Kris Bubic Will Surprise Plenty of People This Season
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The Kansas City Royals have been building their farm system since those memorable World Series runs in 2014 and 2015. Fast forward to today, and the 2018 draft class is the first wave of prospects to the major leagues. This group is headlined by Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch. One player that often gets left out is the lefty from Stanford University, Kris Bubic.
Bubic was selected with pick No. 40 behind those players listed above. After settling into the system, he worked his way up to the big leagues and made his debut on July 31st, 2020. In two years with the Royals, Bubic has taken on numerous roles. He started in the rotation but was also called to pitch out of the bullpen in different scenarios. He's pitched as a specialist and also served in long relief.
In two years with the Royals, Bubic has a 7-13 record and has pitched in 39 games, starting 30. He has logged a total of 180 innings pitched, allowing 96 runs and 30 home runs with 81 walks, and 163 strikeouts. So far in his career, he has a 5.03 FIP, which isn't great, but he does have a 105 ERA+ (which is considered better than average).
Sep 6, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic (50) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
In 2021, Bubic relied on three pitches: A four-seam fastball, a changeup, and a curveball. He threw his fastball 1144 times (52%) for an average speed of 90.9 mph. The average exit velocity for the opposing hitter was 88.8 mph, and his whiff percentage was 20.8%. With this pitch, he surrendered only 47 hits and recorded 54 strikeouts.
Bubic threw his changeup 679 times (30.8%) for an average speed of 80 mph. A very general rule of thumb is that pitchers want their changeup to be approximately ten mph less than their fastball. The average exit velocity for the opposing hitter was 87.9 mph, and his whiff percentage was 28%. Bubic surrendered 50 hits and recorded 52 strikeouts with the offering.
The final pitch in Bubic's 2021 arsenal was his curveball. He threw this pitch 379 times (17.2%) for an average speed of 78.5 mph. The average exit velocity for opposing hitters was 90 mph, and his whiff percentage was 20.1%. He gave up 24 hits and recorded eight strikeouts.
Kris Bubic Developed a New Pitch in 2022
Jun 3, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic (50) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Bubic is rolling out a fourth pitch this spring, which is a slider. A slider is thrown at a harder velocity than a curveball, reducing the arch and creating more break on the pitch. The slider will give Bubic a second breaking ball and complement his other pitches nicely.
Bubic also worked on his fastball in the offseason, working with his former Stanford pitching coach Thomas Eager. Anne Rogers of MLB.com wrote about Bubic working on his fastball:
Along with trying to gain more velocity and vertical break on his fastball, Bubic focused on finding the right grip on his slider while throwing at his alma mater, Stanford, with his former pitching coach Thomas Eager. Bubic started with a two-seam grip and was trying to create a lot of movement as he released it. But with the way Bubic releases the ball with his over-the-top delivery, it was difficult to get a feel for that grip.
'[Eager] recommended sliding my fingers up toward the top of the horseshoe, and then I told myself to preset it a little bit because if I stay behind it too much, it's going to look exactly like a fastball,' Bubic said. 'I want to have some break. … When I went to that grip, where I was just holding the side of the ball and just trying to throw a fastball with my wrist a little preset, it came out a lot cleaner and had the shape I was looking for.'
May 28, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic (50) throws a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
As the regular season approaches, what role will Bubic have once the team breaks spring training? Could he crack the starting rotation, or will he be utilized out of the bullpen? Either way, with him adding a fourth pitch and focusing on adding depth to his fastball, Bubic very well could be in for a surprisingly good 2022 campaign that will leave him overlooked no longer.
