Kansas City Royals: Brandon Maurer has been good lately

Don’t look now, but Kansas City Royals reliever Brandon Maurer has not been napalm on the mound over his past few outings.

For much of the year, seeing Brandon Maurer on the mound for the Kansas City Royals was the equivalent of waiving the white flag. He had been brutal, essentially throwing batting practice as he was battered into oblivion. Maurer was exiled to Omaha, where he was also beaten into submission, before he was summoned back to Kansas City. After all, when battling for the first overall pick, having someone who is a guaranteed loss can only help.

That miserable performance continued when Maurer returned from his banishment to the minors. From June 16 through July 20, he posted a 15.26 ERA and a 3.261 WHiP, allowing 25 baserunners in 7.2 innings. Unsurprisingly, the Royals were 1-10 in the 11 games that he appeared in, and even that one victory was a nail biter, as he allowed two baserunners while recording the final out for the save.

However, since his implosion on July 20, when he allowed three runs on three hits without recording an out, Maurer has been a different pitcher. He has allowed just one run in his last seven innings, lowering his ERA from 14.25 to 9.47. Maurer has gone from being napalm to actually being a useful piece of the Royals bullpen.

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That is not to say that everything has been smooth sailing when he enters the game. Maurer has allowed six walks in that time, although he has mitigated the damage with nine strikeouts and by giving up just five hits. It may not be pretty, but it has been effective at keeping the opposition off the board.

At this point, that may be enough. The Royals need to find pieces for the next few years, as their younger players develop in the minors. While there will be a wholesale change of the roster early in the coming decade, Kansas City does need to find players for next year. Maurer may be able to put himself into consideration for an important role moving forward.

Should Maurer be able to continue his run of success, and pitch well through the end of the season, he could have a role in 2019. For all of his struggles, he did have success before in the majors, including an excellent 2015 campaign. As he is eligible for arbitration next year, and is not likely to receive more than a modest pay raise, he could be worth the gamble. And, if Maurer does continue to pitch well but the Royals struggle, he could be a trade piece.

Very quietly, Brandon Maurer has pitched relatively well over the past few weeks. If this continues, he could have a role on the Kansas City Royals in 2019.