Matheny: Brady Singer Is a ‘Completely Different Pitcher’
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After dropping the first two games of their series against the Chicago White Sox, including the initial leg of a day-night doubleheader, the Kansas City Royals struck a more positive note to end Tuesday's play.
In fact, it was the music being played by Brady Singer that propelled the home team to a 2-1 victory.
May 17, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) delivers a pitch against the Chicago White Sox in the sixth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
It's been a wild season for Singer thus far, as the Royals' No. 18 pick from the 2018 MLB Draft started out of the bullpen just a month or so ago. After being optioned to Triple-A Omaha, however, he was stretched back out as a starter and ultimately returned to the club as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader. Singer has since returned to Omaha, but he'll almost surely be back in time for what's projected to be his next start early next week. His performance against the White Sox has earned him that, after all.
Across seven innings of work, Singer allowed just four hits to Chicago batters but struck out nine of them. That was a career-high mark for the former Florida standout, which is a testament to just how truly dominant he was. Of his 93 pitches, 70 of them landed for strikes (75.3%). Per Dave Holtzman, he became the first Royals righty with at least seven shutout innings, nine punchouts and no walks since Zack Greinke during his Cy Young-winning 2009 campaign. After the game, Royals manager Mike Matheny praised Singer for making the most out of his circumstances this year.
"It was one of those, 'when I come back, I'm going to show you a little something,'" Matheny said. "That's exactly how you're supposed to handle this. Every opportunity you get out here is special. He came back with a purpose and looked like a completely different pitcher, really, mostly with usage. I think we had 17 of the changeups today, and every one seemed to have an effectiveness on the following pitch."
Matheny was nearly spot-on with his analysis. Of Singer's offerings on Tuesday, 16 of them were changeups. That's good for a 17% usage rate, which is even greater than some (this writer, included) were looking for. Singer got a whiff on the pitch, as well as eight that were called strikes. It remains to be seen whether opposing offenses will sit and wait on it now but for one night, it was a legitimate offering that generally stayed down in the zone. (There were a few misses, as shown above.)
Singer's newfound confidence in his changeup has to come with the acknowledgment that it won't always be a pretty pitch. With that said, it could be what unlocks a new form for him on the mound. He passed the career 200 innings mark during Tuesday's start, giving him a 4.51 ERA across 43 appearances (40 starts) now. His 3.94 FIP indicates some rotten luck, which bodes even better for him moving forward. Matheny knows how big of a deal this comeback is for Singer, and he says even the usually laid-back 25-year-old showed it a bit.
"He's pretty stoic, but he smiled a little," Matheny said. "The guys are making a big deal, and they know it hurts whenever a guy gets optioned. It hurts the club and it obviously really hurts the individual and everybody he's associated with. It's hard, but we understand it happens to the best in the game. There's a purpose for it — it's not a demotion as much as there's a purpose. He was very deliberate in answering the call."
