I am going to the game today, so I hope to have a more in-depth piece tomorrow. However, just wanted to share some quick thoughts through a short “Jottings” post before I headed out to the K this afternoon for game two of this series against the Colorado Rockies.
Trade Rumors Already Starting for Scott Barlow
We’re barely into June, but it sounds like Royals reliever Scott Barlow is already a focus of some early trade talk, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, it doesn’t sound like the Royals are actively shopping him just yet.
That said, typically with the Royals, when there’s smoke, there’s fire, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that JJ Picollo has received some calls from the veteran reliever who’s been the Royals’ closer since 2021.
Barlow had a rough start in April, as he posted a 6.10 ERA in March/April according to Fangraphs splits. That primarily explains his inflated ERA at 3.86 in 20 appearances and 21 innings pitched.
On the other hand, he posted a 1.69 ERA in May and going into Saturday, his xERA is 2.88, which would be a career-best if the season ended today. He’s also generating a K/9 rate of 12.43, which would also be a career-high, according to Fangraphs. The walks are up, as demonstrated by a 4.71 BB/9, which is the highest mark in that category since 2019, but Barlow is showing that he’s still got it when it comes to closing things out in the late innings.
Aroldis Chapman originally was thought to be the Royals’ most prized relief pitching piece, and he probably still is considering his premium velocity and strikeout ability. However, Chapman has had some knee issues lately, which is a reason why he wasn’t utilized in the 8th inning against the Rockies on Friday night (which led to a six-run inning off of Carlos Hernandez and Nick Wittgren).
I am not sure how long Picollo and the Royals will hold onto Barlow, but I think it’s safe to assume that this will be the year the Royals finally trade him, much like last year was the season the Royals finally traded Whit Merrifield.
Amir Garrett Latest Royals Pitcher to Hit the Injured List
Last night, the Royals called up Jackson Kowar from Omaha and in the process, place Amir Garrett to the IL in what appears to be an elbow issue. According to MLB.com Royals beat writer, Garrett could be out 4-6 weeks due to this injury.
Acquire last season from Cincinnati in exchange for Mike Minor, Garrett has had a peculiar season in 2023 to put it lightly. His BB/9 has ballooned to 7.29, which is nearly one walk higher than a year ago, and while his 3.00 ERA is impressive, his 4.77 xERA and -0.1 fWAR in 21 IP is far from that. With Chapman’s health iffy, and Josh Taylor on the IL, Garrett’s injury leaves the Royals without a left-handed reliever who’s 100 percent.
The blows keep coming for a Royals pitching staff (and club as a whole) that’s already been hit hard by injuries this year, as shown by Rogers in the following Tweet:
If Taylor is out long-term, and if Chapman has to head to the IL himself, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Austin Cox back up in Kansas City, just to hold the fort until Chapman is 100 percent. Evan Sisk, who was acquired from the Twins in the Michael A. Taylor trade, could also be an option, as he was named Omaha’s pitcher of the month in May (though they would need to add Sisk to the 40-man roster).
Whatever the Royals do, the fact of the matter is that the Royals need some arms from Omaha and even Northwest Arkansas to step things up soon, since they could be needed ASAP.
Diving Into the Guardians Offense on Pitcher List
In my latest Going Deep piece for Pitcher List, I took a look at the Cleveland Guardians’ struggles on the hitting end, which I believe is a big contributor to their 25-32 start this season.
Here’s a snippet from the PL piece:
Even though Bieber and Clase are two examples on the pitching end that stick out and are contributing to the Guardians’ early-season struggles, the main issue seems to be the Guardians’ hitting, which has been lackluster, to say the least.
Going into Thursday, the Guardians rank 27th in OBP, 29th in OPS as well as runs scored, and 30th in home runs, according to Fangraphs. With a rotation and bullpen that isn’t as strong as it was a season ago, Cleveland will need to see a boost in their offensive production if they want to get back into the postseason hunt this summer.
“Concern at the Corner: A Dive Into the Guardians’ Hitting Woes” by Kevin O’Brien; Pitcher List
Check the piece out and also subscribe to Pitcher List, especially PL Plus or Pro to get access to the comprehensive Discord. If you love Fantasy Baseball, there isn’t a better site out there, and you can also find more of my non-Royals stuff there as well!
Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Do the Royals hate Blanco? Seems he would bring more off the bench than Bradley. Also, thank you for your articles. Always very well written and I’m sure it takes a lot of time to compile the graphs etc. your analysis.
Thanks! And I don’t think they hate him but they probably are just waiting for right time. At the very least they know JBJ is giving them defense which as we saw yesterday is much needed. Hope though Blanco gets another shot somewhere because I think his talent is underrated
[…] As for Barlow, he got off to a slow start, but he’s posting a 3.52 ERA now and has struck out 33 batters in 23 IP. Barlow is generating a K% of 35.1 percent, which is one of the best rates of his career, and after a rough April, he’s looking like one of the better relievers in the AL Central again, as I wrote about last week. […]