Richard Lovelady

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #24 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: After zooming through the Royals' system, Lovelady made it to the big leagues for two stints less than three years after being drafted in the 10th round from Kennesaw State. While just as effective with Triple-A Omaha in 2019 as in the previous year, Lovelady's major league time had mixed results. He especially struggled in August, giving up runs in each of his last seven appearances.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The key to Lovelady's arsenal is an electric mid-90s four-seam fastball with plenty of sinking action. He throws the pitch from a funky, slingshot arm action. The heater has an extra gear to it because of his elite extension. He complements the pitch with a potentially plus slider in the upper 80s. He worked to incorporate a changeup in 2019 but seldom used it during his time in the big leagues.
  
  THE FUTURE: Lovelady had offseason surgery on his right knee but should be all clear by spring training. He stands a good chance of breaking camp in the Royals bullpen because of his ability to get righthanded batters out, indicating that he can be more than just a lefty specialist.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #17 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Lovelady continued his rapid progress, spending all year in Triple-A in only his second full pro season.
  
  Scouting Report: With some funk in his delivery, Lovelady gives hitters uncomfortable at-bats. His 91-95 mph fastball with solid-average life was slightly down in terms of velocity this year, but it did not reduce his effectiveness as the life and movement of the pitch was still there. His fastball has hard tailing action with sink, and he locates it to both sides, but the biggest factor is the elite extension he gets from his drive off the mound. Lovelady's go-to offspeed offering is his 83-87 mph slider, a plus pitch that gets swings and misses. His fringe-average changeup is used infrequently.
  
  The Future: With his pure stuff and ability to get righthanded hitters out, Lovelady can function as more than just a lefty specialist. He should make it to Kansas City in 2019.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #28 prospect in 2018
  The most intriguing storyline among Royals prospects in 2017 was the development of Lovelady, the Royals' 10th pick from Kennesaw State just one year earlier. The lean southpaw with a funky delivery jumped a level with his first full-season assignment at high Class A Wilmington, and by mid-season he was bumped up to Double-A. Lovelady possesses electric stuff, with a dominating plus fastball from 93-97 mph that he throws with deception and a lot of movement. The heater has hard tailing action with sink. He locates it well both arm-side and glove-side, but he needs to improve his command of the pitch. Because of the dominance of his fastball, Lovelady seldom needed to use his offspeed stuff, but when he did batters saw an average or better slider at 88 mph. He only occasionally went to his 88-90 mph changeup, which now is a below-average pitch. Lovelady is locked in and focused on the mound. He profiles as a setup man and not strictly as a left-on-left reliever. It wouldn't be surprising to see Lovelady in the Royals bullpen in 2018, perhaps sooner rather than later.

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: After zooming through the Royals’ system, Lovelady made it to the big leagues for two stints less than three years after being drafted in the 10th round from Kennesaw State. While just as effective with Triple-A Omaha in 2019 as in the previous year, Lovelady’s major league time had mixed results. He especially struggled in August, giving up runs in each of his last seven appearances.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The key to Lovelady’s arsenal is an electric mid-90s four-seam fastball with plenty of sinking action. He throws the pitch from a funky, slingshot arm action. The heater has an extra gear to it because of his elite extension. He complements the pitch with a potentially plus slider in the upper 80s. He worked to incorporate a changeup in 2019 but seldom used it during his time in the big leagues.
  
  THE FUTURE: Lovelady had offseason surgery on his right knee but should be all clear by spring training. He stands a good chance of breaking camp in the Royals bullpen because of his ability to get righthanded batters out, indicating that he can be more than just a lefty specialist.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: After zooming through the Royals' system, Lovelady made it to the big leagues for two stints less than three years after being drafted in the 10th round from Kennesaw State. While just as effective with Triple-A Omaha in 2019 as in the previous year, Lovelady's major league time had mixed results. He especially struggled in August, giving up runs in each of his last seven appearances.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The key to Lovelady's arsenal is an electric mid-90s four-seam fastball with plenty of sinking action. He throws the pitch from a funky, slingshot arm action. The heater has an extra gear to it because of his elite extension. He complements the pitch with a potentially plus slider in the upper 80s. He worked to incorporate a changeup in 2019 but seldom used it during his time in the big leagues.
  
  THE FUTURE: Lovelady had offseason surgery on his right knee but should be all clear by spring training. He stands a good chance of breaking camp in the Royals bullpen because of his ability to get righthanded batters out, indicating that he can be more than just a lefty specialist.