Brady Singer Passes First Big League Test

Brady Singer thought he was ready for the majors after 26 pro starts, none above Double-A, and 148.1 innings.

The Royals and manager Mike Matheny agreed that Singer was ready. The 2018 first-round pick out of Florida made his big league debut on July 25, starting the second game of the season in Cleveland. The Indians’ lineup featuring multiple Silver Sluggers did not cause Singer to lose sleep.

“I’m not really worried about much of anything else, as long as we win,” Singer said prior to the start.

The Royals won in 10 innings and Singer pitched well.  The 23-year-old, 6-foot-5, 210-pound righthander allowed two runs on three hits, all singles, and two walks over five innings, while striking out seven.

“There were obviously a few butterflies,” Singer said. “I just let the first pitch go as hard as I could and just dialed in from there and went back to the scouting report.”

While there were no spectators because of the pandemic, his parents flew into Cleveland and watched the game on television from a nearby hotel.

Singer is the seventh Royals pitcher to start a game within two seasons of being drafted since 1995. 

“This is about the time I thought I could get here,” Singer said. “I put the expectations on myself to be here as soon as I can, and this is where I saw myself.”

Singer was still in big league camp in March when the coronavirus pandemic put everything on pause.  Matheny liked what he saw then.

“All this is just a buildup for a great challenge for this guy and the next step in his story,” Matheny said. “We get to be a part of it.”

Singer used the time between spring training and summer camp to focus on his changeup, but he threw just two against the Indians. His fastball was in the 93-95 mph range, while his plus slider was 83-85 mph and troubled lefthanded hitters.

ROYALTIES

— Lefthander Foster Griffin picked up his first major league victory in the fourth game of the season in Detroit, but the 2014 first-round pick left the outing with a forearm strain.

— Eight Royals players tested positive for COVID-19 during summer camp, including starting pitchers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, right fielder Hunter Dozier and all-star catcher Salvador Perez.  Only Perez was available when the season opened.

—The Royals worked out a deal with the independent Kansas City T-Bones to use Wyandotte County Stadium for workouts for the taxi squad. It is 23 miles west of Kauffman Stadium.