KC Royals: Will Kyle Zimmer Get Into the Rotation in 2016
Royals’ top pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer has been pretty darn good in the minors. Could it be time for the Royals to move him up to the major leagues?
The Kansas City Royals are likely losing their ace starting pitcher from last year in Johnny Cueto, who wants a hefty contract in free agency this offseason and are also losing Jason Vargas for next season because of a major injury. Starter Chris Young is also a free agent, but he is likely to be back in Kansas City for next season. That leaves just a few major league-level starting pitchers on the Royals’ roster heading into next season.
Could this mean that general manager Dayton Moore and the front office could bring up their first round pick from 2012, pitcher Kyle Zimmer. He was the #5 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, and has been developing in the minor leagues ever since.
In 2014, he missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury. It then carried into 2015, causing him to get a late start. A shoulder injury for a starting pitcher is obviously very concerning, but he pitched pretty well when he was healthy last season, so he could be ready to move up to the next level.
Here is one of the best prospect analysis sites’ take on Zimmer from just a few days ago:
Prospect 361 Scouting Report: “When healthy, Kyle Zimmer has a top-of-the-rotation arsenal with a plus fastball that sits 92 to 95 MPH and tops out at 97 MPH. He also throws a two-seamer and is able to keep both fastballs down in the zone. He throws both a curve and a slider but it’s the curve that is his money pitch. It’s a plus-plus current pitch today and could easily get swing and misses at the highest level. I’d grade the change-up as an average pitch. If you’re keeping score, that’s two plus pitches with a third pitch having above-average potential, if not more.”
“When healthy, Kyle Zimmer has a top-of-the-rotation arsenal with a plus fastball that sits 92 to 95 MPH and tops out at 97 MPH.”
It seems that if Zimmer can indeed stay healthy that he could break into the lineup sometime over the next two major league seasons. Prospect 361 predicts that we probably will see him early on in the 2016 campaign, which means he could be one of the answers to our starting pitcher openings this offseason.
If they do decide to bring him to the majors, he will most likely start off in the bullpen for awhile to gauge how he would do as a starter, and not just throw him to the wolves right away. If he pitches well in relief, we could see him at the back-end of the rotation early-to-midway through next season.
Next: Royals Interested in Gerardo Parra
Let me know what you think! Should the Royals bring up Kyle Zimmer to the pro level? If so, should he be in the starting rotation?