From unselected high schooler to MLB All-Star: the resilience of Kris Bubic
In short: In 2015, Kris Bubic went undrafted. Today, he stands as a Major League Baseball All-Star. His journey from the Stanford Cardinal to the Los Angeles Dodgers is a masterclass in navigating injury, recovery, and the volatile statistical highs and lows of professional pitching.
Born in Cupertino, California, on August 19, 1997, Bubic's path to professional baseball was not immediate. After graduating from Archbishop Mitty High School in 2015, he was overlooked in the Major League Baseball draft. Instead, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he became a standout for the Stanford Cardinal. His collegiate career saw significant growth, including a 2017 season where he earned Pitcher of the Year honors in the Cape Cod Baseball League after posting a 1.65 ERA.
Bubic entered the professional ranks via the 2018 MLB draft, selected 40th overall by the Kansas City Royals. He signed on June 18 for $1,597,500, joining a class of college pitchers that included Brady Singer and Daniel Lynch IV. While his ascent included a 2019 All-Star Futures Game selection, his career has been marked by significant statistical variance and physical setbacks. In 2022, he struggled with a 5.58 ERA and the highest WHIP in the majors at 1.70.
The physical toll of professional pitching has been a recurring theme. Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2023, and later faced a rotator cuff strain in 2025 and shoulder and elbow soreness in 2026. Despite these hurdles, he achieved a career milestone by being named to the 2025 All-Star Game roster. His resilience eventually led to a trade from the Royals to the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 3, 2026, in exchange for Carlos Durán.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Kris Bubic
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