{"id":3072,"date":"2017-01-11T23:18:29","date_gmt":"2017-01-12T04:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=3072"},"modified":"2017-01-11T23:18:29","modified_gmt":"2017-01-12T04:18:29","slug":"nate-karns-value-kansas-city-royals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/01\/11\/nate-karns-value-kansas-city-royals\/","title":{"rendered":"Nate Karns’ Value to the Kansas City Royals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trade rumors had been surrounding Jarrod Dyson<\/a><\/strong> for awhile, so it wasn\u2019t a huge surprise when the Kansas City Royals\u00a0acquired pitcher Nate Karns<\/a><\/strong> from the Seattle Mariners for the outfielder last week.<\/p>\n

Nate Karns’ Value to the Kansas City Royals<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fans were sad to see Dyson go. His swanky personality was perhaps more notable than the amount of playing time he received. He coined the memorable tagline “That’s what speed do”, and proved “what speed do”\u00a0time and time again on the base paths and in the outfield. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.\u00a0But what, exactly, is Nate Karns’ value to the Royals?<\/p>\n

Where does Karns fit in?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

General Manager Dayton Moore stated that Karns will be competing for a rotation spot, but the Royals may send him to the bullpen if he can become a power reliever. Over his career, batters have hit .247 the first time through the order, .212 the second time through the order, and .287 the third time through the order. If Karns happens to make four trips through the order, batters hit .500 and slug .625 against him.<\/p>\n

Although that is from a small sample size, it appears that once he\u00a0starts a third trip through the order, Ned Yost<\/a><\/strong> will need to watch him carefully.\u00a0According to FanGraphs, Karns throws a fastball, a knuckle curve, and a changeup. With only three pitches, batters have\u00a0seen everything he has to offer after two at-bats; that can severely limit how far Karns can go in a game.<\/p>\n

Another problem is that\u00a0Karns has recorded just 16.1 innings as a reliever, with a 7.71 ERA. All these things point to him as\u00a0a prime candidate for being moved\u00a0to the bullpen. The Royals could turn him into a very good reliever, as they have done with many other failed starters. If Karns does wind\u00a0up in the bullpen, it will allow him to cut loose for an inning. This could improve his velocity.\u00a0In 2016, Karns\u2019 fastball averaged\u00a092.9 mph, so it’s not out of the question to see it jump to the mid-90’s in a relief position.<\/p>\n

A New Hope<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fangraphs also reported that Karns\u2019 fastball ranked\u00a0among the best in rise and spin in 2015. However, in 2016, he finished in the bottom half among qualifiers.\u00a0Batters used to see the ball an inch higher at the plate than they expected; now, the fastball is worse than average in that regard.<\/p>\n

Driveline Baseball discovered some evidence pointing to\u00a0a drop in spin rate as a marker for unhealthy fatigue. Sure enough, there was a decline into two exits – July 30th and September 1st – for a lower back strain.\u00a0It might sound strange, but in this instance, Karns’\u00a0injury history provides some hope for the Royals. If his health improves, it\u2019s fixable. It\u2019s a mechanical issue.<\/p>\n

The Unknown<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Overall, Karns\u2019 numbers aren\u2019t anything to shout about. He appears to be a fifth starter or middle reliever.\u00a0Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland<\/a><\/strong> could perhaps make him a lot better, and that may be why Dayton Moore took a chance on him. Its probably best to keep an open mind on Karns until fans learn what\u00a0Nate Karns’ value really is.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n