John McMillon, aka The Whammer, was optioned to Triple-A by the Royals on Tuesday. Many expected him to break camp with the major league team, but the Royals had other plans, and for good reason. McMillon suffered a forearm strain last August after a very strong start to his major league career. He began last season in Low-A Columbia. McMillon quickly worked his way through the system to Kansas City in a matter of months. There, he had a 2.25 ERA and eight strikeouts in four innings.
Building back from injury
Anne Rogers of MLB.com alluded to the idea that the Royals’ staff thought McMillon needed more time. She cited a need to build his pitches and mechanics back to where they were last season. Manager Matt Quatraro confirmed that today: “He was a little slowed in the offseason, and he came in here and the velo wasn’t there. His arm strength wasn’t there…I was happy with the progress he made (in spring training), he just needs to continue that.” It sounds like McMillon is headed in the right direction. He may just need a little work in Omaha to make sure everything is feeling strong and “right” before joining the major league squad.
High expectations for McMillon
Royals’ fans have a lot to look forward to from the 26-year-old reliever. McMillon’s one-two punch is one of the best you will see. He has a 75-grade fastball that has been clocked at 101 MPH and a 60-grade slider. The slider provides an above-average off-speed option to keep hitters off-balance. According to MLB.com, this led to a 23.5% swinging-strike rate into late July last season. That was seven points higher than any other pitcher in the Royals’ organization with at least 40 innings pitched.
We got a taste of what that combo can do at the major league level and should still see plenty of it in Kansas City this season. His walk rate was also a concern in prior seasons, but he has seen massive improvement in that area. The Whammer should get ample opportunity to earn his stripes in the back end of the Royals’ bullpen this season, it might just not happen as quickly as we thought.
Image credit: Norm Hall, Getty Images
