Kansas City Royals giving Jackson Kowar a look

In 2018, the Kansas City Royals made a concerted effort to improve their pitching in the minors. Their first four selections of the draft were all pitchers, two of which have made their debuts already. Brady Singer has begun to establish himself in the majors, performing relatively well since being promoted in 2020. Daniel Lynch struggled, allowing 15 runs in eight innings before being sent to the minors.

A third member of that quartet will be making their debut. The Royals are set to promote Jackson Kowar on Monday, inserting him into the starting rotation.

Kansas City Royals prospect Jackson Kowar set to make debut

Kowar certainly deserves this opportunity. He has been utterly dominant in Triple-A this year, posting an incredible 0.85 ERA and a 0.884 WHiP in his 31.2 innings, issuing ten walks while striking out 41 batters. At this point, he is clearly ready for the next challenge.

The jury is still out when it comes to Kowar’s future. He has an elite changeup and a potentially plus sinking fastball, but is lacking a quality third offering. While Kowar does throw a curve, it is fringy at best as the pitch needs refinement when it comes to shape, tunneling, and consistency.

His command is also questionable. When he is right, he can spot his pitches on either side of the plate. However, he can also quickly lose the zone, either missing the strike zone entirely or leaving too many pitches over the plate to be effective. As his arsenal is geared more towards generating ground balls than striking batters out, he cannot afford to miss his location.

In the end, the development of his curve and his ability to locate his stuff will determine his future role. If the curve does not materialize as a viable third offering, and his command continues to be shaky, he could end up as a setup man. Should he continue to show the improvement he did at Triple-A, Kowar could be a solid middle of the rotation arm who could eventually approach 200 innings a season.

The Kansas City Royals will get a sense for what Jackson Kowar is in the relatively near future. His time in the majors will begin on Monday.