Kansas City Royals: Heath Fillmyer has looked good in 2018
The Kansas City Royals acquired Heath Fillmyer over the offseason and so far, the young pitcher has done well on the mound for the boys in blue.
After an electric start on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs, Heath Fillmyer is proving to be a legitimate starting option in the coming years. The Kansas City Royals acquired him when they traded Ryan Buchter and Brandon Moss to Oakland and got Fillmyer and Jesse Hahn in return.
That trade was met with mixed reactions, mainly because Buchter had been promising during his short tenure with the Royals. Fans didn’t know much about Fillmyer, but the hope was that he and Hahn both could come in and help the Royals win ball games on the mound.
So far, Fillmyer has an ERA of 3.13 in 37.1 innings pitched. He’s started five games and appeared in nine total. His start against the Cubs on Wednesday was his best start yet, as the right-hander threw seven scoreless innings against one of the hottest teams in baseball.
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Fillmyer allowed just three hits, struck out three, and only walked two in his start against the Cubs. It certainly helped that his offense gave him nine runs of support and the bullpen held on (yes, held onto a nine-run lead) to help Fillmyer record his first career win.
Heath Fillmyer has yet to really have a bad outing honestly, but of course it’s still very early into his Royals career. His start against the Cubs is what fans will likely remember most from Fillmyer at season’s end though and for good reason. He looked good!
The Kansas City Royals have had their fair share of problems this season, but their future starting rotation could be quite sharp. Fillmyer might end up being a part of said rotation, as he’s just 24 years old and already showing that he could be a staple as a starter.
Next season might not be any better for the Royals on the field, but their starting pitching could be the lone bright spot. Fillmyer could join Danny Duffy, Brad Keller, Ian Kennedy (yes, still…), and Jakob Junis as starters in 2018. Oh, and did I mention that the organization drafted five pitchers in the first round (regular and supplemental)? Those guys could help out immensely too.
I’ll be honest… I didn’t expect much from Heath Fillmyer when the Royals acquired him from Oakland, but he’s been really good so far. He’s only made five starts and we still have a month and a half of baseball to play, but let’s give Fillmyer the props he deserves. He performed great on Wednesday night against a tough Chicago Cubs team.