Former Rays southpaw signs minor league deal with Royals, joins 14th organization

Rich Hill can't stop and won't stop! The 45-year left-handed starting pitcher has signed a minor league deal with the Royals to extend his lengthy career. Hill will be joining his 14th different organization spanned across 20 MLB seasons. He's spent time in each division for both the National League and American League, but what will his impact be on a surging Kansas City club with fresh, young athletes?

Along his major league journey, Rich Hill spent a fraction of one season in Tampa Bay. The Rays signed the veteran hurler at the beginning of the 2021 spring training. At the ripe age of 41, he wound up being a fantastic edition to the Rays starting rotation. In 95.1 innings, the veteran southpaw went 6-4 with a 3.87 ERA and 91 punchouts. Even in his older age, Hill showed great tenacity and creativity on the mound.

Throughout the lefty's career, he has never been one of the top arms, failing to receive Cy Young votes or even All-Star nominations in any of his 20 campaigns. However, Rich Hill has undoubtedly been one of the most consistent pitchers since his debut in 2005, especially considering his 1,300 innings of work. As an American League pitcher, Hill has accrued a 3.99 ERA, which closely resembles his 4.02 ERA in the National League.

The journeyman's best season was in 2016 when he split time between the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers. In that divided campaign, Rich Hill maintained incredible consistency as he went 12-5 with a combined 2.12 ERA. His ability to focus on the task at hand amidst a multitude of changes is second to none.

It's unclear how the Royals plan on utilizing the services of their newly acquired starter. At the moment, they are red-hot, winning seven of their last ten games and hovering around the top of a competitive AL Central division.

Kansas City's current rotation make-up includes ace lefty Cole Ragans, veteran Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Michael Lorenzen. If Rich Hill is able to return to the MLB ranks, then he would be joining a prominent rotation and become the oldest active player in the process.