did earn his first win as a Royal and has yet to walk a batter this season. His May stats are bloated by a 12-pitch appearance on May 22, where Clarke gave up four runs on four hits.
Still, Clarke is far from a dominant pitcher. He does not pass the eye test and has a relatively low ceiling.
7: Dylan Coleman
Dylan Coleman is currently in Triple-A, but has appeared in 17 games for Kansas City this year. Coleman has logged more than 15 innings of work, with a positive April but volatile May. He only allowed one run in nine April appearances, striking out 11 while baffling the opposition with his slider-fastball combination. He looked like a key piece for Kansas City's future bullpen.
Coleman, like his predecessors, has not performed well in May. He has walked 10 batters with 10 strikeouts and allowed six runs on four hits. His pitches have largely been outside of the zone, unlike his 2021 performance.
Coleman's 12.1 K/9 is second in the bullpen, a testament to his putaway prowess. On the other hand, his 1.532 WHIP is not ideal, showing how walks hold him back.
Coleman can still bounce back, but his erratic control needs to end. Control issues have plagued these young Royals pitchers in 2022.
6: Ronald Bolaños
Ronald Bolaños may not be a shutdown reliever, but he is the best long-reliever prospect in this bullpen.
Only 25 years old, Bolaños is having his best year to date in Kansas City. His 2.81 ERA is fourth in the bullpen despite some taxing outings. Bolaños did not allow a run in April, but an abysmal May 4 game against the St. Louis Cardinals saw his numbers balloon. He allowed three runs in that outing, and five total in May.
Bolaños has mirrored former Royals starting pitcher Carlos Hernandez, as his control is erratic and fastball velocity has suddenly dropped. Bolaños' fastball averaged 95 MPH in 2021, and his 2022 fastball sits at 93 MPH. All of his 2022 pitches have lost velocity.
Still, Bolaños induces groundballs at an excellent rate. His 53% groundball rate is eight points higher than the MLB average and better than several Royals pitchers. This pairs well with the Royals' solid infield defense, especially in Kauffman Stadium. His performance and growth will help buoy the Royals' young pitching staff for years to come.
5: Amir Garrett
Veteran pitcher Amir Garrett has made a name from his passionate playstyle. On the other hand, he's quietly performing well in the Royals bullpen.
Garrett started the season on a very strong note, not allowing a hit in his first six appearances. While he's only allowed four hits all season, his walks are troublesome. His 7.2 BB/9 is second-highest in the Royals bullpen. That has gotten Garrett into trouble, especially when inheriting runners.
Ultimately, Garrett's 4.61 ERA is far from the elite territory. He has allowed seven runs in less than 14 innings of work. Yet, his xERA is still in the league's top 9%. Garrett is an analytical darling, ranking in the league's top 1% for hard-hit percentage, xBA, and xSLG.
Garrett does not figure into the Royals' long-term plans and could be on the move later this summer. For now, however, he will dazzle and frustrate depending on the day.
4: Gabe Speier
Gabe Speier has been a solid bullpen arm for 90% of his 2022 outings. It is hard to ask more of a former 19th-round selection.
Speier has great control of his three-pitch mix of fastball, sinker, and slider. He has only walked two batters in 16 innings of work, giving him a 1.1 BB/9. Speier is hardly an overwhelming pitcher, with his fastball averaging 93.9 MPH. That sets up his breaking pitches, which puzzle batters in the strike zone's bottom half.
Speier throws 48% of his pitches on the zone's edge, nine points above the league average. He has great control consistently. However, more seasoned and patient batters will simply wait on Speier to fall behind in the count. This forces Speier to rely on his fastball high in the strike zone, which is hardly his strength.
His May statistics are not great, but Speier has been solid for Kansas City nonetheless. He should be with the Royals beyond 2022.
3: Josh Staumont
Josh Staumont was a dominant pitcher for Kansas City in 2021. He has some room for improvement in 2022.
This year has not been kind to Staumont, evidenced by his 4.32 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. He surrendered two runs on two hits in his most recent outing on May 22, his first loss of the year. Opposing batters have been all over his sinker, with a .357 BA off that pitch.
Staumont has not shown enough regression to lose his spot as one of Kansas City's best relievers. His fastball is averaging more than 97 MPH, among the league's highest. His sinker still has a 28.6% put-away rate.
Staumont has not had a strong start. But, he has all the tools and experience to rebound quickly.
2: Joel Payamps
Not long ago, Joel Payamps was a fringe member of Kansas City's active roster. Now, he is arguably the Royals' best reliever.
Payamps leads the Royals' bullpen in innings pitched and sports a 1.31 ERA in 2022. Similar to Speier, Payamps attacks the strike zone's edge, pitching there 45% of the time. While his whiff rate is at a career-low, he makes hitters settle for ground balls and weak contact.
Batters attack Payamps' sinker, but he has good control of his slider and fastball to combat. While the fastball averages less than 95 MPH, hitters post a .182 batting average against it.
No matter how you slice it, Payamps is having a stellar start to the season.
1: Scott Barlow
Putting Scott Barlow anywhere else than the top feels wrong. He has been "the guy" for years and shows little sign of slowing down.
Barlow has continued his evolution from being a single-faceted flamethrower to an elite reliever. He has increasingly used his slider and curveball against opponents while relying on the fastball less and less.
Barlow leads the Royals in saves and is near the top of the bullpen in many metrics. He hasn't been perfect, but he is the most reliable option for Kansas City right now. Payamps warrants some closer consideration, for sure, but he's "just a guy." Barlow is more than that.
Jacob Milham is a contributor for Inside the Royals and Say It Again Network. A lifelong Kansas City and Kansas State sports fan, Jacob is from near Manhattan, Kansas. Currently residing in Norfolk, Virginia, Jacob avidly writes on all things Kansas City sports to stay connected to his first love.Follow him on Twitter, @JMilTheHam