Kansas City Royals: 2020 bullpen prediction pre-Spring Training
By Cody Rickman
Josh Staumont RHP – Middle Relief/Opener
Josh Staumont possesses potentially dominant stuff out of the pen if he can find some control. His fastball is elite and tops out around 100 mph and his curveball is absolutely knee buckling with sharp movement at 81 mph. Staumont made most of his relief appearances for the Royals in low pressure situations in 2019 and will continue to do so for the early half of the 2020 season.
Staumont found some control and sustained success when he dialed back his velocity and set-up his curveball. A continuation of this strategy in spring training will be necessary for Staumont’s progression as he continues to gain confidence and experience facing major league hitters.
Staumont’s stuff make him the perfect candidate as an opener if the Royals and new manager Mike Matheny employ this strategy during the 2020 season. If Staumont is able to keep his BB/9 around 4.5 and return his K/9 up to his minor league career avg of +11.0 then he could be shut-down reliever.
Jesse Hahn RHP – Middle Relief/Opener
Jesse Hahn has some of the best stuff on the Royals roster as well as some of the worst luck when it comes to his health. Hahn is able to throw his fastball above 96.0 mph and upsets batter’s timing with an 85-mph slider and 87-mph change-up. Hahn also throws what can be described as a “Bugs Bunny” curveball with tremendous depth at 76 mph (although we didn’t see it in 2019).
Hahn was still recovering and gathering confidence in his pitching elbow late in the 2019 season. He looked sharp in his first two appearances striking out four batters in two innings of relief, but the next four appearances were rough and he was unable to find control of his pitches.
With another offseason of rehabilitation, Hahn should be ready to win a middle relief role this spring. He is no longer a candidate to be a starting pitcher, but his stuff is good enough in short stints to be an Opener.
If Hahn is healthy for 2020, he could provide excellent value out of the Royals pen.