Kris Bubic

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #5 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 50. Changeup: 55. Curveball: 50. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: One of five college pitchers taken by the Royals on the first day of the 2018 draft, Bubic led the minors with 185 strikeouts in 2019 and jumped straight from high Class A to the majors in 2020. He made a favorable impression on manager Mike Matheny in spring training with his approach and demeanor and held his own after his callup, logging a 4.32 ERA with a strikeout rate of 8.8 per nine innings over 10 starts despite the massive jump in level.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Bubic is a polished lefthander who relies on his ability to mix and locate three pitches. His fastball sits 90-92 mph and can touch 94. The pitch itself is unremarkable, but it pairs well with an above-average changeup in the low 80s he’s able to keep down in the zone. Bubic’s curveball is his third pitch, but it was his most effective offering in the majors as an average pitch with 1-to-7 shape and solid bite. Bubic has a strong, durable body and generates some deception by hiding the ball in his delivery. He has the potential for above-average control but did not show it in the majors.
  
  THE FUTURE: Bubic has a chance to settle in as a solid, back-end starter as long as he sharpens his command and control. He’s in the mix for a rotation spot in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #8 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Often thought of as the fourth pitcher in the Royals' 2018 draft quartet with Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch and Jackson Kowar, Bubic delivered a first full season that stacked up with any of them. The Stanford product led the minors with 185 strikeouts and posted a 2.24 ERA at a pair of Class A stops between low Class A Lexington and high Class A Wilmington, earning a selection to the Futures Game along the way.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Considered a touch-and-feel lefty when he was drafted, Bubic as a pro has shown an above-average fastball that is tough to hit when he keeps it down in the zone. Bubic can run his heater up to 94 mph and it plays up with heavy sink and armside run, though his velocity fluctuates quite a bit. Bubic pairs his fastball with a plus changeup which stands as the gem of his arsenal. The pitch sinks and dives to generate swings and misses, though he doesn't always throw it as much as he should. Bubic's 1-to-7 curveball has solid bite and projects to average to give him a usable third offering. Bubic has a big, durable body that he keeps under control on the mound. A stab and pause in his delivery provide deception but do not hamper his above-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Bubic has all the makings of a solid back-end starter. He will head to Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2020.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #10 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Bubic capped his three-year career at Stanford with an outstanding junior season in which he went 8-1, 2.62. The Royals continued their run on college arms with the extra draft picks they had accumulated, selecting Bubic in the supplemental first round with the 40th overall pick.
  
  Scouting Report: Bubic profiles as a back-of-the-rotation innings-burner with a high floor and less ceiling than his fellow Royals first-rounders. His 90-94 mph fastball has good run and sink. It's a pitch that he can cut to his glove side and sink to his arm side. The gem of Bubic's arsenal is his plus changeup with late sink. His mid-to-high 70s curveball has medium depth and 12-to-6 movement. It projects as an average pitch. Bubic gets some deception from his low-effort delivery, which features a pause in the back that creates timing issues for opposing hitters.
  
