Kris Bubic

From BR Bullpen

Kristofer Bubic

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Kris Bubic was the 40th overall pick of the 2018 amateur draft. He was taken by the Kansas City Royals out of Stanford University in the Competitive Balance Round A. He wast the Royals' fourth pick of the first round, following Ps Brady Singer at #18, and Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch at #33 and 34. In his final year at Stanford, he went 81, 2.62 in 15 starts.

Bubic began his pro career in 2018 with the Idaho Falls Chukars of the Pioneer League. He made 10 starts and pitched 38 innings, going 2-3, 4.03. In 2019, he began the season in the South Atlantic League with the Lexington Legends, then after 9 starts, he was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League, where he made a further 17 starts. He was outstanding at both levels, finishing up the year with a record of 11-5, 2.23 and 185 strikeouts in 149 1/3 innings, against just 103 hits. He was selected to pitch for the American League team at the 2019 Futures Game. He was also named a postseason All-Star in the Carolina League, and a Royals organizational All-Star. He was then named the Royals' Minor League Player of the Year.

Bubic made his big league debut at the start of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, going 1-6, 4.32 in 10 starts and 50 innings. In 2021, he was the starting pitcher in 20 of his 29 appearances and logged 130 innings. He finished at 6-7, 4.43 and recorded 114 strikeouts. However, he had a tough time of it in 2022, when his record fell to 3-13, 5.58 in 28 games. he then made just 3 starts in 2023, going 0-2, 2.94, before needing to undergo Tommy John surgery and missing the remainder of the season.

His days as a top prospect were seemingly a long way behind Kris when he made his return from the surgery in 2024. The Royals only used him out of the bullpen that year as he regained his arm strength, and he pitched just 30 1/3 innings in 27 games. However, his ERA was good at 2.67, and he went 1-1 with 1 save and an excellent 39/5 K/W ratio. The Royals were a much improved team that year and made it into the postseason. He appeared in 4 games, giving up 1 run in 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with the loss in Game 3 of the Division Series against the New York Yankees when he pitched the 8th inning with the score tied at 2; he gave up a homer to Giancarlo Stanton that proved to be the difference in a 3-2 loss.

He was back as a starting pitcher at the start of the 2025 season. He pitched well from the outset, going 2-2, 2.25 in 6 starts in March and April, and then was named the American League Pitcher of the Month in May when he went 3-0, 0.56 in 5 starts. He was named to the All-Star team a month later.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • AL All-Star (2025)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Jared Greenspan: "The unlikely breakout arm giving his team a timely lift", mlb.com, May 18, 2025. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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