Expectations for Taylor Clarke in 2022


 
Before the MLB lockout began, the Royals were looking to add a few bullpen arms to a shaky pen. The Royals as of right now haven't handed out any significant contracts to free agents; however, the team did bring in reliever Taylor Clarke on a major league contract back on December 1. According to Clarke in a December interview he said, "They showed a lot of interest in me, so it's really nice to go somewhere you feel wanted. I've heard a lot of good things about their organization, so I was excited about the opportunity to join them." Clarke also noted that he heard nothing but great things from former and current players about the organization. Last season with the Diamondbacks, Clarke had a 4.98 ERA in 43 games. The Royals signed Clarke with hopes of a bounce back season from him like they are with Arodys Vizcaino; however, I believe Clarke has a higher ceiling than Vizcaino because of Vizcaino's injury history and the slight age difference. In fact, I believe Clarke has the potential to be part of the Royals bullpen long term. The 28-year old has one year of arbitration remaining after the 2022 season along with one MLB option. According to cbssports.com Clarke has very different numbers against righties and lefties. Clarke's stats against righties aren't too shabby with a 3.93 ERA; however, his numbers versus lefties aren't great with a 6.80 ERA. Clarke's stats in Arizona were also impacted by the time of day he pitched. If it was in the middle of the day, he posted an ERA of 7.80; but at night, he posted an ERA of 3.52 according to cbssports.com. I believe that Clarke will benefit from the weather in Kansas City a bit more than the weather he played in while in Arizona. I believe Clarke will benefit from less humidity in Kansas City because he won't have to worry about the heat impacting the grip of the baseball in Kansas City compared to the intense heat in Arizona. While the Royals have a few good young arms in the bullpen, I still believe the team will rely on Clarke pretty heavily in 2022. In an interview with Clarke, he said, "I'm looking forward to pitching at Kauffman. I haven't been there yet but I've heard it's a great place to pitch."  According to fangraphs.com, Clarke was projected to pitch 85 innings with the Diamondbacks before signing with the Royals. I believe Clarke will benefit from the size of Kauffman Stadium and the weather difference in Kansas City compared to the weather in Arizona.

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