Long wait is over for Starling
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bubba Starling finally reached his goal of getting to the major leagues with the Royals.
It was a long, hard trek.
The three-sport star from nearby Gardner-Edgerton High School in Kansas was taken by the Royals No. 5 overall in the 2011 draft. While many people in his hometown expected him to be patrolling the outfield and hitting home runs for the big-league club very quickly, it took 71⁄2 seasons in the minors before he was called up Friday against the Tigers.
“It’s very special. I dreamed about it as a little guy coming to the ballgames in Kansas City,” said Starling, who will turn 27 on Aug. 3. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life.”
Starling donned uniform No. 11 and was in center field and batting seventh for his major league debut. He was greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd of 25,059. He walked in his first at-bat in the second inning and scored on a throwing error. On Saturday, Starling got his first big-league hit and RBI in a 4-1 victory over the Tigers.
Out of high school, Starling was recruited by Nebraska and was seen by Cornhuskers fans as their future quarterback. But Starling opted for baseball.
“Some people don’t know how tough baseball really is. You might be as physically gifted as you want but most of it is mental. And coming out of high school, I really didn’t realize that,” he said.
Starling had a large cheering section from the Gardner area Friday night.
“They’ve stuck with me through this whole process,” he said. “They’re excited to see me and the Royals play.“