The Royals this spring training have brought in a few relievers to bolster their bullpen including Amir Garrett and Taylor Clarke. The team is also hoping to rely on many young arms this season including Gabe Speier. The Royals acquired Speier from the Diamondbacks in 2018 along with pitcher Elvis Luciano for outfielder Jon Jay. Last season the 26-year old played in seven games for the Royals, during Speier's time in the majors he posted a 1.17 ERA with five strikeouts. Although Speier only played a few games in the majors for the Royals last season, he was able to post nice numbers for the Omaha Storm Chasers. While in Omaha, the lefthander posted a 2.98 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 45.1 innings pitched. Unfortunately for Speier last season, the Royals didn't really have room for him on the big league roster. In 2022, I believe Speier has a shot to stick in the big league bullpen with the lack of left handed relievers in the bullpen for the Royals. Speier has a five pitch arsenal he relies on to get hitters out that include a sinker, slider, four-seam fastball, changeup and a curveball. Honestly, I would like to see Speier throw his curveball a bit more in 2022 due to his lack of velocity with his fastball he showed in the majors in 2021. Despite his low velocity in 2021, I believe we could see his fastball velocity increase in velocity in 2022. In an article written by Michael Huckins of Kings of Kauffman he says: "Striking out enough hitters is not Speier’s issue. He has times where he struggles to control his pitches. And when it does it leads to walks and hits. If he can get to the point where his control is no longer an issue, he can become a very useful weapon as a middle reliever". According to Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, "Speier has shown excellent stuff in camp." While Speier has showed good numbers in Omaha for the Storm Chasers in 2021, the Royals could definitely rely on Speier quite heavily heading into the 2022 season with the lack of left handers in the Kansas City bullpen; however, if the 26-year old doesn't impress the Royals, he could end up just being a farm hand for the club in the minors down the stretch. I believe Speier could become an important part of the Royals bullpen in 2022 and maybe 2023 if the Royals use the lefthander at the right times throughout the season and don't leave him in Omaha to waste his prime like the team did to him in 2021 when they promoted Anthony Swarzak to the majors where he posted an awful ERA above 9.00 in seven appearances for the Royals. The Royals will have many tough decisions to make come opening day, including who will take the final few open spots in the bullpen and what their roles will be coming out of the pen.
