Last season, the Kansas City Royals had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. Their starting rotation was loaded with talent and they have a lot of that talent coming back this year.
Because of this talented and deep pitching rotation, the Royals top prospects aren’t likely going to be able to debut on the bump in Kansas City unless there are trades, struggles, or injuries.
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Just Baseball’s Adam Akbani recently shared some high praise of Royals pitcher Luinder Avila, who made his big league debut last season. Akbani suggested Avila could have a crucial role in the Royals’ bullpen this season.
Luinder Avila could be in Kansas City before you know it
“At the moment, Avila projects as a long reliever with a chance to crack the back end of KC’s rotation if his cutter rebounds. It’s also entirely possible KC still sees him as a starter and allows him to run this back in 2026,” Akbani wrote. “I also wouldn’t mind a permanent switch to a relief role, especially when considering the bump in his strikeout rates when limiting exposure to repeated lineups.
“His 50th-percentile outcome is comfortably an average of about 1 WAR per season, which translates roughly to a sixth starter or a long reliever on a championship-caliber team. With improved command, he could be a 1.5-WAR-per-year guy early in his career. All told, there’s clearly enough on the table to be a valuable member of Kansas City’s staff in some capacity, so I hope he enjoys the local barbecue.”
Avila pitched out of the bullpen last year and he was dominant. He tossed 14 innings in the big leagues, all in relief, and allowed two earned runs. The righty flashed star potential on multiple occasions with his dominant stuff and ability.
He could work his way into the Royals rotation if there are injuries. The Royals have also been connected to trades that would swap Kris Bubic for a star bat. If that comes to fruition, Avila could find himself starting games. But as of now, there’s a good chance he has a big impact on the team’s bullpen this year.
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