The Royals have been 'nice change' for former first round pick TJ Sikkema
Every year, plenty of new faces join each organization in the aftermath of the MLB Draft.
In 2019, the New York Yankees selected lefty TJ Sikkema from the University of Missouri with their first-round pick. I caught up with Sikkema this past week and he recalled his best memory from the draft was “celebrating the new job with family and friends'“.
Three years following his first-round selection, Sikkema was traded to the Kansas City Royals as part of a package in the Andrew Benintendi trade at the 2022 trade deadline. One year later, the lefty is pitching for the Royals Double-A affiliate in Arkansas.
“The Royals have been a nice change for me.” Sikkema told Beyond the Monster. “The people that make up the organization are great, and it really feels like a family here. The opportunities are endless, and the future looks bright here.”
The Iowa native was dominant during his time at Mizzou, posting a 2.38 ERA over his three seasons in a very tough SEC conference. His junior year was the best in college, as he posted a 1.32 ERA over 88.2 innings pitched. He also carried a career best 10.3 K/9 that season as well.
Sikkema has had a few rough outings this season that has inflated his ERA, which happens to just about every reliever in the minor league levels. His month of July has been great so far, as opponents are hitting .188 off him alongside a 1.86 ERA.
“I am really looking to stay in the strike zone more and hopefully that’ll give me the opportunity to move up.” Sikkema said of his goals for the second half. “But, if I stay healthy and continue to compete my hardest, I will be happy with the season.”
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Good stuff. I will agree this kid needed a change of Organizations a lot of times that’s the issue but then again alot of times it don’t happen