Kansas City Royals: The quest to find relief in the bullpen

The Kansas City Royals were not expected to contend in 2019, and their bullpen is making certain that is the case.

As it stands, the Kansas City Royals have played six games this season. Literally, less than 4% of the season has passed by at this point, with the Royals posting a 2-4 record after six games. That record is really not a surprise, as no one expected Kansas City to contend this year.

And yet, the Royals record could be much better. The offense, at least the top sixth batters in the lineup, have been relatively solid. The starting rotation has been decent as well, keeping the Royals in the game and providing solid results. Meanwhile, the bullpen has been a disaster. Here is a look at their numbers after Thursday’s latest meltdown:

Very simply stated, that is not good. The Royals have lost two games that they were leading when turned over to the bullpen, and were tied on Thursday before the latest implosion. This time, Kyle Zimmer faced three batters in the seventh inning, and walked all three. A four pitch bases loaded walk by Kevin McCarthy and a sacrifice fly spelled oom for the Royals hopes on that day.

As the Kansas City Royals look to return to respectability, they will need to find options in the bullpen that can actually provide relief. Let us take a look at some players that could step up and be a viable part of the bullpen not only this season, but moving forward.

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.

Kyle Zimmer

It is been a tale of two outings for Kyle Zimmer in his brief major league career with the Kansas City Royals.

In his debut, Zimmer looked as though he belonged. He allowed a hit, but struck out two batters in his scoreless inning. However, on Thursday, Zimmer just did not have any command, spiking his curve three times as he just could not find his location. He walked all three batters he faced, with two of those runners coming around to score in the Royals 5-4 loss on Thursday.

Those types of outings will happen. Zimmer did spend all of last year working at Driveline, working to get his velocity and command. And, he is going to have plenty of opportunities to prove he belongs at the major league level, even with any possible rough outings.

There will be growing pains with Zimmer. His excellent fastball and solid curve will allow him to become a weapon in the bullpen, provided that he is able to harness his command. But that is going to be the question, and could keep Zimmer from truly being the player the Royals envisioned he would develop into.

Kyle Zimmer can be an important part of the Kansas City Royals bullpen. If he continues his progression, he could be that eighth inning piece that the Royals desperately need.