In one of the more suprising moves of the season so far: The Royals signed veteran left hander, Rich Hill, to a minor league contract on Tuesday. He is going to report to AAA Omaha soon to get back on track.
Hill, 45, seems to be looking to get back to the major leagues with what would be his 14th team if he makes it to Kansas City at some point during the 2025 season. Hill has pitched for now twenty seasons, spanning a massive career with 13 teams. So, he is definitely a pick to click in your immaculate grid. Throughout his career, he has been the pinnacle of “above average starter”. Which is very valuable in the major leagues of course. More guys last longer if you’re durable and consistent rather than a flash in the pan. He has a career 4.01 ERA in exactly 1409 innings pitched throughout his career. Most recently, he came out the bullpen with the Red Sox last season after getting traded there from the Padres. With San Diego last year, he started five games to the tune of a 8.23 ERA to which he got flipped to Boston. Where he only logged about four innings with the Red Sox before they ended up cutting bait on him as well. Hill’s best season probably came from 2016 where he spent time with both the A’s and Dodgers with an ERA of 2.12 in 20 starts. Of course the Royals are much more interested in keeping the rotation depth in order, and with Hill, you have one of the more reliable and flexible arms in the majors across his 20-year career.
The Royals seem to have their rotation in lock with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen, and Kris Bubic. But you never know what is going to happen throughout the course of the 162-game season. Hill could really be a key cog in the rotation given any injuries that could arise. Or another thing to think about: With Kyle Wright being delayed once again because of his shoulder injury, this could be a precautionary move towards that. On that note, even Alec Marsh has taken a bit of a step backwards, being placed on the 60-day IL earlier this month. So what once used to be a deep strength might be a bit weaker than we thought. Noah Cameron was a nice surprise earlier in the season, but Rich Hill does have that experience you crave if something goes wrong. Especially in a big ballpark like Kauffman Stadium.
This is a smart, due process move by the Royals organization. Adding a pitcher like Rich Hill doesn’t hurt your team at all, especially if he is only going to be used when needed. He could become a key piece if a worst-case scenario happens. Quite simply, these are the type of moves winning teams make, and it’s nice to see the Royals fall in line.
Discover more from Farm to Fountains
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
