Kansas City Royals: Expectations for Eric Skoglund in 2019
Kansas City Royals fans might have forgotten about Eric Skoglund, but the pitcher is currently rehabbing in Double-A Northwest Arkansas. What can fans expect from him this year?
Two years ago, Eric Skoglund wowed us all when he made his MLB debut against the Detroit Tigers. In case you forgot, that was when Skoglund went 6.1 scoreless innings and out dueled Justin Verlander (who was still with the Tigers at the time), helping the Kansas City Royals win 1-0.
Since that outing, Skoglund had a few decent performances here and there, but for the most part, he’s been disappointing. Prior to the start of this season, Skoglund was popped with an 80-game suspension, one that prevents him from pitching in an MLB game until the end of this month.
Despite being suspended, Skoglund is now allowed to pitch in the minor leagues and he’s made two starts with Double-A Northwest Arkansas since he was able to start throwing again last week. In those two starts, Skoglund has pitched ten innings and surrendered six earned runs, giving him an ERA of 5.40 and WHIP of 1.60.
Eric Skoglund got roughed up a bit in his 2nd “rehab” start (coming back from PED suspension). He didn’t get hit hard very often, but he wasn’t missing any bats either.
— Royals Farm Report (@RoyalsFarm) June 18, 2019
4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
With Skoglund set to return to the Royals next week (at the earliest), what can fans expect from him in 2019?
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More than likely, Skoglund will continue to be used as a starter down the stretch. Out of the 21 total games he’s appeared in throughout his career, 18 of them have been starts. He’s being used as a starter in the minors right now too, so that’s likely the direction the Royals go in.
With that said, right now the Royals have Danny Duffy, Brad Keller, Jakob Junis, Homer Bailey, and Glenn Sparkman in their rotation. For the heck of it, here are the ERAs of the current rotation:
- Bailey – 4.82
- Duffy – 4.64
- Junis – 5.33
- Keller – 4.45
- Sparkman – 4.01
The most realistic option as to who Skoglund would replace out of this group is Glenn Sparkman. It’s not that Sparkman has been bad (he has the best ERA amongst the starters, as you can see), but he was inserted into the rotation when Jorge Lopez struggled. He did well in a relief role earlier in the season and the Royals could opt to put him back in the bullpen as a long reliever.
Another option, and the one I hope the team rolls with for the time being, is that the Royals put Skoglund in the bullpen until an opportunity presents itself. Whether this is a starter performing poorly, an injury to a starter, or something else that requires a new arm in the rotation, it’d be Skoglund’s way into a starting role.
With Skoglund not having thrown on a major league mound since September 30th (a game in which he went five innings and allowed one run), it might be best to let him spend some time in the bullpen before he gets a chance to start.
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No matter what the Kansas City Royals decide to do, Eric Skoglund should hopefully be able to pitch some quality innings for this team in 2019. There’s no pressure on this team, as they’re not playing for anything other than a top draft pick, so why not let Skoglund show what he’s got in the tank?
What do you think the Royals should do with Eric Skoglund this year?