Facing KC for 1st time, Barlow reminisces on Royals tenure

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CLEVELAND -- He was in a different jersey and was facing the Royals instead of pitching in the late innings for them, but what Scott Barlow did for the Guardians on Tuesday night was very familiar.

Barlow needed 15 pitches in a scoreless eighth inning against Nelson Velázquez (flyout), Nick Loftin (popout) and Adam Frazier (strikeout), used a ton of sliders and curveballs, then walked off the mound without one ounce of emotion showing.

“It is interesting facing your former team,” Barlow said with a laugh. “But once you step on the mound, you lock in your focus and you don’t even realize what’s going on.”

That’s a typical Barlow response, and the Royals know it well after watching him turn into a high-leverage reliever for them from 2018-23 before he was traded to the Padres at last year’s Trade Deadline for No. 27 prospect Henry Williams and reliever Jesus Rios.

Kansas City didn’t win a lot when Barlow was on the team, but when it did, he was usually on the mound to close it out. In 2021, he posted a 2.42 ERA and 16 saves in 74 1/3 innings. In ‘22, he ranked sixth in the American League with 24 saves while notching a 2.18 ERA in 74 1/3 innings.

Barlow was an incredibly underrated reliever, and he finished his time in Kansas City seventh in franchise history with 56 saves. The others on that list:

Jeff Montgomery (304)
Dan Quisenberry (238)
Joakim Soria (162)
Greg Holland (159)
Doug Bird (58)
Kelvin Herrera (57)

A Minor League free agent in 2017, after six years in the Dodgers organization, the Royals signed Barlow to a Major League deal. They had been intrigued by Barlow since a few executives saw him pitch against their Double-A affiliate in ‘17, locked in a pitchers' duel at the end of the season with 2014 first-round pick Foster Griffin.

When the Royals tried to create depth with Minor League free agents that offseason, Barlow’s name came up.

“He was intent with all his pitches, and he had just a really calm heartbeat no matter what the situation,” assistant general manager Scott Sharp said in 2021.

Barlow debuted as a reliever and quickly took to the role, earning higher leverage opportunities each year.

“I’m just super grateful for the opportunity,” Barlow said. “As a Minor League free agent, you kind of don’t really know what’s going to happen. Being able to make a roster and then get pitching opportunities was amazing. Get in the sixth inning and work your way up, learn lessons from the guys down there, and getting the opportunity to eventually close for a little bit, I’m just overall grateful.

“And then getting to play with guys like Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr., seeing his development, especially, and throwing to Salvy, I’ll never forget that."

On a mantle at home, Barlow has two bats signed by Perez and Witt. He has baseballs from milestone games, like his first and 50th career saves. He also has a signed baseball from Montgomery, one of many kept from the game in which Montgomery recorded his 300th save.

Montgomery has given baseballs from that game to two Royals: Soria and Barlow.

“Scotty did a lot of good things here,” said Montgomery, now an analyst for Bally Sports Kansas City. “And going back to [manager] Mike Matheny, there were times when [Barlow] would pitch in the seventh inning in a non-save situation, but it was the leverage part of the game. And he accepted that and felt that was his responsibility. He was so good at being himself every day.”

Barlow looks up to Montgomery and relied on the Royals Hall of Famer for advice, especially when Barlow had a bad game.

“He’s at the top of everything when it comes to Royals relievers,” Barlow said. “Just understanding what he meant to club history, it was always refreshing to hear his perspective. I had a ton of teammates who helped me, but to have Monty there as a resource was really beneficial.”

Now, Barlow is part of one of the best bullpens in baseball with Cleveland, serving as a setup man for Emmanuel Clase. The Royals will face him many more times, and he’ll try to get them out without seeing his heart rate rise above resting.

But Kansas City will always feel a little like home.

“I never thought any of that would happen,” Barlow said of his time with the Royals. “It’s one of those things where, when you make a team, that’s a box you check. ‘Hey, I finally made it.’ Then it becomes, ‘I want to stay.’ And then there’s something that clicks where you say, ‘I want to be somebody, leave a mark,’ whether it’s with personal relationships or on the field, or most likely you want both. It’s definitely cool to look back and see the accomplishments over the years.”