Royals reliever looks like MLB’s newest (and best) bullpen weapon
The Royals might not have many wins under their belt but Josh Staumont is giving them hope for the future.
The Kansas City Royals made it to back-to-back World Series in 2014 and 2015 because of their dominant bullpen. Now, they have a reliever who could be absolutely huge for them in getting their rebuild going and returning to relevancy in the next few years.
His name is Josh Staumont and he’s looking every bit the part of a shutdown reliever.
The Royals took Staumont in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft and he made his debut last year for a struggling Kansas City team. He pitched 19.1 innings last year and had an ERA of 3.72 and showed why the Royals had so much faith in him moving forward.
Staumont is turning heads, even after just five innings of work for the Royals.
The former second round pick has made five appearances for the Royals and has pitched five innings total, currently sitting with a 1.80 ERA during that time. He’s allowed only one run and that came in a 14-6 blowout win for the Royals.
Matt Snyder of CBS Sports wrote Staumont could have “the best stuff in baseball” and that came to light for many after his 13-pitch inning against the Cubs on Monday in which Staumont struck out all three batters he faced.
"It wasn’t just the results, though. It was how bad he made two All-Stars and a hitter talented enough to be an All-Star look. He carved them up with triple-digit heat and a ridiculous low-80s curve."
Staumont certainly made the three Cubs he faced on Monday night look silly and it showed just how dominant he can be out of the pen. If they’re hoping to get back to that level of eliteness for their bullpen, Staumont is the guy they should be building around.
He’s only 26 years old and is controllable through the 2026 season, giving the Royals plenty of time to turn Staumont into one of the league’s best relievers and potential All-Star closer in short order.
Future Royals Rotation is Starting to Form. dark. Next
The Royals might not be the most exciting team to watch after losing much of the roster from those teams that made the World Series, but Staumont should have everyone’s attention by season’s end, if not right now with his electric stuff coming out of his right arm.