On deadline day, the Royals made the tough decision to trade backup catcher Freddy Fermin to the San Diego Padres for two pitchers, Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. The Royals had a glaring need for starting pitchers after the injury bug struck, and they found themselves without three of the members of their opening-day rotation. Kolek and Bergert provided flexibility, giving immediate help and depth, as both players have remaining minor league options.
Kolek is the more experienced of the two pitchers, as he was halfway through his second year of MLB service time. Kolek was drafted by the Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB draft, but was traded to the Marlins and wound up with the Padres after they selected him in the 2024 Rule 5 draft. The Padres used Kolek in 42 games, all out of the bullpen, where he posted a 5.21 ERA, and they saw enough to keep him for the 2025 season.
Kolek took a long time to get through the minor leagues and was not helped by the volume of change he saw on his way to the majors. It would take a long time to discuss all of Kolek’s time moving through the minor leagues in different roles for different teams. Here is a summary of the changes he has made so far in his career…
2018 – was drafted out of Texas A&M, where he was a starter, but was moved to the bullpen
2019 – Moved back to the rotation and threw 131.1 innings in the Dodgers organization
2020 – Covid year, no play
2021 – Moved between the pen and the rotation, starting 9 out of his 24 games in the Mariners organization
2022 – Started all 27 games he played in
2023/2024 – Back to the bullpen for 90 of his 91 appearances, the Padres added him in the 2024 Rule 5 draft
2025 – Started in all 15 of his appearances (one with the Royals)
The incredible amount of change Kolek has faced in his career has limited his development over the last 7 years of professional play. He moved from rotation to the bullpen six times and is now playing in his fourth organization with the Royals. Giving Kolek one role and sticking to it will be essential for his development. If the Royals can keep him in the same role consistently, it could do wonders for him.
Kolek has a traditional three-quarters arm slot and brings a good MLB pitcher’s frame, standing at 6’3 “and 210 pounds. He relies on his three fastballs (sinker, four-seam, cutter) for more than 65% of his pitches, with the sinker and four-seamer making up more than 50% of them. He also mixes in a slider, sweeper, and a kick changeup to attack the zone horizontally and forces hitters to swing on top of the ball. His six-pitch mix keeps hitters timing off and helps him force a high volume of ground balls.
Kolek has found results and was called up on August 30 to make a spot start against the Tigers. He entered that game with a 4.18 ERA, and after going six innings and only allowing four base runners (one run), that number dropped below 4. He was efficient, forcing ground balls and managing to work through those six innings in just 71 pitches, showing fans exactly the type of player he is on the mound.
The next steps for Kolek will really come with command. His fastball mix is great and keeps hitters from squaring up the pitch and lifting it into the outfield. But when he misses (especially with the four-seam), he can get hammered. He will also want to see some more consistent depth from his offspeed pitches. At times, the changeup has appeared to be an elite pitch, but other days, he does not get the same depth and can leave the pitch in the zone where it gets hit.
Some of this will come with time, specifically as Kolek gets more consistency with his role and with his coaching staff. When he came out of the bullpen, Kolek went away from the changeup and leaned a lot more on his sinker/cutter mix. As a starter, Kolek will throw with less velocity and will need to be able to utilize his changeup to keep hitters timing off.
Kolek has one start under his belt with the Royals and they hope he can provide some starting pitching depth and take some pressure off the bullpen. Kolek has a 3.99 ERA in the big leagues this season, but with the Royals’ elite defense behind him, I think you can expect that number to improve as he gets more chances in Kansas City.
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