Standard MLB Batting Statistics

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Standard MLB Pitching Statistics

	Season	Tm	LG	BF	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP
	2024	KC	AL	27	1	0	6.35	5	0	0	5.2	10	4	4	0	2	6	2.12
	2024	OAK	AL	11	0	0	27.00	3	0	0	1.2	2	5	5	0	4	1	3.60
	2024	2 Teams		38	1	0	11.05	8	0	0	7.1	12	9	9	0	6	7	2.45
	1 Season	2 Teams		38	1	0	11.05	8	0	0	7.1	12	9	9	0	6	7	2.45

*: All Star Season, Rankings AL/NL: Top 5 10 15 20,        Click for Chart.

Standard MLB Fielding Statistics

Season	Tm	LG	POS	G	GS	INN	TC	PO	A	E	DP	RF	FPCT%
2024	KC	AL	P	5	0	5.2	2	0	2	0	0		1.000
2024	OAK	AL	P	3	0	1.2	0	0	0	0	0		.000
2024	2 Teams		P	8	0	7.1	2	0	2	0	0		1.000
1 Season	2 Teams		P	8	0	7.1	2	0	2	0	0		1.000

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Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

Eastern Illinois' best prospect since Tyler Kehler went in 2009's supplemental first round to the Angels, Klein recorded a 5.74 ERA in his first two college seasons while serving mostly as a reliever. He broke out in the Northwoods League last summer, reaching 99 mph during the wood-bat circuit's all-star game and finishing with a 0.86 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 21 innings. After the Panthers moved him into their rotation this spring, he continued to make progress with his breaking ball and control.

As a starter in 2020, Klein worked at 92-94 mph and topped out at 96 with his four-seam fastball, which is fairly straight but does feature some riding action. He also flashed a solid curveball with power and depth. He began incorporating a changeup into his repertoire, but it lacks velocity separation from his heater and lags well behind his other two offerings.

While Klein shaved his walk rate from 9.8 per nine innings in his first two college seasons to 4.8 in his truncated third, he'll need to upgrade his control and command in order to remain a starter in pro ball. He has a strong 6-foot-5 frame built for durability but probably will wind up in the bullpen. In shorter stints, he could focus on his two best pitches and his fastball might park in the upper 90s.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

A year after he was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 Draft out of Eastern Illinois, Klein was flying onto the radar at High-A and on a fast track to the Majors. A shin injury delayed the start of his 2022 season, and he lost the zone once he got to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Klein got back on track in ‘23, dominating Double-A before settling into Triple-A. He had a 30.5 percent strikeout rate between the two, along with a 12.8 percent walk rate and a 3.64 FIP. The Royals added Klein to their 40-man roster this past offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, then watched him make his big league debut in late April and make a total of five appearances with Kansas City. He had just been recalled when he was sent to the A’s in the Lucas Erceg deal.

Klein operates with a plus-plus fastball, sitting in the upper 90s and flashing triple digits at times. It features riding action and plays up in the zone. His above-average curveball plays off the fastball well with a hard drop. He’s scrapped his changeup and what once was thought to be a slider is now a hard upper-80s cutter.

Klein misses bats and gets a ton of strikeouts, but he’s also prone to walks. His control was somewhat improved in ‘23 but the walk rate ticked back up this season. A big presence on the mound at 6-foot-5, Klein has the chance to be a big league reliever if he can refine his command, with upside as a high-leverage arm despite a stiff delivery.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Klein served mostly as a reliever in his first two seasons at Eastern Illinois then broke out in the Northwoods League in 2019, finishing with an 0.86 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 21 innings on the wood bat circuit. The Royals took him in the fifth round in 2020 and he was on a fast track in 2021 after posting a 3.20 ERA with a 40.9 percent strikeout rate in High-A. Klein wasn’t healthy in 2022, and he lost the zone when he got to Double-A with a 22 percent walk rate and a 10.51 ERA in 43 2/3 innings.

Klein has a ton of upside because of his fastball. He throws it in the upper 90s and flashes triple digits at times when healthy. It features riding action and speeds up on hitters because of his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. He has a low-80s curveball with good depth that throws off hitters’ timing, and he added a power changeup to his arsenal last year, though it's mostly been scrapped during his move to Triple-A this season. Over the offseason, Klein worked on a slider, which he threw some in 2021 as an option to steal strikes as a smaller, tighter breaking ball. It now sits in the upper-80s and has usurped the curve as Klein's most-thrown secondary as it generates a good amount of whiffs. He threw a ton of strikes in High-A but struggled with control when he got back on the mound in Double-A. How much that had to do with his injuries is unclear, but the control has been much improved in 2023.

An All-Star Futures Game participant this summer, Klein has upside as a reliever although there have been some evaluators who wanted to see him start because of his mix. Whether he makes good on that projection will come down to command and health moving forward in 2023 and beyond.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

When Klein went to the Royals in the fifth round of the 2020 Draft, he became Eastern Illinois’ best prospect since Tyler Kehler went in the supplemental round to the Angels in 2009. Klein broke out in the Northwoods League in ’19, finishing with a 0.86 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 21 innings, but he had mixed results as a reliever in college. That wasn’t the case in his first season with the Royals, when he posted a 3.20 ERA in 70 1/3 innings with 121 strikeouts for High-A Quad Cities, often throwing in high-leverage innings for the Bandits during their championship run.

