Royals allow Singer to develop out of the bullpen


In the 2018 MLB draft, the Royals focused on starting pitching. The team selected five pitchers—Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, and Johnathan Bowlan. Singer was the Royals first pick in the draft. Unfortunately for the Royals and Singer, the 25-year old has struggled early in his career as a starting pitcher. Fortunately, the Royals have a history of turning struggling starting pitchers around. Danny Duffy is an excellent example. The Royals drafted Duffy in the third round of the 2007 MLB draft. In his 2011 rookie season with the Royals, Duffy posted a 4-8 record with a 5.64 ERA in 20 major league starts. During the Royals World Series championship year, the team moved Duffy to the bullpen. Following the end of the 2015 season, the Royals moved Duffy back into the rotation. The rest was history for the Royals and Duffy following his return to the rotation. The Royals believe they can turn Singer into the great starter that he and the team believe he can be. In an interview on The Border Patrol on 810 WHB Royals General Manager J.J Picollo stated, " There's going to be opportunities—in this case for Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar—to come out of the pen and help us win a ball game and that's what we need them to do. They belong on this team, they're very talented. Their role right now is one that will allow them to compete at this level and then work their way back into the rotation at some point." In many ways, Singer has the upper hand over Kowar when it comes to big league experience. Currently, Singer has made 39 career starts for the Royals while Kowar has only made 10 starts. Many writers, including those at Royals Review, believe Singer should remove the changeup from his pitching arsenal and only rely on his fastball, slider, and sinker. However, I am not all in on Singer going away from his changeup. I just believe he needs to continue to develop it and that obviously requires working with Cal Eldred, and maybe even work with veteran pitcher Zack Greinke who also throws the changeup. In fact, I think Singer should work with Greinke more often than with Eldred. The Royals believe Brady Singer will be a big part of their rotation for years to come and want him to continue to develop. A big part of why the team brought in Greinke this past offseason, aside from eating up innings, is to help mentor the young pitchers including Singer. Picollo and Moore both agreed that Greinke was the perfect pitcher to bring in to help mentor the young players. Who can blame them for that, Greinke's resume is solid. The 38-year old has 18 years of big league experience including postseason experience. Singer's potential is incredibly high, but the Royals must use him properly to help him reach his max potential as a starting pitcher; and that could mean bringing in another veteran pitcher into the clubhouse like Ervin Santana who played for the Royals in 2021. The 39-year old posted a 4.68 ERA and helped mentor young pitchers like Singer in 2021. Someone like Santana could still benefit the Royals’ young pitchers in the majors, or down in Omaha where other young pitchers are continuing to develop; not to mention, it's never a bad idea to have a developed pitcher in the minors in case of injury to any of the big league starters or relievers. 

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