Kansas City Royals: Minor leaguers who could make impact in 2019
MINOR LEAGUERS WHO COULD MAKE IMPACT – BUBBA STARLING
A very similar story to that of Kyle Zimmer, Bubba Starling has a pretty good chance at playing at the K at some point this season. Starling was KC’s first round pick in 2011 and has struggled to do much of anything throughout his frustrating career.
Early on for Starling, he struggled offensively, but the defense and the speed were prominent. Over the last few years, however, he’s been bitten by the injury bug quite frequently. Starling has been red hot early on through Spring Training, batting .667 in nine at bats.
Starling has notched six hits, two home runs, and five RBI in those nine plate appearances. He had a walk-off walk (that’s a thing) against the Padres the other day, proving that maybe Starling is ready for those “tense” situations in the bigs.
Bubba Starling, after nearly getting hit twice with pitches with the bases loaded, gets a walk-off walk, and the Royals beat the Padres, 3-2, here in Surprise. Cheers, everyone.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) February 28, 2019
Spring Training is a whole other animal than the regular season, but fans should gladly take any kind of positivity surrounding Starling. We’ve been waiting since 2011 for him to make his debut and now it’s looking like 2019 could finally be the time for him to step up to the plate in Kauffman Stadium.
Come on, Bubba!