Kris Bubic is a name that a lot of baseball fans probably didn’t know before this season. Bubic had pitched more than 100 innings only twice in his career, coming into this season. The 6-foot-3, 28-year-old southpaw from Stanford put on a show in the first half of the 2025 season. After returning from Tommy John surgery this year, he seemingly came out of nowhere before an injury to his rotator cuff derailed his season.
In 116.1 innings pitched, Bubic had a dazzling 2.55 ERA and was averaging almost a strikeout an inning. He also put up his lowest WHIP for a full season in his career at 1.178. These numbers were good enough for him to earn his first career All-Star nod. Bubic was the third All-Star Kansas City Royals starting pitcher over the past two seasons, joining Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans.
Bubic was a steady force in the Royals rotation who wasn’t talked about enough. Ragans, being one of those All-Star pitchers last year, missed most of the 2025 season, only pitching 61.2 innings and having a 4.67 ERA. Lugo also didn’t have the best season, pitching 145.1 innings and having a 4.15 ERA. Despite this, the Royals’ pitching staff had the sixth-best ERA in the majors, making it even more impressive that Bubic’s season stood out. The way Bubic is successful is different from how a lot of other pitchers are successful these days. He doesn’t blow you away with velocity; he relies on deception and his high arm angle.
Bubic throws a five-pitch mix, which includes a fastball, changeup, sweeper, slider and sinker. His fastball is his most used pitch at 38%, but it doesn’t light up the radar gun, with his average velocity being roughly 92 mph. His fastball velocity puts him in the 18th percentile among all Major League pitchers. The fastball, while good, was not his best pitch, as that would be his breaking stuff. He ranks in the 90th percentile for his breaking ball run value. This was evident in the opponents’ batting average against him, which was only .227. Bubic was a very valuable pitcher this season, ranking in the 87th percentile in pitching run value.
Bubic going out definitely hurt the Royals, as he was not just an All-Star, but a consistent rock in their starting rotation. Not having him during their October push unquestionably wrecked the Royals playoff chances. The injury bug seemed to plague the Royals, with three of their best pitchers all facing injuries this season. Though this should not overshadow the season that Bubic had.
The proof is in the pudding, and Bubic’s numbers were very good in a season that unfortunately ended early. He’s dealt with injuries before, and this season showed that he can bounce back. The Royals would love to have the top three guys in their rotation all be healthy next year, as they try to take over an incredibly weak division. If the Royals do win the division, Kris Bubic should be a major factor as to why.