  The Future: The Royals added a plethora of high-profile college pitchers to their system via the 2018 draft. That could create a logjam at the lower levels of the system in 2019. Bubic's most likely landing spot out of spring training will be low Class A Lexington.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #40 prospect in 2018 draft
  Since joining Stanford in 2016, Bubic has been one of the most effective pitchers in the Pac-12. Bubic has improved from his freshman year, when he posted a 3.26 ERA in 21 games (including six starts), to his junior year, when he's been the Cardinal's best weekend starter. Through 10 starts this spring, Bubic has a 2.44 ERA, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12, and the best strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.42) of his career. A talented high school prospect out of Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) High, Bubic has long shown a feel for spin and throws from a delivery in which he tries to emulate Dodgers ace lefthander Clayton Kershaw. However, that's where the comparison with Kershaw stops, as Bubic doesn't possess a single plus-plus pitch and is seen as more of a future back-end starter at the next level. Bubic regularly throws in the low 90s and can ratchet his fastball up to the 94-95 mph range at times, but his velocity this spring has been inconsistent and there have been times where he's finishing games in the upper 80s. With a fastball ranging anywhere from a 45- to 55-grade pitch, Bubic's changeup--which he locates well and throws with good arm speed--is easily his best offering, with some scouts considering it a plus pitch. Bubic has a solid curveball that's average and occasionally shows better, but he's frequently gone to the changeup as his out pitch. During the summer, Bubic pitched in the Cape Cod League, where he posted a 1.65 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 7 walks in 32.2 innings. Bubic pitched so well, in fact, that some scouts went a step further with his changeup, calling the pitch a plus-plus offering at the time. Pitchability and performance will get Bubic drafted more than his pure stuff, but there's still a lot to like as a high-floor college lefthander with impressive track record and a chance to start in the majors.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Carolina League #12 prospect in 2019
  The 40th overall pick in 2018, Bubic struck out 185 in 149.1 innings between low Class A Lexington and Wilmington in his first full professional season. He kept the strikeouts going by adding 11 in seven innings to help the Blue Rocks win the Northern Division playoffs on their way to their first league championship in 20 years. He allowed two hits and one run in that playoff appearance against Salem. Bubic was anything but overshadowed by his rotation mates for Wilmington, three of whom made the league’s Top 10 (righthanders Jackson Kowar and Brady Singer and lefthander Daniel Lynch). He was a late addition to the Futures Game and was a postseason league all-star. "He’s a control pitcher who pounds the zone with three pitches,” Wilmington manager Scott Thorman said. Bubic throws a 93-94 mph fastball with a sinking changeup and an average curveball. He also throws a two-seamer and has deception in his leg kick and delivery.
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #8 prospect in 2019
  It’s fair to wonder if Bubic was a little too advanced for the South Atlantic League, since he had three strong seasons at Stanford, but the Royals had a logjam of starters between low Class A Lexington and high Class A Wilmington, so Bubic was tapped to be Lexington’s ace. He responded by dominating before being promoted after nine starts. Bubic led the minors with 185 strikeouts thanks to a dominating, plus changeup. The pitch has late movement and excellent deception thanks to plenty of arm speed. He can throw it for strikes but can also nibble with it to induce chases out of the zone, and he’s comfortable doubling up on it. Because of his changeup, Bubic had a significant reverse split. SAL righthanders hit just .145/.225/.220 against him. Bubic’s 89-93 mph fastball is merely average. His 11-to-5 curveball is short and shows some bite, but he doesn’t show consistent feel for it. All three pitches play up because he has deception to his delivery, with some deliberate funkiness and a front side that he uses to hide the ball.
• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #5 prospect in 2018
  Bubic was the fourth of five advanced college pitchers the Royals took in the 2018 draft’s first two rounds. He’s a high-floor southpaw with a fastball from 90-94 mph with good run and sink, a pitch that he would cut to the glove side and sink to the arm side. He commands his pitches to both sides of the plate, and a plus changeup with late sink is his “go-to” offering. Bubic’s 73-78 mph curveball has medium depth and 12-to-6 break. It was an average pitch in college for Bubic, but at times was below-average while pitching in the Pioneer League. A low-effort delivery with a pause in the back creates timing issues for batters. The big-bodied lefthander projects as a reliable, back-of-the-rotation starter.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 50. Changeup: 55. Curveball: 50. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: One of five college pitchers taken by the Royals on the first day of the 2018 draft, Bubic led the minors with 185 strikeouts in 2019 and jumped straight from high Class A to the majors in 2020. He made a favorable impression on manager Mike Matheny in spring training with his approach and demeanor and held his own after his callup, logging a 4.32 ERA with a strikeout rate of 8.8 per nine innings over 10 starts despite the massive jump in level.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Bubic is a polished lefthander who relies on his ability to mix and locate three pitches. His fastball sits 90-92 mph and can touch 94. The pitch itself is unremarkable, but it pairs well with an above-average changeup in the low 80s he’s able to keep down in the zone. Bubic’s curveball is his third pitch, but it was his most effective offering in the majors as an average pitch with 1-to-7 shape and solid bite. Bubic has a strong, durable body and generates some deception by hiding the ball in his delivery. He has the potential for above-average control but did not show it in the majors.
  
