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https://theathletic.com/2484822/2021...his-mlb-debut/

Meet the Royals new RF. How Kyle Isbel evolved from really annoying to the brink of his MLB debut.
by
Alec Lewis

Royals top pitching prospect Daniel Lynch talked over the winter about competing at the alternate site in 2020. He had faced the same hitters every day. It had been, as he put it, “really annoying.” Especially when outfielder Kyle Isbel, a 24-year-old left-handed hitter, stepped into the box.

Usually, when Lynch faces lefties, he attacks them with fastballs and sliders.

“I was going to get them out every time,” he said.

This wasn’t arrogance but a reality: Lynch is a lengthy lefty with an upper-90s fastball and sweeping slider. (The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him the No. 17 prospect in MLB for a reason.) Against Isbel, though, this did not work. Lynch would try a fastball and Isbel would hammer it to the opposite field. The pitcher would then feather a slider, and Isbel would spit at it, waiting for the pitch he wanted. Hence, the annoying part. Lynch would have to throw change-ups in counts he had never thrown them before. Isbel was that advanced.

That skill helps explain why Isbel will be breaking camp with the Royals’ big-league club. Manager Mike Matheny announced Wednesday that Isbel will start in right field on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers.

Isbel, whom the Royals selected in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft, earned an opportunity to compete for the big-league club this spring. His advanced ability to hit shows in the statistics. He has posted a .978 OPS in 48 plate appearances during Cactus League play. Some might balk at the 6.9 OppQual (quality of pitching faced), per Baseball-Reference, but in comparison, Royals starting third baseman Hunter Dozier has posted a 1.042 OPS against a 7.2 OppQual. The numbers are comparable, as is the temperament of both players.

That gets to another element of Isbel’s makeup that the Royals have long noticed. Throughout 2020, as prospects played games at the club’s alternate site in Wyandotte County, Kan., staffers watched how players responded to particular performances. Isbel would tally a 4-for-4 day with a home run against a big-league pitcher and arrive at the ballpark the next day almost unfazed about what he had done. He’d then strike out twice in the next game and arrive the next day with his facial expression and focus exactly the same.

Royals officials observed a similar response when they reassigned Isbel to minor-league camp a couple of weeks ago. There were no eye rolls. No questions as to why. No voicing of frustration.

In Royals circles, the 2018 MLB Draft has become something of a legend because of the amount of pitching they selected. Yet as stoked as the Royals were about the arms they selected, they had their eyes set on one specific hitter: Isbel. When scouting director Lonnie Goldberg exited the draft room after the first night, he was shocked that Isbel was still on the board. He didn’t think they’d have a chance to select him the next day. The Royals were that convinced of his potential because of what they’d seen both in college and during the pre-draft workout.

Royals area scout Ken Munoz had gotten to know Isbel, who batted .376 with 10 home runs and 22 RBIs as a junior at UNLV. Munoz liked the player a lot, so the Royals invited Isbel to a pre-draft workout on a whim. Munoz received a spontaneous call, saying: “Drop everything. Isbel is coming to Kansas City.”

Munoz booked a flight the following day, picked Isbel up at the airport and drove him to the stadium. Their time together only solidified Munoz’s belief.

“It reinforced what a special person Kyle was,” Munoz said.

On the second day of the draft, Isbel remained on the board until the Royals pounced on him with the 94th pick, the 16th pick of the third round.

“I don’t know how things worked out,” Royals scouting director Lonnie Goldberg said later. “But that was huge for us.”

It didn’t take long for Isbel to show why. In 105 at-bats at short-season Idaho Falls in 2018, Isbel posted a 1.063 OPS. The Royals, understanding he was fit for a higher level, moved him to Low-A Lexington, where Isbel continued to succeed. He posted a .779 OPS in 159 at-bats. The performance paved the way to 2019. Isbel earned an assignment to High-A Wilmington and 12 games into the season his OPS sat around 1.100. An opportunity at Double-A Northwest Arkansas seemed inevitable. Then, because this is baseball, there had to be adversity.

In the 13th game at Wilmington, a slicing line drive to center field bounced and hit Isbel in the face. He stayed in the game and later, while, running to first base on a grounder, suffered a torn hamstring. He flew to Arizona for rehabilitation work and, while playing in a tuneup game, lost his grip on the bat during a swing. Isbel’s hand felt weird as he stepped back into the batter’s box. It turns out he had broken his hamate bone.

An operation to remove the bone fragment meant more rehab. Isbel returned to action in July 2019, even though his swing felt off. He struggled but worked through it, and later in the year received an invitation to play in the Arizona Fall League. He showcased his pre-injury talent against upper-minors pitchers, batting .315/.429/.438 (.867 OPS). The Royals noticed and invited him to big-league spring training in 2020, where he impressed immediately. After one batting practice session, a Royals staffer said, “He looks like a big leaguer right now.”

The COVID-19 pandemic put an end to his performance but allowed him to work with the Royals’ revamped hitting development department: director of hitting performance Alec Zumwalt, hitting coordinator Drew Saylor and assistant hitting coordinator Keoni De Renne, among others. Isbel competed at the alternate site, annoying pitchers such as Lynch, but also earning their respect and leaving an impression on the staff. That reputation preceded this year’s spring training.

That’s where Isbel fit in.

(Isbel will remain in right field, and Merrifield will remain at second, but there was a wrinkle Wednesday: The Royals announced that Adalberto Mondesi suffered a right oblique injury; Lopez was recalled and will play shortstop.)

That the Royals are willing to buck service time with this decision speaks as much about the organization as Isbel’s readiness. There’s a reason the Royals wanted him so badly in the 2018 MLB Draft, and that same reason is why the Royals have so much confidence in this move.

It’s not solely about Isbel’s ability to perform. It’s also about how he’ll handle everything else. Everything that comes with the opportunity he’s long worked for.