KC Royals: Kyle Zimmer could find himself as the closer in 2021

Kyle Zimmer recorded his first-ever MLB save for the KC Royals on Sunday. Could this be a role he continues to take on throughout the season?

What a series we saw transpire between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox! After getting blanked by the Sox on Friday, the Royals bounced back despite coughing up the lead on more than one occasion and won the game, thanks to a lockdown effort by Kyle Zimmer.

I wrote last week how the Royals were starting to see Zimmer show glimpses of the guy they thought they were getting No. 5 overall in 2012. He continued to wow this weekend by locking down his first save of his MLB career.

While it’s still early in the season, the Royals haven’t really had a consistent closer yet. They gave Greg Holland a shot on Opening Day and then Wade Davis entered when Holland couldn’t get the job done. Holland has yet to actually notch a save this year with Davis, Jesse Hahn, and Zimmer being the three Royals to have one on their 2021 resumé.

Could Kyle Zimmer be the KC Royals’ closer in 2021?

This would make sense for both sides. Zimmer is one of the best relievers and has proven that early into the season with his 0.00 ERA through 6.1 innings pitched. Sure, having a 0.00 ERA against the Rangers isn’t all that impressive considering how bad Texas is this year, but Zimmer also threw 2.2 scoreless innings against a fiery White Sox lineup. He’s been the real deal this year, but again, it’s early.

The Royals are still going to have to figure out who their regular closer is and Zimmer looks to be the best option so far. Not only is he wheeling and dealing on the mound, but he’s now shown he can handle the role.

Kansas City probably didn’t intend for Zimmer to be a closer when they made him the No. 5 overall pick nearly a decade ago, but at least he’d be a heavy contributor for this team now. There was never any doubt about how talented Zimmer could be, his issues always related to injuries and never being healthy for an entire season.

If the Kansas City Royals get themselves a shutdown closer out of Zimmer, all of the frustrations surrounding his health early on in his career will have been forgiven. He’d be a crucial member of this pitching staff and this pick could no longer be looked at as a poor one.

Thankfully the Royals stuck with Kyle Zimmer because it’d have been painful to see him performing like this elsewhere.