KC Royals: Kyle Zimmer proving to be another first round bust for Royals

The KC Royals spent their fifth overall pick on Kyle Zimmer in the 2012 MLB Draft and the kid has gone on to sorely disappoint. Injuries have plagued Zimmer’s career to this point and he might not ever make it to the majors.

When looking back at the Kansas City Royals‘ drafts prior to 2009, they really hit on their first round picks. Billy Butler (2004), Alex Gordon (2005), Mike Moustakas (2007), and Eric Hosmer (2008) all panned out into big time players for the Royals. Hell, you could even include Luke Hochevar (2006) in that mix despite him not turning into what he was drafted for.

The KC Royals have missed on their first rounders since Hosmer in 2008 and a prime example of that is Kyle Zimmer. Zimmer was the Royals’ fifth overall pick in 2012 and he’s gone on to appear in exactly zero games for the big league club up to this point.

It’s not necessarily that Zimmer isn’t talented. We might not ever know that honestly. What’s kept Zimmer away from throwing at the K is that he cannot stay healthy. This is brought up once again (what seems like the zillionth time), as Zimmer was pulled from his last start after facing only one batter.

Every year there seems to be something wrong with Kyle Zimmer yet we all always get our hopes up that he can stay healthy and contribute to this Royals team. Zimmer would be a great piece to have in the bullpen right now considering how poorly it’s looked over the last few weeks, but instead… He might not ever get called up to Kansas City.

Max Rieper of Royals Review wrote about every injury Zimmer has had during his stint in the minors,

"August 2012 – Zimmer undergoes elbow surgery to remove loose bodiesAugust 2013 – Zimmer is shut down for the year due to bicep tendonitisMay 2014 – Zimmer is sidelined with a strained right latissimus dorsiOctober 2014 – Zimmer has surgery on his right shoulderMay 2015 – Zimmer’s comeback is delayed after experiencing soreness in his shoulderMay 2016 – Zimmer leaves outing after one inning due to fatigueJuly 2016 – Zimmer has thoracic outlet syndrome surgeryApril 2017 – Zimmer leaves start after one inning due to shoulder sorenessMore from Kansas City RoyalsThis Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. ImmediatelyDraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!3 Royals Players Who Won’t Be on the Roster Next YearLAST CHANCE to Claim $250 GUARANTEED Bonus With FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!"

Since being drafted five years ago, Zimmer has had three surgeries and been injured a total of eight times. Not exactly what you want to see out of your first round pick.

All four guys drafted ahead of Zimmer are all in the major leagues doing their thing. These guys are Carlos Correa (Astros), Byron Buxton (Twins), Mike Zunino (Mariners), and Kevin Gausman (Orioles). Zimmer was taken fifth and has yet to even sniff a game in the MLB.

When you take into consideration that the Kansas City Royals’ 2011 first rounder (Bubba Starling) is still hanging around in the minors too, it’s becoming concerning how badly the organization has drafted over the last decade. It’s even more brutal when two of the key drafted players from before (Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer) could both be bolting in free agency.

Teams miss on prospects all the time, but it just sucks with Kyle Zimmer because the talent is certainly there, the kid just can’t stay healthy and that’s got to destroy him. Oh, not to mention his younger brother Bradley has appeared in 80 games this year for the Cleveland Indians. That’s got to make things sting even more for Kyle.

At this point, it’s tough to say “Maybe things will turn out just fine for Zimmer” because we’ve been saying that every year and another injury pops up. It really does seem like his time in baseball could be coming to an end, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see for some official news.