Kansas City Royals top ten prospects for 2020
By David Hill
7. Kris Bubic
Minors (A, A+): 149.1 innings, 11-5 record, 2.23 ERA, 0.971 WHiP, 42 walks, 185 strikeouts
If prospect rankings were based solely off of statistics, then Kris Bubic would be the top pitching prospect in the Kansas City Royals system.
Bubic was one of the multitude of college pitchers selected by the Royals in the 2018 MLB Draft, as they looked to stock their system with some arms that could rapidly ascend through the system. Thus far, Bubic has been exactly that.
It is interesting to see his results when compared to his stuff. Bubic has a fastball that sits in the lower 90s, but has solid command of the pitch. His best offering a mid 80s changeup that has excellent tailing action, allowing it to be an out pitch. Bubic’s curve is hit or miss, as he will lose the feel for the offering, leaving it to float up in the zone where it can be hammered. He does have a tendency to abandon the curve when he does not have a feel for it, something that will not play at the upper levels.
And yet, despite his relatively middling arsenal, he has been able to perform far better than expected. His funky left handed delivery, reminiscent of Alex Wood. That delivery makes his offerings far more deceptive, which has allowed him to dominate in the lower minors. Add in his innate feel for pitching, and Wood may well be a solid comparison for what Bubic can develop into.
At this point, based on the statistics, Kris Bubic has been the best pitcher the Kansas City Royals drafted in their 2018 haul. It remains to be seen if that will be the case as he progresses into the upper minors.