KC Royals: Bubba Starling’s first MLB home run long time coming

The KC Royals have an exciting new player in the big leagues named Bubba Starling and he belted his first career home run on Sunday against the Cleveland Indians.

Some Kansas City Royals fans probably never expected this moment to come. Ever since Bubba Starling was drafted fifth overall in 2011, Royals fans were waiting patiently for the Gardner native to get to the big leagues, but we waited for a long time before that happened.

Starling finally got his MLB call-up as the second half of the season got underway last week. Fans flocked to Kauffman Stadium to see Starling make his MLB debut and it was a special moment when he had his first ever plate appearance.

In that appearance, Starling walked and ended up scoring his ever ever Major League run while on the base paths that inning. Prior to Sunday’s game in Cleveland, Starling was holding his own through his first few series in the majors, slashing .292/.370/.333.

Sunday was a big game for Starling though, as he crushed his first MLB home run in a tight game against the Tribe. Starling’s home run made it a one-run game, but unfortunately the boys in blue couldn’t complete the comeback.

More from Kansas City Royals

• This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
• The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
• DraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!
• 3 Royals Players Who Won’t Be on the Roster Next Year
• LAST CHANCE to Claim $250 GUARANTEED Bonus With FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!

Even with the comeback falling short, Bubba Starling continues to make waves during his brief time in the majors so far. He was batting .310 before he was finally called up and it was a day that some Royals fans had lost hope in ever happening due to Starling’s previous struggles in the minor leagues.

While Starling might not contribute what was initially expected from him, it’s still nice to see him kicking butt throughout his early tenure in the big leagues. He might not be a long-term answer for the Royals, but at this point, anything they can get out of him will work for this rebuilding franchise.

Starling was never a big power hitter during his time in the minor leagues. This year he hit only seven home runs in 285 plate appearances while in Triple-A Omaha, so Royals fans shouldn’t expect the former first round pick to crush a lot of bombs during his time in KC.

For the time being, however, let’s enjoy the fact that Bubba Starling is hitting well and even hitting for power. Starling is 26 years old and still has time to turn his career around, but for now let’s just be happy that he’s in the major leagues contributing and getting a chance to prove himself to the organization that drafted him eight years ago.