Zerpa quickly earning trust in high-leverage situations

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- At some point last summer, Angel Zerpa threw a sinker that registered 99 mph on the stadium radar gun, a number that even he didn’t realize he had the potential to hit.

And then the Royals lefty kept throwing hard sinkers, eventually leading to a season average of 96.5 mph on the pitch, two mph above its average in 2023. It seemed to unlock something for Zerpa, not just with how hitters were reacting, but also with his confidence on the mound -- and Kansas City's confidence in him.

“All of a sudden, this guy is throwing 99 mph from the left side out of the bullpen,” pitching coach Brian Sweeney said. “And it’s like, ‘Whoo, this is pretty good.’”

Now in 2025, the Royals are looking for Zerpa to take the next step as a high-leverage reliever. He appeared in his fourth Cactus League game on Friday, throwing 12 pitches (10 strikes) in a scoreless inning with two strikeouts right before the game ended after the top of the sixth due to rain, giving K.C. an 8-2 win over the Angels at Surprise Stadium.

“Little bit cold today,” Zerpa said. “But I feel good, I feel great.”

Zerpa came up in the Minor Leagues as a starter and debuted for the Royals in 2022 in a spot start role. Conversations about transitioning him back to a starter have always persisted; he’s only 25 years old, with a four-pitch mix and a durable arm. But what he’s shown out of the bullpen, and how his stuff ticked up in short stints, is too good to ignore.

Zerpa introduced his sinker in 2023 and refined the pitch last year. Not only does it have a nasty movement profile with the velocity, but it helps him get ground balls. His 59.2% ground-ball rate ranked in the 96th percentile last season.

“I did a lot of work in the training room to help with the velocity,” Zerpa said. “And definitely getting a break between being a starter and reliever, I could throw harder in the short outings.”

Zerpa posted a 3.86 ERA across 53 2/3 innings last season, spending nearly the entire season with Kansas City. The two weeks he wasn’t with the Royals, when they optioned him at the end of August, was pretty transformational, too.

It was in Triple-A Omaha where Zerpa began to incorporate some deceptiveness into his delivery, adding a little pump leg kick to disrupt the timing of his windup. He doesn’t do it for every pitch, but it’s in the back of his head as an option while on the mound.

“There’s all types of stuff that goes on in that pitching room,” Sweeney said. “How can we get one out? What does that look like? Is it a timing and temp thing? … If that gets us one out and closer to where we want to be as a team, I think it’s done its job.

“You’re kind of seeing a little Oliver Pérez out there. Getting hitters off balance and then throwing 99 mph. It’s really fun. His development has been cool to watch.”

Zerpa was back in the Majors by mid-September and was on the postseason roster. The way the Royals used him in October spoke to the faith they have in him: He pitched four innings, all in tight situations with runners on base.

“You learn to trust yourself,” Zerpa said. “Learn to trust your pitches. It pushes me to get the best out of myself. Being in those pressure situations, you have to step up.”

As the Royals construct their bullpen this spring, the addition of Carlos Estévez, the return of a healthy Hunter Harvey and a full season of Lucas Erceg solidifies the back end of the ‘pen to help close out games.

That trio also has a domino effect on the rest of the bullpen, allowing manager Matt Quatraro to find better spots for relievers like Zerpa.

Zerpa is likely going to be the reliever the Royals turn to as their lefty specialist, but he focused this offseason on improving his secondary pitches to get righties out. For such a small and quiet player, he’s fearless and competitive on the mound, not afraid to pitch inside and always available.

That demeanor -- and the continued improvement of his stuff -- should help when Quatraro puts him on the mound to get the Royals out of jams.

“We’re relying on him to be in high-leverage [situations],” Quatraro said. “Clearly, he’s going to be tough on lefties. But he’s going to have to get good righties out, too, because they’re not going to just let him face lefties. For him to be a high-leverage guy is our hope.”