Kansas City Royals Getting Huge Lift From Former Stanford Star

The Kansas City Royals are 4-5 in the early going of 2025, and half of those wins are due to the return of left-hander Kris Bubic to the rotation. Bubic, 27, was selected by the Royals out of Stanford back in the 2018 MLB Draft with the No. 40 overall pick.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, Bubic was able to return to the mound last season out of the bullpen, where he held a 2.67 ERA across 30.1 innings of work.

This spring, he was fighting for a chance to return to the rotation, and ultimately landed the fourth spot. This season, he's been huge for Kansas City, not only helping to pitch the club to half of their wins, but also being the team's best starter thus far.

On Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, Bubic went 6.2 innings, giving up five hits and a walk that led to a single run off him. He also struck out eight in his time on the bump. That lone run that Baltimore scored came on a wild pitch from the left-hander, as he yanked a slider in the seventh that allowed Ryan Mountcastle to score.

That is the only run that Bubic has allowed this season. Through two starts, he holds a 0.71ERA with an 0.87 WHIP that includes 16 strikeouts in 12.2 innings of work.

The key for him on Sunday was being able to mix his pitches, with his changeup being particularly effective against Baltimore. In his first start of the year, he used it about 10% of the time, but on Sunday it accounted for 20% of his mix, and resulted in eight whiffs on 11 swings, good for a whiff rate of 73%.

Of course, he also continued to use his four-seamer the majority of the time, while seemingly alternating his sweeper and slider, but it was the change that O's bats didn't have an answer for. In the first two innings, he threw two changes total--one in each inning.

As the lineup turned over and he went against Baltimore a second time through the order, the off-speed offering began to take on a larger role, particularly against right-handed batters.

What's great for Royals fans is that not only is Bubic breaking out as a legtimate member of the starting rotation, but the two big names, Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo, are also still pitching pretty well themselves. Ragans has a 3.60 ERA in ten innings of work, while Lugo holds a 3.27 across 11 frames.

With a strong back-end of the bullpen, the Royals could certainly be in business this year, especially in a questionable AL Central. The Minnesota Twins (3-6) refuse to make additions to help build up their depth for injury-prone players, and the Cleveland Guardians (3-6) are still a team we need to see more from to determine how good they'll be this season.

The only team with a better record than the Royals in the division right now is the Detroit Tigers, who hold a one-game lead on Kansas City. Coincidentally, the Tigers are led by another former Cardinal, A.J. Hinch.