Royal Scrolls: KC Reloads at the Deadline

Breaking down the additions, craving more Cameron cutters as the Royals head north

Photo courtesy of AP/Gregory Bull

Royal Scrolls is a recap of the week so far and a preview of the weekend ahead, along with news, nuggets and notes.

Four new players, three series wins in a row, one newsletter to cram it all into.

No cutesy intro this week. Let’s get to it.

Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek

A few hours ahead of Thursday’s MLB trade deadline, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the Royals flipped Freddy Fermin to the Padres for a pair of controllable right-handed pitchers in Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek, both of whom have options remaining and provide KC with much-needed depth.

Bergert’s in his rookie season at 25 years old, working part-time as a starter with seven starts in 11 appearances. He’s tallied 35.2 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 4.24 FIP. The 22.8% strikeout rate is manageable, but his 12.1% walk rate is the culprit for the ballooned FIP and xERA. His .185 average against hides behind a .217 BABIP and .241 xBA, but he does limit damage well with a 37.5% hard-hit rate and 7.3% barrel.

Consider becoming a paid subscriber today with a 25% Trade Deadline Discount to access all Royals Data Dugout newsletters, support the site and read independent coverage all season (and offseason) long.