Kansas City Royals: 2020 bullpen prediction pre-Spring Training

Scott Barlow RHP – Set-Up/Closer

Scott Barlow was called upon heavily in 2019 making 61 appearance and pitching 70.1 innings of relief for the Royals. Toward the end of the season, Barlow was usually the first man out of the pen when things got sticky for the Royals and his 11.77 K/9 rate and ability to limit the home runs (0.77 HR/9) allowed him to achieve success.

Barlow relies heavily on his quality fastball (94.1 avg mph) and slider (83.8 avg mph) to generate a 14.3% swing strike rate. He gets batters to chase his pitches out of the zone (34.7%) and limits contact (68.8%). If Barlow is able to trim his BB/9 down from 4.73, he could become a reliable closer candidate if/when the Royals move Ian Kennedy.

Tim Hill LHP – Set-Up

Tim Hill became a more reliable option out of the bullpen for the Royals late in the 2019 season. Hill appeared in 35 games in the second half of the 2019 season and dominated left-handed hitters. He wasn’t nearly as dominant against right-handed hitters, but pitched effectively nonetheless.

Hill is effective at limiting hard contact (27.6%) and generating groundballs (57.3%). His sidearm delivery makes it difficult to pick up his fastball (90.2 avg mph) making the pitch appear to have more velocity than it actually does. His 78.0 avg mph slider has a 5.6 pitch value rating and is a plus off-speed offering.

Hill has limited baserunners and has hinted at an ability to miss bats. There’s potential for Hill to be an effective late inning reliever versus both righties and lefties. Hill should see his usage doubled in 2020.