Kansas City Royals: Bubba Starling off to hot start in Spring Training

The Kansas City Royals have played four games in Spring Training so far and the star of the show has been none other than Bubba Starling… Just like we all predicted.

Every year in Spring Training, there’s always one player who outshines his teammates. Someone emerges from the shadows and wows all of us to the point where we wonder why this guy hasn’t been able to have that kind of production in the regular season. Well, so far for the Kansas City Royals, that player is Bubba Starling.

Through four games in Spring Training, Starling is hitting .857 with two home runs and four RBI. He’s also showcased his defense and his speed in his limited action in February, making all of us think Starling could finally be ready to contribute in the big leagues.

While the Royals have played in four total games, Starling has played in three of them, making his numbers even more impressive. He’s had seven at bats in those three games and is absolutely raking at the plate.

So, what does this mean for Bubba Starling and the Royals? Honestly, not much.

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It’s great to see Starling performing well, but this is Spring Training. It’s the preseason of Major League Baseball and guys are out there to get warmed up and ready to go for the regular season.

Pitchers aren’t necessarily major league ready yet, meaning hitters are due to have success against them. I’m not trying to take anything away from Starling, but he’s been in the Royals’ system since 2011 and hasn’t gotten to the bigs yet. A nice three-game stretch shouldn’t get anyone excited.

The Royals used their first round pick on Starling back in 2011 and between offensive struggles and injuries, he’s had a rough go of it. The Gardner native hasn’t been able to figure things out and it’s led to him still being on the outside looking in when it comes to his major league future.

It’s obviously a good sign to see Starling hitting well, but we’re four games into Spring Training and there’s still a month left to go before the regular season begins. If Starling is still hitting well a month from now, then yes, fans will have a legitimate reason to be excited.

For now though, let’s taper our expectations. Bubba Starling has been one of those guys we’re all wanting to see get his shot in the majors, but there’s a reason he hasn’t gotten that opportunity yet.

Here’s to hoping his hot hitting (say that five times fast) keeps going and we finally get to see ol’ Bubba in the big leagues this year.