The Royals are taking a look at Braden Shipley
After signing a minor league deal with the Royals in 2019, Braden Shipley is finally given a chance to prove himself.
Some of you might think he will be a bullpen piece. I can see why some of you would think that, but not me. I see him as a potential starter. In an intrasquad scrimmage game the Royals used pitcher Branden Shipley to start the game. He pitched three innings according to Royals beat writer Jeffrey Flanagan.
The Royals are obviously looking to stretch him out this spring. This raises the question: should the Royals look at him in the rotation? I say yes. The Royals have options for the fifth spot. They aren’t strong options though. Shipley has starting experience under his belt. In 2019, he started 15 games for the Reno Aces. During his 15 starts, Shipley posted a 5.95 ERA. That’s not pretty, but it could be much worse. Some of you might be asking why not put Singer in the fifth spot? In my opinion, I don’t think he’s ready for that type of workload. I would put Singer in the bullpen in 2020. I think Shipley can hold down the fifth spot in 2020 and maybe parts of the 2021 season.