Bubba Starling

32-Year-Old OutfielderOF
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Bubba Starling in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year, minor-league contract with the Royals in December of 2020.
Elects to retire
OFFree Agent  
October 26, 2021
Starling announced his retirement Tuesday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
The 2011 fifth overall pick didn't make his MLB debut until 2019. He went on to appear in 91 major-league games in that season and the next, hitting just .204/.246/.298. He didn't appear in the majors in 2021 but did get to play for the United States Olympic team, winning a silver medal in Tokyo.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Bubba Starling See More
MLB Barometer: Olympic Preview Edition
July 26, 2021
Erik Halterman offers up a special edition of his column, featuring a break down of Olympic baseball, while also listing this week’s risers and fallers, starting with Juan Soto.
Regan's Rumblings: Looking to Leave Impression
September 15, 2020
As teams start to evaluate young talent, David Regan looks at a handful of players, like Bobby Dalbec in Boston, hoping to end this season having made a good impression.
Bernie on the Scene: American League Trade Chips
August 24, 2020
With the trade deadline approaching, Bernie Pleskoff looks at what American League teams have to offer, and what they need. Could George Springer get moved for pitching?
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
August 16, 2020
Erik Siegrist reviews the free-agent pool in the American League and thinks it might finally be time for Clint Frazier to shine for the Yankees.
Bernie on the Scene: 10 Players to Avoid
July 20, 2020
Bernie Pleskoff analyzes 10 players he's staying away from this season, including Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
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2012
In 2011, the Royals selected Starling with the fifth overall pick and gave the hometown kid $7.5 million not to go to college. They took him over the likes of Anthony Rendon, Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez and George Springer to name a few guys. Starling is now 28 years old and has under 300 major-league PA to his name with some abysmal numbers to show for it, and it is isn't like his .244/.317/.393 career minor-league line is anything to write home about. The Royals cut him loose from the 40-man roster this winter, but brought him back to the organization on a minor-league deal in early December. If Starling does anything at the major-league level, it would be a surprise given the massive gap between his potential and production to date. There is no reason to take a chance on him in fantasy.
The fifth overall selection of the 2011 draft finally reached the majors in 2019. Starling is an amazing athlete who simply has not been able to put it together at the upper levels of baseball around injuries. He had some success in Triple-A, and Kansas City rewarded him with a promotion. He was simply overmatched by big-league pitching and was very unproductive in his nearly 200 plate appearances. The hometown kid has all the athleticism any player would want, but owns a .244/.317/.393 slash line for his minor-league career over nearly 2,800 plate appearances. Starling is out of minor-league options, so the Royals will give him every opportunity in Arizona to make the club so they can try to get something from the guy they drafted over the likes of Anthony Rendon, Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez that year.
Starling had a decent enough season in 2015, but any optimism that the former fifth-overall pick would avoid being a complete bust was negated by his woeful performance last year. He struggled mightily at Double-A, and though he showed absolutely no signs of being able to handle the level, the Royals went ahead and promoted Starling anyway, with predictable results. He hit a homer in his first game with Triple-A Omaha, but he would hit only one other home run (among just eight total extra-base hits) over his remaining 173 plate appearances at the level. He is running out of time to salvage any value for the team that drafted him, and Starling is more likely to become a cautionary tale against drafting a player so high in the draft based purely on his raw tools. Playing multiple sports used to be considered a positive indicator for a ballplayer's athleticism, but now it just calls into question whether the player has developed the necessary skills against competition that is increasingly focused on a single sport.
The fifth overall pick in a loaded 2011 draft finally reached Double-A as a 22-year-old after destroying High-A pitching over the first two weeks of last season. Starling’s numbers were less monstrous once he got to the Texas League, but across the two levels he was still able to post his best OPS (.785) since he was playing rookie ball 2012. It is still too soon to say that Starling will make it as an everyday outfielder in the big leagues, but that now seems like a more likely scenario than it did a year ago. He already has the requisite defensive tools to play center field and the raw power to handle a corner spot if that’s what the roster dictates. After showing the ability to make more contact last season, posting a tolerable 24.9% K-rate, this year will be all about getting his plus raw tools to show up in games more often. Starling will likely spend the majority of 2016 at the Triple-A level.
Starling spent the entire 2014 season at High-A Wilmington, where he was unable to improve on his poor plate discipline, striking out a career-worst 150 times compared to just 49 walks. To add to his struggles, he hit a career-low nine home runs, and posted a shaky .218/.304/.338 slash line over 482 at-bats. It wasn't all bad, however, as Starling was able to steal 17 bases, and continues to be regarded as one of the better defensive outfield prospects in the organization. Now entering his age-22 season, time may soon be running out for Starling, though the Royals remain hopeful the adjustments they've made in his stance and swing will help him fulfill some of his power potential.
After hitting 13 home runs and stealing 22 bases over 125 games for Low-A Lexington last year, there remains a good amount of promise and hope that the 21-year old Starling will eventually blossom into a solid major league outfielder. His biggest issues, ones that weren't corrected moving from the Royals' Rookie League to Lexington, are found inn his plate discipline, or lack thereof. He hit .241 for the year and struck out 128 times over 498 plate appearances. While that rate is slightly lower than it was the year before, it is still a little high for a player with his expected skill set. He is obviously still young enough to make significant improvements in his game. However, this season, which he will likely spend at High-A Wilmington, could play a key role in whether or not he remains a top prospect moving forward.
Starling, the former two-sport high school standout in Kansas, enjoyed his first full professional season when the Royals assigned him to their short-season Rookie League affiliate last year and he hit .275 with 10 home runs, and nine stolen bases over 232 plate appearances. He also posted a .371 OBP as well as an ISO that ran north of .200 for the year. Starling is still very much a work in progress as he also posted a strikeout rate of over 30 percent and appears to need some work on his basic hitting mechanics. Still, the raw power, the bat speed and his speed both on the bases and in the outfield make him a very intriguing option as he develops. He is still just 20 years old and needs to play a full season in the minors before we see just how quickly he could advance, but if you are playing in a dynasty league, he should be more than just on your radar.
Starling was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft. A local prospect, he came straight out of high school, bypassing a potential stay at the University of Nebraska, where he could have played both baseball and football. Expected to move quickly through the Royals' system, owners will want to track Starling as he is viewed as an elite level prospect with power and speed.
More Fantasy News
Misses Opening Day roster
OFKansas City Royals  
April 1, 2021
Starling did not make the Royals' Opening Day roster, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
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Inks minor-league deal
OFKansas City Royals  
December 12, 2020
Starling signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Saturday.
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Non-tendered by Royals
OFFree Agent  
December 2, 2020
Starling was non-tendered by Kansas City on Wednesday.
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Out with back spasms
OFKansas City Royals  
Back
September 23, 2020
Starling was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right lower-back spasms.
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Remains on bench
OFKansas City Royals  
September 9, 2020
Starling will sit for the second straight game Wednesday against Cleveland, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
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