After securing a crucial day game win in Kansas City against the Cardinals to wrap up the I-70 series, the Royals made an unexpected move to bolster their pitching depth. They signed former Twins starter from the independent Atlantic League, where he had been pitching for the Long Island Ducks.
The Royals have been dealing with injuries to their pitching staff, with Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans both landing on the 15-day IL, and Kyle Wright and Alec Marsh facing setbacks in their rehab assignments. Gant could provide valuable depth during this stretch.
Gant played in the MLB from 2016 to 2021, primarily with the Cardinals, but also had brief stints with the Braves and Twins. His best season came in 2018, when he posted a 3.47 ERA over 19 starts and seven relief appearances, earning 1.2 rWAR.
In 2021, Gant was traded to the Twins (alongside current Royal Evan Sisk) for J.A. Happ, but after the season he was placed on waivers and chose free agency over a minor-league assignment. Over six big-league seasons, Gant compiled a 3.89 ERA in 372 2/3 innings, though he struggled with a high walk rate of 4.8 walks per nine innings.
Gant signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan for the 2022 season but was sidelined by injuries for most of the next two years. He returned to the U.S. this season, joining the Long Island Ducks, where he posted a 1.71 ERA over four games and 21 innings.
Standing at 6’4″ and 200 pounds, Gant has the ideal frame for a pitcher and showed solid stuff during his MLB tenure. Early in his career, he threw three types of fastballs (four-seam, sinker, cutter) all sitting in the 90-96 mph range, but his velocity began to decline in 2021, which led to a drop-off in his performance. Gant also has a strong changeup and curveball, both of which kept hitters off balance, with his changeup generating a lot of swings and misses. However, the loss in velocity reduced the effectiveness of these pitches, contributing to his struggles in 2021.
Kansas City has one of the best pitching development staffs in the league, consistently showing they can work with any pitcher. Brian Sweeney and his team will have several approaches they can explore to turn Gant into a viable depth option in the future.
Recently, the Royals have been focused on helping pitchers expand their arsenals. Seth Lugo, for instance, throws a wide variety of pitches, while Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic have both added sliders to their repertoires. Gant already has a mix of six pitches, so adding anything new might be challenging, but he could consider incorporating a sweeper to generate more lateral movement to complement his fastball and sinker.
Another possibility is adjusting his mechanics to help him regain some of the velocity he had in 2019 and 2020. While it’s been a few years since he hit those 94-95 mph ranges, and it’s uncertain if he can return to that level, it’s still possible he could improve his velocity and effectiveness. Gant has a solid skill set, and while the Royals’ pitching staff is currently strong, it is also somewhat thin, so Gant could provide some much-needed depth down the line.
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