| Kris Bubic | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bubic atWerner Park in 2022 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 50 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1997-08-19)August 19, 1997 (age 28) Cupertino, California, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 31, 2020, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 19–36 |
| Earned run average | 4.14 |
| Strikeouts | 444 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Kristofer Bubic (born August 19, 1997) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher for theKansas City Royals ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. In 2025, Bubic was named to his firstAll-Star game.
Bubic was born on August 19, 1997, inCupertino, California. Bubic is ofCroatian descent through both of his parents[1]
Bubic attendedArchbishop Mitty High School inSan Jose, California, where he playedfootball[2] andbaseball, and he graduated in 2015. As a junior, he was 8–2 with a 0.89 ERA,[3] and as a senior, he compiled a 1.20 ERA and struck out 82 batters in 70 innings pitched.[4] He was not drafted out of high school in the2015 Major League Baseball draft and he enrolled atStanford University where he playedcollege baseball for theStanford Cardinal.
As a freshman at Stanford in 2016, Bubic was 0–3 with a 3.26 ERA in 21 games (six starts).[5] In 2017, as a sophomore, he started 15 games and posted a 7–6 record and 2.79 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 90 innings.[6] After the season, he played in theCape Cod Baseball League for theYarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, earning Pitcher of the Year honors after going 4–1 with a 1.65 ERA in32+2⁄3 innings.[7][8] As a junior in 2018, he went 8–1 with a 2.62 ERA[9] and was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Team.[10]
Bubic was drafted 40th overall by theKansas City Royals in the2018 Major League Baseball draft and he signed with the Royals on June 18 for $1,597,500.[11][12][13] Bubic was the last of the Royals' four 2018 first-round draft picks, all of whom were pitchers; the others wereBrady Singer (18th overall),Jackson Kowar (33rd overall),Daniel Lynch IV (34th overall). He made his professional debut with theIdaho Falls Chukars where he was named aPioneer League All-Star.[14][15] In ten starts for Idaho Falls, Bubic posted a 2–3 record with a 4.03 ERA.[16] Bubic began 2019 with theLexington Legends.[17] After pitching to a 4–1 record with a 2.08 ERA in nine starts, he was promoted to theWilmington Blue Rocks.[18] Over 17 starts with Wilmington, he went 7–4 with a 2.30 ERA. Bubic was named to the 2019All-Star Futures Game.[19]
Bubic made his major league debut on July 31, 2020, against theChicago White Sox, pitching four innings while allowing three earned runs and striking out three.[20] With the2020 Kansas City Royals, Bubic made ten starts, compiling a 1–6 record with 4.32 ERA and 49 strikeouts over fifty innings pitched.[21] In 2021, he was 6–7 with an ERA of 4.43.[22]
In 2022 Bubic finished 3–13 with an ERA of 5.58 in 129 innings, as he had the worst OBP-against among major league pitchers, at .381, the highest WHIP (1.70), gave up the highest percentage of line drives (25.8%), and gave up the most walks per nine innings among major league pitchers (4.4).[23]
Bubic began the 2023 season pitching in the Royals' rotation. In three starts for the team, Bubic logged a record of 0-2 and 3.94 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 16.0 innings pitched. On April 21, 2023, it was announced that Bubic would undergoTommy John surgery, prematurely ending his season.[24]
Bubic was activated from the injured list and reinstated to the active roster on July 6, 2024.[25] With the2024 Kansas City Royals, Bubic compiled a 1–1 record with 2.67 ERA and 39 strikeouts over 301⁄3 innings pitched in 27 games. He also logged seven holds and one save as a member of the bullpen.
On July 6, 2025, Bubic was named to the2025 All-Star Game roster, his first career selection.[26] In 20 starts for Kansas City, he compiled an 8–7 record and 2.55 ERA with 116 strikeouts across116+1⁄3 innings of work. After Bubic pitched2+2⁄3 innings against theCleveland Guardians on July 26, the Royals disclosed that he would miss the remainder of the season with arotator cuff strain.[27][28]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American League Pitcher of the Month May 2025 | Succeeded by |