Jackson Kowar

Jackson Kowar

26-Year-Old PitcherRP
2023 Fantasy Outlook
An ugly 2022 campaign took a lot of shine out of Kowar's prospect stock. He worked as a starter with Triple-A Omaha, but a 6.16 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over 83.1 innings at that level easily made his worst minor-league season. Despite the struggles, he also made seven relief appearances in the majors, and the results were even worse -- a 9.77 ERA and 2.43 WHIP across 15.2 innings. With 46 big-league innings to his name in the majors, it's too early to write off the right-hander, but it's fair to question if his stuff is good enough. His 96 mph fastball didn't miss many bats, though he uses a very effective changeup almost as often, with that pitch racking up a 35 whiff rate in the majors. He'll likely be in the minors or in the rotation in 2023, as the Royals will probably want to give him one more chance to prove himself as a starter, but he's got work to do. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#601
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Royals in March of 2023.
Recalled from Triple-A
PKansas City Royals
June 2, 2023
Kansas City recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
ANALYSIS
The 26-year-old right-hander will replace Amir Garrett, who is headed to the 15-day injured list with a left elbow injury. A former top prospect, Kowar projects to operate in long relief as he joins the Royals' major-league roster for the second time this season.
Read More News
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2023
2022
2021
2023 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2022 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Pitching Game Log...
2021 MLB Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
Loading Pitching Game Log...
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
31
Last 10 Games
31
Last 5 Games
31
How many pitches does Jackson Kowar generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Jackson Kowar generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-13%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-100%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-35%
BAA vs RHP
2021
 
 
-1%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .363 101 15 18 29 7 0 6
Since 2021vs Right .316 151 36 15 42 9 2 5
2023vs Left .000 5 1 1 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right .100 11 4 1 1 0 0 0
2022vs Left .500 28 4 6 11 2 0 2
2022vs Right .327 54 13 5 16 3 2 2
2021vs Left .333 68 10 11 18 5 0 4
2021vs Right .338 86 19 9 25 6 0 3
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-8%
ERA at Home
2023
No Stats
2022
 
 
-39%
ERA on Road
2021
 
 
-31%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 9.51 2.11 29.1 0 2 0 9.5 5.5 1.5
Since 2021Away 10.29 2.00 21.0 0 4 0 8.6 6.4 2.6
2023Home 0.00 0.50 2.0 0 0 0 9.0 0.0 0.0
2023Away 0.00 0.86 2.1 0 0 0 11.6 7.7 0.0
2022Home 11.57 2.89 9.1 0 0 0 11.6 6.8 1.0
2022Away 7.11 1.74 6.1 0 0 0 7.1 5.7 4.3
2021Home 9.50 1.89 18.0 0 2 0 8.5 5.5 2.0
2021Away 13.86 2.35 12.1 0 4 0 8.8 6.6 2.2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Jackson Kowar compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.50
 
K/9
10.4
 
BB/9
4.2
 
HR/9
0.0
 
Fastball
97.1 mph
 
ERA
0.00
 
WHIP
0.69
 
BABIP
.122
 
GB/FB
1.00
 
Left On Base
100.0%
 
Exit Velocity
84.1 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
0.0%
 
Spin Rate
2210 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
22.2%
 
Swinging Strike
9.8%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jackson Kowar See More
AL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
22 days ago
Erik Siegrist looks over the AL free-agent pool as Nick Pratto makes some noise for the Royals.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
Kowar hasn't been hyped up the way org. mates Asa Lacy and Daniel Lynch have, but with a mid-90s fastball and one of the best changeups in the minors, he belongs in that same conversation. His Florida teammate Brady Singer beat him to the majors, but Singer was always seen as a quick-to-the-majors guy, while Kowar was more of a high-upside pitcher who would require more development. A lean 6-foot-5, Kowar worked on repeating his delivery and honing his command at the alternate site. Perhaps most importantly, he made impressive strides with his third-pitch curveball. Royals officials think he only needs an average curve to pitch near the top of the rotation, thanks to the quality of his fastball and changeup. He should head to Triple-A and will join the big-league rotation whenever the team thinks his command and consistency warrant the promotion.
Part of the Royals' potentially historic 2018 pitcher-heavy draft class, Kowar has been incredibly consistent on his march to the majors. He made 13 starts apiece at High-A and Double-A, logging almost identical ERA, FIP, WHIP and GB% at both stops. Kowar increased his dominance and efficiency (14.1 K-BB% at High-A, 18.4 K-BB% at Double-A) against tougher competition, and should begin his age-23 season at Triple-A. His 70-grade changeup may be the best pitch of any of the pitchers Kansas City selected in that draft. Hitters can't just sit on his low-to-mid-90s fastball, because if they do, his changeup will eat them alive. His fringe-average breaking ball is a distant third pitch, and its development will be critical to Kowar becoming a good No. 3 starter, rather than an acceptable No. 4 starter. His above-average control and advanced pitchability should allow him to make the most of his arsenal.
More Fantasy News
Sent back to Omaha
PKansas City Royals
May 20, 2023
Kowar was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Recalled from Triple-A
PKansas City Royals
May 16, 2023
The Royals recalled Kowar from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Role undecided
PKansas City Royals
March 15, 2023
Kowar's role moving forward has yet to be determined by the Royals, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Optioned out to Triple-A
PKansas City Royals
March 15, 2023
The Royals optioned Kowar to Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Optioned to Triple-A
PKansas City Royals
July 30, 2022
Kowar was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.