On Thursday the Kansas City Royals announced that they have signed former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Scott Barlow to a one-year Major League contract.
The opportunity is a big one for the 2011 sixth-round pick of the Dodgers as Barlow has yet to make his Major League debut, but will get the chance to in 2018 with Kansas City.
Barlow made big strides on the mound in 2017 as he began the season with Double-A Tulsa. In 19 starts, the right-hander went 6-3 with a 2.10 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while striking out 124 compared to just 37 walks in 107.1 innings or work.
He received a call-up to Triple-A Oklahoma City towards the end of the season and in seven starts he did not quite fare as well. In 32.1 innings he posted a record of 1-3 with a 7.24 ERA and 1.86 WHIP. He struggled with his control, walking 23 batters while striking out 36.
Overall between the two levels, Barlow yielded a 3.29 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 139.2 innings, which was a career-high for the 24-year-old.
Barlow is a Southern California native and attended Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita before being drafted by the Dodgers. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012 but has since made a full recovery and projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter or middle reliever at the Major League level.
Given the Dodgers organizational pitching depth, it was unlikely that Barlow would have reached the big leagues in 2018 in Los Angeles, so it is nice to see him get an opportunity with another organization like the Royals.
