Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy’s transition to the bullpen still just getting started
Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy, the latest in the line of career starters to make the move to the bullpen, got some key firsts out of the way in the opening days of the season last week.
He logged his first relief appearance in a decade in the opener, his first career save the next game. He experienced the sour side of pitching at the back-end of the bullpen on Tuesday night when he blew a save opportunity against the Twins. He allowed one run on three hits to give up a ninth-inning lead, and the Royals lost in 10 innings.
Thirteen seasons in the majors as a pitcher, and it’s still like playing a slightly different game for Kennedy.
Kennedy dived, or maybe was pushed, feet first into his new role as a bullpen pitcher with two appearances, including his first career save, in the first two games of the season. But he’s still figuring out the day-to-day of being a relief pitcher — especially in a bullpen where roles remain fluid.
“Spring training, you know when you’re going to go in,” Kennedy said. “The adrenaline is a little bit better when you first start going. I was telling them on opening day that the games go by quicker because you’re locked in the whole time, and you don’t know when you’re going to go in so you’ve got to stay ready, you’ve got stay loose, gotta conserve.”
He still has to navigate knowing when to get ready, what it takes for him to get loose and crafting a routine in order to perform consistently in late-game situations.
Kennedy came into this season with just two relief appearances in the majors, and the most recent before opening day came in September 2009.
The Royals made major changes to what had been one of the worst bullpens in the majors in 2018. This year’s unit has several players with experience closing such as Brad Boxberger, Jake Diekman and Wily Peralta.
Kennedy said a lot of bullpen pitchers were getting ready around the sixth inning during Saturday’s game. The uncertainty about who’ll be called means a heightened state of readiness for the entire group, especially in a close game.
That’s something Kennedy has never had to worry about on a regular basis.
“I’ve asked a lot of guys what they’ve done,” Kennedy said. “A lot of them — pretty much all of them — say make sure your body is loose and try to save as many throws as you can. You try to get a feel for the game as it’s going on. I watched Diekman. It’s nice to see them because we didn’t throw on the same day in spring training. I get to see guys who’ve done it for a long time.”
The sweet spot as far as getting ready is doing enough to get your body prepared for the outing while also not overdoing it.
Kennedy said he hopes to settle into a set warmup routine that will get him ready to pitch quickly in high-leverage situations but also allow him to conserve pitches as the season stretches on into the summer months.
“I’m still trying to figure it out too,” Kennedy said of how many pitches it takes to get ready. “I think around that 10 mark, but ask me in June.”
Peralta, who won 17 games as a starter one season for the Milwaukee Brewers, successfully made the transition to reliever that Kennedy is attempting this season.
“I feel like I went to the bullpen in ‘17 and it took me a couple months to find that routine, especially when you go to the bullpen and you don’t have a specific job, a specific role that you’re going to be in,” Peralta said. “It’s a little difficult to find a routine that way. For me, it took me a little while. Some people find it right away.”
Boxberger has 77 career saves on his resume, including 41 during his AL All-Star season of 2015. He saved 32 games last season with Arizona. Aside from the first half of his first professional season in the minors, Boxberger has been a relief pitcher.
That process definitely shortens up as a player adjusts and his body gets used to spring into action quickly, according to Boxberger. Though he points out everybody is different.
He’s certainly a proponent of less is more. If he can do it in six pitches that’s ideal. After all, the mission is simply to get the body ready.
Boxberger isn’t worried too much about how his pitches look in the bullpen.
“It’s a matter of just getting loose, getting your arm ready,” Boxberger said. “I mean going from the bullpen into the game, your stuff is going to play differently anyway. The pitches when you’re actually on mound are going to be more predictive of what you’re actually going to see versus when you’re throwing in the bullpen.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2019 at 8:29 PM with the headline "Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy’s transition to the bullpen still just getting started."