  THE FUTURE: Bubic has a chance to settle in as a solid, back-end starter as long as he sharpens his command and control. He’s in the mix for a rotation spot in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 50. Changeup: 55. Curveball: 50. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: One of five college pitchers taken by the Royals on the first day of the 2018 draft, Bubic led the minors with 185 strikeouts in 2019 and jumped straight from high Class A to the majors in 2020. He made a favorable impression on manager Mike Matheny in spring training with his approach and demeanor and held his own after his callup, logging a 4.32 ERA with a strikeout rate of 8.8 per nine innings over 10 starts despite the massive jump in level.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Bubic is a polished lefthander who relies on his ability to mix and locate three pitches. His fastball sits 90-92 mph and can touch 94. The pitch itself is unremarkable, but it pairs well with an above-average changeup in the low 80s he’s able to keep down in the zone. Bubic’s curveball is his third pitch, but it was his most effective offering in the majors as an average pitch with 1-to-7 shape and solid bite. Bubic has a strong, durable body and generates some deception by hiding the ball in his delivery. He has the potential for above-average control but did not show it in the majors.
  
  THE FUTURE: Bubic has a chance to settle in as a solid, back-end starter as long as he sharpens his command and control. He’s in the mix for a rotation spot in 2021.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Often thought of as the fourth pitcher in the Royals' 2018 draft quartet with Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch and Jackson Kowar, Bubic delivered a first full season that stacked up with any of them. The Stanford product led the minors with 185 strikeouts and posted a 2.24 ERA at a pair of Class A stops between low Class A Lexington and high Class A Wilmington, earning a selection to the Futures Game along the way.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Considered a touch-and-feel lefty when he was drafted, Bubic as a pro has shown an above-average fastball that is tough to hit when he keeps it down in the zone. Bubic can run his heater up to 94 mph and it plays up with heavy sink and armside run, though his velocity fluctuates quite a bit. Bubic pairs his fastball with a plus changeup which stands as the gem of his arsenal. The pitch sinks and dives to generate swings and misses, though he doesn't always throw it as much as he should. Bubic's 1-to-7 curveball has solid bite and projects to average to give him a usable third offering. Bubic has a big, durable body that he keeps under control on the mound. A stab and pause in his delivery provide deception but do not hamper his above-average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Bubic has all the makings of a solid back-end starter. He will head to Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2020.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  The 40th overall pick in 2018, Bubic struck out 185 in 149.1 innings between low Class A Lexington and Wilmington in his first full professional season. He kept the strikeouts going by adding 11 in seven innings to help the Blue Rocks win the Northern Division playoffs on their way to their first league championship in 20 years. He allowed two hits and one run in that playoff appearance against Salem. Bubic was anything but overshadowed by his rotation mates for Wilmington, three of whom made the league’s Top 10 (righthanders Jackson Kowar and Brady Singer and lefthander Daniel Lynch). He was a late addition to the Futures Game and was a postseason league all-star. "He’s a control pitcher who pounds the zone with three pitches,” Wilmington manager Scott Thorman said. Bubic throws a 93-94 mph fastball with a sinking changeup and an average curveball. He also throws a two-seamer and has deception in his leg kick and delivery.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  It’s fair to wonder if Bubic was a little too advanced for the South Atlantic League, since he had three strong seasons at Stanford, but the Royals had a logjam of starters between low Class A Lexington and high Class A Wilmington, so Bubic was tapped to be Lexington’s ace. He responded by dominating before being promoted after nine starts. Bubic led the minors with 185 strikeouts thanks to a dominating, plus changeup. The pitch has late movement and excellent deception thanks to plenty of arm speed. He can throw it for strikes but can also nibble with it to induce chases out of the zone, and he’s comfortable doubling up on it. Because of his changeup, Bubic had a significant reverse split. SAL righthanders hit just .145/.225/.220 against him. Bubic’s 89-93 mph fastball is merely average. His 11-to-5 curveball is short and shows some bite, but he doesn’t show consistent feel for it. All three pitches play up because he has deception to his delivery, with some deliberate funkiness and a front side that he uses to hide the ball.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Bubic thrived in the number Np. 2 role in his junior year at Stanford, posting an 8-1 record, 2.62 ERA behind Tristan Beck. The Royals made him their fourth pick on day one of the draft, taking the big-bodied southpaw in Compensation Round A and signing him for $1,597,500. Bubic’s money pitch is a changeup that flashes plus, along with an average low-90s fastball and an average or better curveball. He projects as a durable back-of-the-rotation starter.