Royals 27-Year-Old Projected To Win Key Roster Battle: '(His) Job To Lose'
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With three weeks to go before Opening Day, the drama may already be sapped from the most high-profile roster competition for the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals came into spring training with four of their five starting rotation spots largely set. That left only one opening for a group of talented pitchers to compete for during the team's camp in Surprise, Ariz.
However, although four or five pitchers may have reasonably had a shot at the number-five starter role, there was one slight favorite all offseason. And because of how the other dominoes have fallen, one Royals writer believes that favorite has already locked up the competition.
Former Royals first-round pick Kris Bubic spent all of last season as a reliever after returning midseason from Tommy John surgery. But he's been working his way back to becoming a starter, and he may be on the verge of locking down that coveted rotation spot.
On Thursday, Jacob Milham of FanSided projected Bubic as the winner of the rotation competition, while noting that the only pitchers who may have had realistic shots at beating him out, Alec Marsh and Kyle Wright, both got injured at exactly the wrong time.
"Bubic has handled business, while injuries and inconsistency eliminated most of his challengers," Milham wrote. "Marsh and Wright never got a real shot, as injuries sapped their spring momentum before they could even step on the mound."
"What could have been a tight, last-minute decision in Surprise has instead turned into Bubic’s job to lose — not because of any dramatic breakout, but simply because he’s been healthy, effective, and steady."
Bubic, 27, has struck out eight batters in 6 2/3 innings so far this spring while scattering four earned runs on seven hits. There's not much sense in reading into the stats over such a small sample size, but it does seem as though improved velocity and a sharper slider are bolstering Bubic's arsenal ahead of the regular season.
In a perfect world, Bubic would lock down a rotation spot from day one and the Royals would never have to worry about the starting pitching mix for the rest of the season. Reality is rarely that simple, but no matter who else stays healthy, Bubic can play a key stabilizing role in 2025.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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