Kansas City Royals: Burch Smith isn’t starter material
The Kansas City Royals are seeing what they have in Burch Smith this year and it’s become evident that the Rule-5 Draft pick doesn’t belong in the rotation.
While the Kansas City Royals have struck gold with Rule-5 Draft pick Brad Keller, their other Rule-5 guy hasn’t been all that great. Burch Smith, the second guy I mentioned, was moved into the starter role early last month and it’s safe to say after a month that he needs to be shifted back to the bullpen.
Some might ask, “Why bother? This season is a wash” and while yes, that’s true, the Royals also have other pitchers they could slot into the rotation in Smith’s place. Glenn Sparkman comes to mind when discussing current pitchers on the roster, but the Royals could also call up someone like Trevor Oaks.
Smith is getting lit up by opposing batters, currently sitting with a 6.41 ERA. He made it through just nine innings in his last two starts and surrendered 11 earned runs in those two games combined. The Royals don’t have to give up on Smith completely, but he’s proven he can’t perform at a high level in the rotation.
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It’s not even like Smith is going to be a part of the team’s future plans either. The Rule-5 guy is 28 years old and will be in his early 30s by the time the Royals are ready to compete again.
The Kansas City Royals have had their fair share of injuries and other problems in the starting rotation and I don’t blame the team for giving Burch Smith a shot at starting. He’s now made six starts since early July and has only won one of those games.
That win saw Smith go 6.1 innings in a game where he gave up just two earned runs. It was also against a bad Detroit team, but hey… A win is a win and that was an impressive outing for Smith. Since then, however, he’s been lousy.
The Royals have other pitchers they can give opportunities to and it’s time to pull the plug on Smith being a reliable starter. He’s had many chances to show the organization something and it’s been hard to find good moments for one Burch Smith.
The Royals rotation really hasn’t been that bad lately, but Smith is easily the weakest of the bunch right now. Glenn Sparkman might not be any better, but we’ll never know if he’s never given the opportunity, right? Same goes for anyone else waiting for their chance to be in the rotation.
Who would you rather see in the Kansas City Royals starting rotation? Or do you think they should stick with Burch Smith for the duration of the season?