With no fear and no worries, young Brady Singer poised to make difference for Royals
Not a week after his first major-league appearance, 23-year-old Brady Singer was referring to teammate Foster Griffin (who is one year older) as a great “kid.”
And shrugging that he didn’t have to do “too much different” to make good on his second big-league start on Thursday in Detroit after a stellar debut in Cleveland.
And otherwise radiating a certain Alfred E. Neuman persona:
What, me worry?
For all the fire he’s with good reason but somewhat paradoxically known for, it’s the calm assuredness and sheer sense that he belongs that resonates most from Singer.
At least that’s what struck me in a chat we had in late February outside the Royals’ clubhouse in Surprise, Arizona. Back when COVID-19 wasn’t yet a topic and the Royals were inclined to take their time getting Singer to the parent club, everything about him radiated that he knew his rise was inevitable if not imminent.
“It’s kind of ‘no fear’ on the mound; I never worry on the mound,” he said. “I just try to do the best I can, and don’t really think about the fear or failure.”
Sure, that’s the sort of thing that’s easier to say when you have the kind of talent and drive that earns you numerous national player of the year awards and being part of a national championship at Florida on the way to becoming the No. 18 overall pick in Major League Baseball’s 2018 draft.
But it still speaks to a mindset that you either have or don’t have. And whatever inclinations Singer had otherwise when he was younger, maybe this is the most telling part of what he had to say.
“I figured out,” he said that February day, “there’s a lot more that you can do than worry.”
Not that this has been some humdrum experience. It’s been a thrilling few days, including sharing it all with his parents, Brett and Jacquelyn. You may recall hearing about them when Singer used part of his $4.25 million signing bonus to pay off their house and all their debt.
The video of his mom reading the letter aloud over Christmas 2018 was deeply moving, especially the part where Brady wrote, “Your giving hearts helped to shape my tiny dream into a reality. I love you both more than you can ever imagine and will never forget what you both have done.”
When we spoke about the letter in February, he credited his girlfriend, a first-grade teacher, for cleaning up some grammar. But, he added, “It really did come easy. I could sit here all day (and talk about them).”
Emblematic of the ongoing pandemic, alas, his parents weren’t able to attend his first game in the big leagues Saturday. And they may or may not have gotten to hug, with Singer saying he “really tried to stay away from them” but cryptically adding they had moments.
At least we know they got to Cleveland and shared time together at the hotel. And that they got to bask semi-directly in a starting effort that KC Star beat writer Lynn Worthy called one of “guts, guile and gall,” as Singer struck out seven and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in five innings.
Like he was here to stay after just one full season of minor-league ball.
Royals manager Mike Matheny is struck by Singer’s confidence but careful to clarify that Singer retains “a humility and respect for the game balanced with, ‘I know me, I know what I need to do, what I can do ...’”
Singer’s greatest challenges, of course, are ahead. He will get hit, perhaps as soon as Thursday.
But it’s both his dynamic stuff and bristling, resilient makeup that made the Royals see him as the leader of a wave of young pitchers — and the one most ready for this accelerated step.
Way back at Spring Training 1.0, general manager Dayton Moore considered Singer’s future and figured his intelligence and talent and competitiveness ultimately would allow him to “get out major-league hitters for a long time.”
But …
“He just needs more finishing off at the Triple A level,” Moore said then, “and then from there we expect him to force our hand.”
Instead, the COVID-19 coronavirus forced hands all over, from the demise of the minor-league seasons to the revised 60-game major-league season to the virus affecting the Royals directly by delaying the seasons of starting pitchers Brad Keller and Jakob Junis.
So the future became now. And as part of the bridge to the next generation for this franchise, Singer will be one of the most intriguing storylines of this season
Another topic for another time will be to trace exactly from where this superpower trait of competitiveness stems. Whether from his mother, as he pointed out at his introductory news conference, or his father’s varied competitive background, or even if it’s innate.
“He’s always been, ‘Ready to go,’” Jacquelyn Singer wrote on Twitter after his debut was announced. She called him “born for this” in another Tweet.
And part of “this” is the fire that goes with no fear.
No sooner had Singer been drafted than his credentials and highlights were brought to life for Royals fans in an entirely different way from a viral video of him ranting at … rain.
His tantrum erupted during the Gators’ 2017 Super Regional game against Wake Forest, shortly after an umpire told Singer to delay the start of the third inning for a television commercial break.
Then, wham, heavy rain poured down and out came the tarp.
Knowing he wouldn’t be slingin’ in the rain, that precipitated, so to speak, a certain fury in Singer as he left the field. He wasn’t exactly happy to be done for the day.
“That’s my competitiveness,” he said when he was introduced in Kansas City. “And I don’t think I’ll ever go away from that.”
Just like he’s not likely to fret about things, either, or at least certainly not show it. When he struggled over a period of starts last year, he said, he simply worked through it.
“You know, mentally and physically,” he said, “I knew I could figure it out. I was never very worried about it.”
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 5:05 PM with the headline "With no fear and no worries, young Brady Singer poised to make difference for Royals."