Kansas City Royals make right move in shutting down Brad Keller
The Kansas City Royals are keeping an eye on their future with their decision to shut down Brad Keller.
At this point in the season, the Kansas City Royals are playing for the future. With a 46-87 record entering Wednesday, and zero chance at reaching the postseason, the coming games will be about taking a look to next year and beyond.
With that future in mind, the Royals have decided to shut down their top starter this season. Ned Yost announced on Wednesday that Brad Keller will be shut down for the rest of the year as he was showing signs of fatigue.
Ned said Brad Keller will be shut down the rest of the season. Ned said Keller is showing signs of arm fatigue and no benefit to keep pitching him.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) August 28, 2019
Given Keller’s workload this season, it is understandable that the Royals are being cautious. He was up to 165.1 innings already this year, the most of his professional career and a 25.1 inning increase over 2018. With nothing to play for this season, it is understandable that the Royals will look towards the future with their young righty.
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After a breakout rookie season, Keller took a step back this year. He will finish 2019 with a disappointing 7-14 record, albeit with a respectable 4.19 ERA and a 1.355 WHiP. In those 165.1 innings, Keller struck out 122 batters while issuing a league leading 70 walks.
While Keller tends to rely on weaker contact and ground balls, he took a step back there as well. Opponents posted a .711 OPS against Keller this season, a 58 point increase over 2018. Meanwhile, his ground ball rate dropped by just over four percent, even though he still generated a grounder on approximately 50% of the batters he faced.
While Keller is the Royals defacto ace this season, that may not be the case for long. Kansas City is obviously hoping that Danny Duffy will eventually return to form. Pitching prospects Kris Bubik, Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, and Brady Singer may all be in the majors by the end of 2020. If that happens, Keller would then settle in as a solid back of the rotation arm, which is truly where he should be.
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However, until that happens, the Kansas City Royals are being careful with their top major league pitcher. As they look to the future, it is the only choice they have.