Could Bubic be better after Tommy John Surgery?


The 2018 Major League Baseball Draft for the Royals was mostly about pitching. Kansas City drafted a total of 26 pitchers—14 right handers and 12 left handers. Although the team drafted several arms, only a handful of them were, and are still considered potential core pieces in the team's long term plans. The first four players selected by Kansas City in that draft were pitchers. The big four selected were Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic. Bubic and Kowar haven't exactly lived up to fans, and maybe even the team's expectations; and unfortunately, the Royals don't have a good history of developing quality starting pitchers.  Despite the team's history, I believe a few of these pitchers could turn out to be at least decent arms. Kris Bubic was one of the arms I thought would only be a solid contributor. Bubic at the beginning of his Royals’ career has struggled quite a bit, and some of that might have been due to the poor coaching skills of former Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred. The left hander's stats at the beginning of his Royals career were pretty bad. Bubic owns a win-loss record of 10-28. Bubic's ERA isn't much better. The Stanford product owns an ERA of 4.85. Heading into the 2023 season, Bubic was projected to be the team's fifth starter. Bubic's 2023 season wasn't what he or the Royals expected. On April 15 against the Braves, the left hander left the game due to a flexor strain. Unfortunately, the 26-year old got worse news from doctors.  It was determined that he would miss the rest of the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. Although the surgery sucks for the pitcher and the team's season sometimes, it doesn't always mean the pitcher's career is going to be a disaster after returning to the mound. In fact, it can be the complete opposite. The first pitcher to undergo the procedure was Tommy John in 1974 after he injured his ulnar collateral ligament. John returned to the majors on April 16, 1976 against the California Angels; and according to former Dodgers general manager Al Campanis: "It was an outstanding performance whether it was in the Instructional League or not,” Since that first Tommy John procedure, many pitchers have gone on to have great careers after the surgery such as Justin Verlander, Jacob DeGrom and Adam Wainwright. Although there have been many successful pitchers after the surgery, there have been pitchers that never returned to form like former Reds closer Scott Williams and former Dodgers starter Darren Dreifort. Based on the history of Tommy John surgery "victims" it is definitely a hit or miss procedure for players.  During an interview with Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, both Bubic and manager Matt Quatraro seem to be in high spirits during the recovery process. " I think he's in a really good frame of mind about it," Quatraro said. The left hander also spoke about the recovery process. "There are going to be ups and downs through the whole rehab process -- that's natural for everybody -- both physical and emotional.' Quatraro went on to say, "But I feel really good about the people that we have helping and surrounding him, and I feel really good about where he is and what he knows he's trying to get back to. So I think he's in the best spot he can be.”  Hopefully the left hander returns to form better than he was before the procedure, and he can help the team win games next season.

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