Kansas City Royals: When is it time for Richard Lovelady?

The Kansas City Royals bullpen has been a disaster for much of the year. How much longer will they go before giving Richard Lovelady a look?

It is difficult to find new ways to describe the ineptitude of the Kansas City Royals bullpen. Heading into Monday’s action, the Royals bullpen had a 5.38 ERA, the worst in the majors. Train wrecks such as Jason Hammel, Burch Smith, and Brandon Maurer have been pitching in meaningful innings. Even Wily Peralta, although he has yet to blow a save, has been an adventure given his 11 walks in 14.2 innings.

Obviously, the Royals need help in the bullpen, both for the present and in the future. As they look to get back to their winning ways from the middle of the decade, building a strong bullpen, similar to what they had in the HDH days, could go a long way towards that goal.

A part of that future is waiting in Ohama. Richard Lovelady, a tenth round selection in the 2016 Draft, has rocketed through the system, impressing with his performance at each level. He has continued that stellar performance with the Omaha StormChasers, posting an excellent 2.70 ERA and a 1.083 WHiP, striking out 54 batters against 19 walks in his 60 innings.

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It is possible that Lovelady is the Closer of the Future for the Royals, despite not being the prototypical closer. Although the bias against left handed closers has gone away in recent years, they are still relatively rare. He also throws from a lower arm slot, which would tend to lead to the supposition that Lovelady would be a formidable lefty specialist in the future.

However, he has the stuff to be a possible closer. His fastball sits in the mid 90s, and can reach as high as 97 MPH. Lovelady also has a slider that has become a weapon against both lefties and righties, giving him an out pitch for both sides of the plate. Add in a marginal change that could work as a show me pitch, and Lovelady could have the arsenal for the ninth inning.

At this point, there is little reason to keep him away from the majors. With the Royals obviously playing for the future, there is no harm in seeing what they have with Lovelady. Maurer or Smith could be sent back to the minors. Hammel could be released, as it is obvious the Royals will not pick up their end of the mutual option. It is time for the future to become the present in Kansas City.

The Kansas City Royals could have part of the solution to their bullpen woes in Richard Lovelady. It is time to see what he can offer.