Kansas City Royals: 2020 bullpen prediction pre-Spring Training

Trevor Rosenthal RHP – Middle Relief/Set-up

Trevor Rosenthal was once one of most dominant relievers in the NL during his time with the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals. Reuniting with former manager Mike Matheny will boost Rosenthal’s chances of making the 2020 roster, but as a non-roster spring training invitee, the odds are stacked against Rosenthal this spring. His performance in 2019 can only be described as a disaster.

Rosenthal had an unsightly 15.26 BB/9 and 13.50 ERA after making his come back from Tommy John surgery in 2019. Rosenthal did, however, see his elite velocity and movement return. Most pitchers who have the surgery admit the last thing to return to them is feel and ability to command.

For Dayton Moore and Mike Matheny, Trevor Rosenthal presents the premier low risk/high reward signing they were looking for this offseason. If Rosenthal is able to regain his pre-surgery form, he’s a candidate to be a major asset for the Royals bullpen.

It will be important to watch Rosenthal’s command and BB/9 numbers during spring training this year. If he’s able to keep his BB/9 under 4.0, he has a good chance to make the opening day roster. His stuff is still elite enough to be a sleeper pick to take over the closer role if Kennedy is traded midseason.

Richard Lovelady LHP – Middle Relief/Set-up/Opener

Richard Lovelady relies heavily on a plus fastball (93.6 avg mph) and plus slider (87.3 avg mph) to generate groundballs (+50%) and strikeouts (+9.0 K/9). He has shown excellent command of strike-zone in the minor leagues with his BB/9 regularly sitting below 3.0.

Lovelady struggled with his ERA (7.65) and WHIP (1.90) in his 2019 debut performance, but his FIP (4.16) and BABIP (.412) suggest he might have fallen prey to bad luck. His ZIPS projections have him performing significantly better in 2020 with a projected 3.99 ERA, 1.38 WHIP in 58.7 innings worth 0.5 WAR.

Lovelady has shown sustained and consistent success in the upper minors and has the stuff to be effective against both lefties and righties for the 2020 season. There is potential for Lovelady to be a future set-up role reliever if he is able to limit walks, generate groundballs, and strikeouts.

Jorge Lopez RHP – Long Reliever/Spot Starter

At 27 years old, Jorge Lopez still has potential to be number four type starter. He has the stuff to be starter but runs into trouble with his command. There have been times when Lopez has been unhittable only to find himself tire, walk opposing batters, and leave a “cookie” out over the plate to be crushed.

Lopez is a frustrating talent who is out of minor league options. The Royals are in the precarious position in running the risk of waiving Lopez only to see him catch on with another team and have the success the Royals yearned for.

Kansas City will likely keep Lopez on the roster for the start of the 2020 season and may waive him if his performance remains inconsistent by mid-season. Utilizing Lopez in shorter stints may allow him to focus more sharply and let his excellent stuff do its work.