JUNE 11: The Royals announced that Newberry has cleared outright waivers. The 26-year-old doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency, so he’ll report to Triple-A Omaha and attempt to work his way back onto the major league roster at some point this season.
JUNE 7: The Royals have designated right-hander Jake Newberry for assignment. The move officially creates roster space for the promotion of pitching prospect Jackson Kowar, who will make his MLB debut today. Kansas City also optioned righty Jakob Junis, as was reported yesterday.
Newberry has appeared in each of the last four seasons for Kansas City, and despite some shaky advanced metrics, managed to post a 4.07 ERA over 66 1/3 relief innings for the Royals from 2018-20. Fortune turned on Newberry this season, however, as he was rocked for eight runs and a 16.62 ERA over 4 1/3 innings in 2021.
A 37th-round pick for the Royals in the 2012 draft, Newberry has worked almost exclusively as a reliever throughout his pro career, and he has posted some quality numbers in the minors. Over 406 career innings in the K.C. farm system, Newberry has a 3.24 ERA and 22.3% strikeout rate. Something of an extreme groundball pitcher earlier in his career, Newberry hasn’t translated that skill into the big leagues, with only a 34.5% grounder rate over 70 2/3 innings in the Show.
Would be nice if he clears waivers so we can stash Newbury in AAA, but honestly probably better for all involved if he catches on somewhere else. Not really a path to big league playing time for him in KC.
WOW! This wasn’t what I expected from Kowar’s MLB Debut. I didn’t expect him to throw a no-hitter. I thought he’d go 4-5 innings not get pulled after 0.2 innings and looking like a pitcher on my son’s little league team. At least it’s only 1 start and hopefully he’ll make a decent start his next time out.
Good. Newberry is awful. Been in the origination since 2012 as a 37th round pick. Good he made it to the show. Just not an MLB quality reliever.
Yes. That’s what the article said…
At least the kid made major league salaries for parts of 3 seasons…a lot more than most 37th round picks can say
Anyone who thinks this is a good thing is wrong. Newberry was last year’s fireman for the Royals. He was great. This year he was given three appearances in critical situations and was extended longer than practiced. Don’t worry you amazing bullpen wizards, he won’t clear waivers. Trust me, he will stay in the show. Matheny is making a big mistake.
4.69 era. 1.45 whip. What game are you watching? Or what Newberry?
Exactly. Don’t even sit here and try to tell me that Newberry is worth anything. All 4 seasons he’s been in the majors have been bad. Dudes gave up 10 hits and 8ERs in 4.1 innings this year. He’s garbage. Salute to him for bigs as a 37th round draft pick in 2012, but he’s just not an MLB level reliever.
Judge him by 3 appearances. He is better than Davis right Now.
I judge him by 65 appearances over four seasons where he has a 96 ERA+ which means he’s a replacement level or slightly below pitcher, like I said. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets plucked by someone who needs a bullpen arm and he’ll keep bouncing around and probably play for several more years, but he’ll always be right on the edge of being DFA’d whenever someone needs to call up a guy who’s ready to make a debut.
Correction. You mean “Dayton Moore is making a big mistake.” Mike Matheny is the on Field Manager – Dayton Moore is the General Manager and responsible for moving players around. If he’s being moved, it’s because Dayton Moore has made the decision to move him.
I am sure the Coach is left out the decision making process on who his players are. Get serious. Davis won’t make it past Memorial day. There is no reason to DFA Newberry and our current bullpen is really only five deep, But what the heck, waiver Newberry, demote Junis and Zuber and pray to god Santana and Davis can resurrect their careers. We have been here before. Davis got paid to not play baseball last year.
Bullpen is ONLY five deep.
Name 6 – 8 Be serious
Ummm……Matheny isn’t the person who makes the decision on who is released from the 40 man roster!!! Know what you are talking about
Sure tell me who does? Who exercises the options that get a player in this position during the course of the season.
I would have preferred them DFA Wade Davis. Davis has been almost equally awful, is considerably older with zero upside, and is wasting a roster spot that could and should go to a younger player.
Newberry has far more potential for improvement than Davis
I suspect Davis will just retire if he continues to get hit. Newberry is what Newberry is, he’s going to be a journeyman reliever that spends a lot of time being the 26th man on someone’s roster. The Royals have 10 different guys more deserving of that spot in the future. He’s a solid piece and he’ll have a long career, just not a fit for us right now.
We’ll See
Indeed.
Keep telling yourself that.
Not with that ground ball rate. He will end up on another teams AAA roster as a depth piece. Doubt he ever sticks for an entire season again or is truly effective. Numbers don’t lie. He was extremely lucky in the past at the major league level.
I remember Newberry giving up that game-ending HR to Hobbs. He was never the same. Wait. Never mind. That was Youngberry.
It’s almost like Dayton Moore knew he would clear waivers.