Having a long and successful career in Major League Baseball is all about seizing an opportunity — which might only come around once for any individual player.
Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Stephen Kolek has never been a lock to be a successful big-leaguer. He was a much less heralded prospect than his older brother Tyler, and after he was selected in the 11th round of the 2018 draft, he bounced around three minor-league systems.
Kolek debuted last season with the San Diego Padres, but his trade to the Royals this summer may have jump-started his career. It all depends on how much the Royals are willing to believe the pitcher they saw this month can keep up the good work.
Kolek arrived alongside fellow righty Ryan Bergert in the trade with San Diego, and it was Bergert who immediately joined the major league rotation. Kolek was kicked to Triple-A Omaha, but injuries to other starters allowed him five starts with the Royals down the stretch.
In those five starts, though, he put up a snazzy 1.91 ERA and allowed just 23 baserunners in 33 innings. The Royals quite obviously won’t tip their hand this soon, but Kolek just may have done enough to earn himself a rotation look next spring.
“He should have a lot of confidence,” manager Matt Quatraro said after Kolek’s final start of the season on Wednesday (via Anne Rogers of MLB.com). “He took advantage of his opportunity and did a great job. There’s a lot to like about what we saw.”
The existing starting pitching depth the Royals have won’t work in Kolek’s favor. If everyone is healthy coming into camp, the Royals probably have five locks: Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, and Noah Cameron.
However, the Royals know that injuries are a near certainty for starting pitchers at this point. A year ago, Alec Marsh was likely a preseason favorite to grab a rotation spot — and he never wound up throwing a pitch all season.
Kolek will get his shot next season at some point as long as he stays healthy. And if he proves this five-start stretch was no fluke, he just might ingrain himself in the Royals’ long-term plans.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com ’
