The Royals’ bullpen gave Kansas City too many headaches in 2026, but the organization may already have a fix hiding in plain sight.
That arm is L.P. Langevin, a right-handed reliever drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft who could be on the verge of becoming the club’s next breakout name.
He’s still only reached High-A in the minors, yet the raw stuff is loud enough to make you pay attention. MLB Pipeline has him as the Royals’ No. 30 prospect, and the calling card is obvious: a 70-grade fastball that lives in the mid-90s and comes with elite spin.
That kind of pitch plays, especially when it helps rack up swing-and-miss after swing-and-miss.
The Royals even recognized that ability at the end of the season by giving Langevin the Dan Quisenberry Reliever of the Year award, handed out to the top reliever in the system. For a team that finished with the third-worst ERA in baseball and a bullpen that posted a combined 5.12 ERA, any sign of relief help matters.
Kansas City’s relievers were part of the problem all year, and the numbers back it up. Lucas Erceg, Alex Lange, and Matt Strahm all went through the worst seasons of their careers in 2026, combining to allow 104 earned runs in just 144 innings.
Together, they finished at minus-3.5 bWAR, while Strahm was designated for assignment in August and the futures of Lange and Erceg with the club are in doubt.
That sets the stage for an opening, and Langevin has the kind of stuff that could force his way into it.
The one thing standing between him and a faster climb is control. Scouts have long pointed to his 35-grade command, and the walks have followed him throughout the minors.
In his first two seasons, Langevin carried a career 7.2 walks per nine rate, which is the kind of number that usually sinks a reliever no matter how electric the arm is. Even so, there were signs of progress in 2026.
Across 40 appearances for High-A Quad Cities, he issued 39 walks in 55.1 innings, which worked out to a better 6.3 BB/9.
That’s still plenty wild, but it’s at least a step in the right direction. And Kansas City can live with some rough edges if the strikeout totals keep looking like this: 106 punchouts in 55.1 innings, good for a 17.2 strikeouts per nine rate. That figure was almost a full strikeout better than San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller this season.
Langevin also gave up just 27 hits, and that’s a big reason his WHIP sat at 1.193 despite the walks. When a reliever misses bats at that rate and keeps contact that scarce, the upside is hard to ignore.
He probably won’t open 2027 in the majors, but if the Royals’ bullpen keeps the door open, Langevin has a real chance to earn a promotion later in the year.
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