Will have a more in-depth piece either tomorrow or Thursday, but wanted to get out a quick edition of the “Jottings” today before heading out to Kauffman Stadium for game two of this Tigers series.
In this edition, I talk about the Tigers and Guardians bullpens as ideal models for the Royals; look at the promotions of two intriguing arms in the Royals system; and share Anne Rogers’ piece on undrafted free agent Noah Barber, who could be a high-upside prospect from this eligible draft class (even though he didn’t get drafted himself).
Kansas City Looking to Detroit and Cleveland For How to Build a Bullpen?
The Royals lost 3-2 to the Tigers on Monday night and a big reason for the loss was the bullpen being unable to hold the Royals’ slim 2-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning.
It’s a shame, especially since Jordan Lyles had one of his best starts of the year for the Royals and seems to be trending in the right direction after a rough start in his first season in Kansas City.
To be fair, it’s not like Matt Quatraro has a lot of options left in the bullpen, especially in the wake of Aroldis Chapman’s trade to Texas. While Carlos Hernandez looked good in the 7th, Taylor Clarke and Jose Cuas struggled, as they both failed to throw strikes in their brief outings on Monday night.
According to Roster Resource, here is what the Royals bullpen looks like and how they’re performing in their rate metrics.
The Royals have some high-strikeout-rate guys available in the bullpen. Unfortunately, they also have some high-walk-rate arms as well. Of the relievers in their current bullpen, six have BB% rates of 9.5% or higher. That also includes Scott Barlow, who’s probably the Royals’ best trade chip at this moment as they approach the August 1st Trade Deadline.
That’s not a recipe for success. In addition, the Royals also have two relievers who are allowing barrel rates in the double-digit range this season thus far. Both of those arms appeared in last night’s contest.
The Tigers are currently 42-51 going into Tuesday’s game and are five games behind the division-leading Twins in the AL Central. Detroit has one of the worst offenses in the league (28th in OPS and runs scored), and their starting rotation, while returning some key arms lately, still hasn’t been great by any means beyond Michael Lorenzen, who represented the Tigers in the All-Star Game (they rank 25th in ERA).
On the other hand, their bullpen ranks 16th in ERA. That number is decent, but more importantly, they rank 9th in WHIP and 4th in BB/9 allowed. When they get into the late innings, they’re not putting free men on base, which can’t be said of the Royals.
Let’s look at who makes up the Tigers’ bullpen as of Tuesday.
Notice how Detroit only has one guy in the double-digit range in BB% and only two above that 8% BB% threshold. Furthermore, they also have every reliever in their bullpen with a K% over 20% except for Rule 5 pick Mason Englert.
The Tigers didn’t need to spend an exorbitant amount on their bullpen. In fact, most of their relievers are either late-round picks or castoffs from other organizations. Good relievers, who just need a change of scenery or a fresh voice to find success, are out there. The Royals just haven’t identified the right guys outside of their organization.
Another bullpen model for the Royals to look at is Cleveland, which ranks 2nd in ERA and WHIP and 6th in BB/9 allowed. Here’s a look at their bullpen roster.
Interestingly enough, the Guardians have six homegrown products in their bullpen. Only one was drafted above the third round (Nick Sandlin).
Granted, the Guardians have a much better track record with pitching development than the Royals. That said, if the Royals truly believe in their pitching model and development in the Minors, then they can use Cleveland as a model to build a bullpen from within.
That should be good news for relievers like Will Klein, Steven Cruz, Christian Chamberlain, and Joan Dipoto who seem to be knocking on the door in Triple-A Omaha.
Either way, the Royals’ current model for bullpen compilation isn’t working, and it will only get tougher once Barlow is traded away.
The Royals need to pick a path, like Detroit and Cleveland if they want to salvage something soon and start building their bullpen core for 2024.
Royals Promote Zobac and Fleming
The Royals made some news as they promoted three total arms today to Northwest Arkansas, Quad Cities, and Columbia.
Patterson didn’t pitch last year and missed some time this year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, which he got during his final season at UCF. Nonetheless, he had made progress in Surprise, so it was only a matter of time before he got the call to Columbia.
Zobac and Fleming however are the bigger stories.
Zobac, a 4th round pick last year, has been one of the Fireflies’ best starters, which says something considering he pitched along with Frank Mozzicato and Ben Kudrna. He joins Mozz and Kudrna in Quad Cities, which makes them one of the most formidable and intriguing rotations in the Royals’ Minor League system.
As for Fleming, he was the key piece from the Carlos Santana trade with Seattle a season ago. He hasn’t put up eye-popping numbers in the past two seasons in High-A, but he was showing progress this year and he could be a more valuable piece if/when he’s moved to the bullpen.
Keep an eye on all three pitchers, but Zobac and Fleming especially, as they make the step to the next level in the farm system.
Rogers Pens Profile on Noah Barber
Of the undrafted free agents the Royals signed after the conclusion of the MLB Draft, none may be more intriguing than Noah Barber, a local product out of Blue Valley North in Johnson County, Kansas.
Today, Anne Rogers of MLB.com, shared her story on Barber, his football background (he is the son of former NFL player and Chief Steven Barber), and why he chose to sign with the Royals over matriculating to the University of Kansas for football.
It’s incredible that KU was ready to welcome Barber as a preferred walk-on despite only playing ONE year of football at the high school level. However, it seems like Barber’s first love is baseball, so when the Royals offered him a deal out of high school, it’s not surprising that he took it.
Rogers in her story also shares how Royals executive Lonnie Goldberg was the one who discovered Barber, as his son was teammates with Barber at Blue Valley North. Goldberg noted Barber’s growth and development as a player during Barber’s senior year, which is a reason why they signed him.
Here’s a snippet of what Goldberg said in Rogers’ piece:
“About midway through the year, [area scout] Matt Price and I were talking, and I was like, ‘Hey, this kid’s got tools, he’s interesting for sure,’” Goldberg said. “And just kind of left it at that. As I continued to see him play, he started to get better.”
“Local UDFA Barber getting chance to live out hometown dreams with Royals” by Anne Rogers; MLB.com
Read the whole piece, as Rogers pens a great profile on Barber and his outlook as a Royal. He certainly will be a guy worth paying attention to in 2024.
Photo Credit: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Mr. O’B, any thoughts on exactly what there is about Clarke that the pitching coaches are so in love with that they keep trotting him out there and he keeps walking people and getting shellacked?
I think the lack of bullpen depth is a big reason. Right now, beyond Barlow and Hernandez, that aren’t a lot of great options, and Clarke was successful earlier in the year. The velocity hasn’t changed, so I’m guessing the coaches are hoping he can get back to that form. Unfortunately, it hasn’t happened and it just seems to be getting worse, which may force their hand soon, especially if one of the young arms in AAA can step up.