Kansas City Royals: The quest to find relief in the bullpen
By David Hill
Kevin McCarthy
Over the past two seasons, Kevin McCarthy has emerged as a useful piece in the middle of the Kansas City Royals bullpen.
A groundball specialist, McCarthy has generated 1.5 ground balls for every fly ball during his major league career, and has a nearly 2:1 ratio when it comes to generating outs via the grounder as opposed to a fly ball. In an age where launch angles and selling out for homers are par for the course, McCarthy has allowed just 12 homers in his 127.1 career innings.
After a rough introduction to the majors in 2016, he has been a solid middle reliever for the Royals. Over the past two seasons, he has posted a 3.28 ERA and a 1.308 WHiP, striking out only 73 batters, but issuing just 33 walks in his 117 innings.
McCarthy is not likely to be anything more than a middle reliever, but his ground ball tendencies will play up. He can be the type of reliever that enters in a jam, capable of generating a double play grounder to escape the inning. He could eat up innings as well, serving a valuable role in the future of the Royals bullpen.
Kevin McCarthy is never going to be a star, but he is a solid option in the bullpen. Even though he has struggled at the beginning of this season, his track record would indicate that he will round into form and be a viable part of the future.