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Kansas City Royals who need to show up big in Spring Training

By Leigh Oleszczak

Kansas City Royals coaches hit ground balls to infielders at spring training on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 in Surprise, Ariz. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals coaches hit ground balls to infielders at spring training on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 in Surprise, Ariz. (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /
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Kansas City Royals Bubba Starling (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals Bubba Starling (John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /

BUBBA STARLING

A lot of what I wrote for Kyle Zimmer could also be said for Bubba Starling. Starling was the Royals’ first round pick in 2011 and he’s yet to make it to the major leagues either.

Starling’s initial issue was that he simply couldn’t hit. Over the past few years, however, he’s been bitten by the injury bug and given very little to the minor league teams in which he’s played for.

In 2017, Starling very well could have gotten a September call-up, but he got hurt at the end of the season and the call-up didn’t happen as a result. Starling played in just 20 games last year before injuries shut him down for the rest of the season.

2019 might be Starling’s last chance to make it to Kansas City. Perhaps he’d do okay in another system, but he was the organization’s first round pick eight years ago (jeez, has it really been that long?) and it’d be nice to get SOMETHING out of him.

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