Going into 2024 the Kansas City Royals’ bullpen was widely considered one of the biggest weaknesses for the Royals. At the start of the season, that couldn’t have been truer. On the major league roster, the Royals brought in several veteran pitchers to contribute to the bullpen, but no one could find much consistency for the team. At the trade deadline, improving the pen was the biggest goal for Kansas City, and the additions of several guys, such as Lucas Erceg, Sam Long, and Kris Bubic returning from injury helped them bounce back.
Now, the Royals’ bullpen feels like a bit of a strength for them, as they have found guys who can consistently pitch in leverage spots and make an impact on the game. They found a closer and have a lot of young arms who are on their way up in the minors. I think the Royals’ pitching staff is one of the best in baseball, and the improvement of their bullpen will be massive for them in 2025.
Bullpen options on the Royals’ 40-man roster
Lucas Erceg, Hunter Harvey, John Schreiber, Sam Long, Angel Zerpa, Carlos Hernández, Evan Sisk, Chris Stratton, Kyle Wright, James McArthur, Luinder Avila, Eric Cerantola, Steven Cruz
The current state of the Royals bullpen is much better than people think and might be one of the biggest strengths of the roster. They have all the major boxes checked as they have their closer (Erceg) and their setup man covered (Harvey). Leverage options from both sides of the mound are there as well (Schreiber, Stratton, Long, Zerpa). Beyond that, the Royals have several other guys who are young and could make an impact. At the end of 2024, we saw the bullpen pitch several lockdown innings for the Royals and looked like one of the best units in all of baseball.
On day one you will see the first eight arms above on the major league roster. That makes James McArthur the odd one out to start the season. They may add another lefty in free agency and let Sisk work out his stuff in the minors a bit more but for now, he looks in. The Royals will hope that Stratton can stay healthy and return to form and that they will get a step forward from Carlos Hernández. If not, McArthur has proven an ability to pitch at the majors, despite struggling as the closer in 2024, and could succeed in a leverage role instead. We likely see him back with the team at some point in 2025.
Kansas City also added “Lu” Avila and Eric Cerantola to the roster, to protect them from the major league Rule 5 draft. Both throw hard and have good stuff but need to iron out the command. Once they do, both could play a big role in the future. Cruz also throws hard and is a big guy who spent some time in the majors. Cruz has the potential to be a strikeout guy if needed. The mix of elite veteran players and high-potential young arms in the Royals bullpen is a recipe for success that I am very excited to see pan out throughout the year next season.
Top Bullpen Prospects for the Royals
Blake Wolters, Hiro Wyatt, Christian Chamberlain, L.P. Langevin, A.J. Causey, Dennis Colleran
There are not a ton of arms that are purely bullpen prospects, and you could argue that some of these are not just bullpen guys. Even still, one could confidently say that the guys on this list are bullpen arms who will be there when they make the major league roster and that is where they will find the most success.
Two of the top pitcher prospects for the Royals are Blake Wolters and Hiro Wyatt. Both were early draft picks out of high school who flashed big fastballs and high-quality stuff but needed some work on their command and finding consistency. Wolters and Wyatt show signs of being future high-quality closers and with time should find a lot of success out of the bullpen. It is always possible that both guys could be starters in the future, but with their high velocity I think it is likely they can stay healthy and find success as strikeout bullpen arms in the future
The Royals also really worked to add depth in their pitching department through the draft and they added two guys who I think could make an impact in the bullpen soon. Colleran is one of my favorite prospects who I think should have a good year and will be playing in the major league bullpen very soon. He has a big fastball that might get up to triple digits and pairs it with a good slider and splitter. Similarly, Langevin also has a great fastball that has great shape to it, but he will need to work on his off-speed stuff to find success. AJ Causey is also an interesting guy, but for the opposite reasons, as he offers a low-velocity sinker but has great off-speed stuff and a weird arm angle.
The Royals have a few other guys who have potential but are not top prospects. Chamberlain is a player who flashed some good stuff and made it to Triple-A, but he tore his UCL and did not pitch in 2024. If he can bounce back from the injury and continue his development, he could find a role.
Top Pitcher Prospects Who Could Be Anything
Jac Caglianone, David Shields, Kyle DeGroat, Felix Arronde, Emmanuel Reyes, Beck Way, Asa Lacy, Andrew Hoffmann
As the Royals have added young pitchers to the organization, they have also added questions about the potential roles those players could play in the future. The Royals added 18 pitchers in the draft this year and one of them includes Jac Caglianone. One of the best hitter prospects in the draft who also brings potential upside as a pitcher. The Royals say they will let him pitch but his bat is far more advanced than his arm and it may hold him back. He can throw up to 100 MPH and has a starter mix but needs to improve his command. He has potential as a pitcher but could be shut down if his bat develops too quickly. If his arm keeps up, it’s possible he could be a starter or a reliever depending on what the Royals see in his development.
The team also selected two players out of high school in the draft. They took David Shields in the second round of the draft with a ton of upside as an 18-year-old player with a good frame and quality stuff. Later on, they selected Kyle DeGroat who has a similar profile, and they paid enough to sign him away from a Texas commitment. Both guys could be starters and have good stuff to do so but are very young and it’s possible they may transition to the bullpen depending on how their development goes.
The Royals have several players that they have developed as international signings two of which include Felix Arronde and Emmanuel Reyes. Both are young guys who have a quality fastball and changeup mix that hitters have had trouble catching on to. But right now, for both guys, they have more of a two-pitch mix and will need to expand that to be effective, especially as a starter. They have flashed signs of success and so they are two players to keep an eye on, but their future role is unclear this far.
Lastly, some other prospects to mention include guys like Beck Way. Another key part of the Bennentendi trade, Way has the pitch mix of a starter but has started to move to the bullpen and found more success in that role in 2024. I think it is likely he sticks there but he has started in the past, so his role is not clear. Hoffmann is the opposite and has a limited mix but has been a starter this far in his career. He has good velocity and could find a move to the pen helpful for his career. Lastly is Asa Lacy, a guy who has seen the mound sparingly over the past several years but is back to pitching this year. Once a top pick and prospect for the Royals, injuries have completely derailed Lacy’s trajectory as a prospect, but as he returns anything is possible for him and his career.