Royals' Asa Lacy: Lots of strikeouts, too many walks

Lacy has posted a 4.96 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 72:34 K:BB across 12 starts (45.1 innings) for High-A Quad Cities this season.

The 2020 MLB Draft's No. 4 overall pick has offered a mixed bag of results in his pro debut, as the strikeout rate is as impressive as the walk rate is troubling. It doesn't appear that Lacy is primed to rocket through the minors, as it'd be nice to see him turn in better results than this as a 22-year-old in High-A. Aside from a stellar outing on July 3 (six innings, nine strikeouts, one walk, one run), Lacy hasn't shown many signs of improving his control, which will be key to him advancing through the organization and ultimately to the majors. There's still plenty of upside here, but it's starting to look like we won't see him in Kansas City until 2023.