Klein has a power arm with a fastball that tops 100 mph and comfortably sits 94-95 mph over multiple innings, featuring some riding action. He utilizes a curveball that has good depth as his main secondary pitch, but it may look like more of a slider as he develops. A big focus for 2021 will be his changeup, which he’s gaining confidence with after not using it much in college. But it’s a powerful pitch with how strong his arm is and has the chance to be above-average. Klein’s imposing presence at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, as well as his power stuff, makes for an uncomfortable at-bat.

Klein profiles best as a two-pitch power reliever, and he could move quickly if that’s the route the Royals go. But his improving changeup gives him a chance to start, and some in the organization believe he’ll start long-term. In 2021, Klein got most of his appearances as a multi-inning reliever, allowing him to have adversity in outings and throw multiple pitches, and the Royals will look at extending that model next season to figure out what’s best for his future.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Klein served mostly as a reliever in his first two seasons at Eastern Illinois, posting a 5.74 ERA, but he broke out in the Northwoods League in 2019, finishing with a 0.86 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 21 innings in the wood-bat circuit. He was moved to the rotation at Eastern Illinois in 2020, and the Royals took him in the fifth round, making Klein the program’s best prospect since Tyler Kehler went in the supplemental round to the Angels in 2009. Klein donned a Royals uniform for the first time at Kansas City's fall instructional league in Arizona.

Klein is an imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. He possesses a power arm, with a fastball that tops 100 mph and sits comfortably at 93-94 mph as a starter. The heater features some riding action, and he impressed in the fall with his ability to throw it with sustained velocity in shorter stints. He offers a curveball that has depth, but the pitch will probably look more like a slider with his development. He has added a changeup to his arsenal, but he didn’t use it much in college because of his closer role. Klein saw improvement with the pitch in the fall and will continue to develop it in his mix.

Klein jumped on the Royals radar early because of his penchant for strikeouts, and he shaved his walk rate from 9.8 per nine innings to 4.8 in the shortened 2020 season. He profiles best as a two-pitch power reliever, but with the improved changeup may get a chance to start for the experience.

Awards

Futures Game Selection

Year	Team
2023

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2021

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/25/2024	Las Vegas Aviators activated RHP Will Klein from the 7-day injured list.
	08/31/2024	Las Vegas Aviators placed RHP Will Klein on the 7-day injured list.
	08/17/2024	Oakland Athletics optioned RHP Will Klein to Las Vegas Aviators.
	08/17/2024	Las Vegas Aviators activated RHP Will Klein.
	07/31/2024	Oakland Athletics activated RHP Will Klein.
	07/30/2024	Oakland Athletics traded RHP Lucas Erceg to Kansas City Royals for RHP Will Klein, RHP Mason Barnett and OF Jared Dickey.
	07/29/2024	Kansas City Royals recalled RHP Will Klein from Omaha Storm Chasers.
	06/10/2024	Kansas City Royals optioned RHP Will Klein to Omaha Storm Chasers.
	05/31/2024	Kansas City Royals recalled RHP Will Klein from Omaha Storm Chasers.
	04/29/2024	Kansas City Royals optioned RHP Will Klein to Omaha Storm Chasers.
	04/25/2024	Kansas City Royals recalled RHP Will Klein from Omaha Storm Chasers.
	03/28/2024	RHP Will Klein assigned to Omaha Storm Chasers from Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
	03/25/2024	RHP Will Klein assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Omaha Storm Chasers.
	03/08/2024	Kansas City Royals optioned RHP Will Klein to Omaha Storm Chasers.
	03/07/2024	Kansas City Royals Prospects activated RHP Will Klein.
	11/14/2023	Kansas City Royals selected the contract of RHP Will Klein from Omaha Storm Chasers.
	09/12/2023	Omaha Storm Chasers activated RHP Will Klein from the 7-day injured list.
	09/05/2023	Omaha Storm Chasers placed RHP Will Klein on the 7-day injured list retroactive to September 2, 2023.
	07/10/2023	Omaha Storm Chasers activated RHP Will Klein.
	07/07/2023	Omaha Storm Chasers placed RHP Will Klein on the temporarily inactive list.
	07/07/2023	American League Futures activated RHP Will Klein.
	06/13/2023	RHP Will Klein assigned to Omaha Storm Chasers from Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
	06/13/2023	Omaha Storm Chasers activated RHP Will Klein.
	03/02/2023	RHP Will Klein and assigned to Kansas City Royals.
	09/16/2022	Surprise Saguaros activated RHP Will Klein.
	05/14/2022	Northwest Arkansas Naturals activated RHP Will Klein.
	04/08/2022	RHP Will Klein assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Quad Cities River Bandits.
	04/29/2021	RHP Will Klein assigned to Quad Cities River Bandits from AZL Royals.
	07/03/2020	RHP Will Klein assigned to AZL Royals.
	06/23/2020	Kansas City Royals signed RHP Will Klein.