Kansas City Royals Bubba Starling looks to rewrite his story
By David Hill
The Kansas City Royals drafted Bubb Starling with the fifth overall pick in 2011. They still have no received anything from that selection.
Let’s go back to the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft. That year, players like Francisco Lindor, George Springer, Sonny Gray, and the late Jose Fernandez were taken during that draft. Meanwhile, with the fifth overall selection, the Kansas City Royals selected….Bubba Starling.
There was a time when Starling was considered a legitimate top prospect. He was a consensus top 50 prospect prior to the 2012 and 2013 campaigns; a project, but a potential future star. However, he faltered during his time in the minors, hitting rock bottom with a miserable campaign in 2016. Although he somehow made his AAA debut that year, Starling had a pathetic .183/.235/.298 batting line, numbers that made the bust label seem like a compliment.
Starling bounced back with a comparatively decent performance last year. After considering walking away from the game, he produced a .248/.303/.381 batting line, with 14 doubles and seven homers. At 24 years old for most of the season, he was still young for AAA, leaving hope that he could provide some value to the Royals.
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If Starling is going to rewrite his story, this may be his best chance to do so. The Royals are embracing a rebuild, looking to create a new core that can bring them back to the glory of a couple of years ago. Youth will be served in Kansas City, as the team looks for those building blocks.
With that rebuild, there are a few positions that are open for competition. Center field is one of those, with the Royals looking at Paulo Orlando, Jorge Bonifacio, or even Raul Mondesi for the role. However, with a good Spring, Starling could put himself in position to get more of a look, and potentially reach the majors.
The days of hoping that Bubba Starling could be a star have long since passed. Barring a dramatic and thoroughly unexpected turnaround, the best the Royals could hope for is that Starling becomes a decent major leaguer. He has the tools to do so, but those tools have not translated into success on the diamond. And maybe they never will.
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However, if Bubba Starling is ever going to make an impact upon the Kansas City Royals, this may be his best chance to do so. Otherwise, that draft pick will look even worse with the gift, or curse, of hindsight.