After 737 minor-league games, Starling finally in the big-leagues

Bubba Starling, in order:

—Grew into a local folk hero at Gardner-Edgerton High with stories of 500-foot home runs and windmill dunks and a man-against-boys football career.

—Turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at Nebraska for the largest signing bonus in Royals history.

—Failed in the minor leagues.

—Told his parents he wanted to quit baseball.

—Decided to keep playing, then got hurt.

—Played well enough last year to be called up, but got hurt once more.

—Played well enough to make the Triple-A All-Star Game this season.

—Is now a big-leaguer.

STARLING, finally, will be at Kauffman Stadium this weekend. After eight years and 737 minor-league games he is expected to make his big-league debut on Friday night, at the age of 26, starting in centerfield some 35 miles from where he grew up.

For what must seem like forever, Starling’s baseball career has been about questions and doubts. Now it is about opportunity.

“I know he’s ready,” general manager Dayton Moore said. “He’s done everything he can in the minor leagues to be prepared for this. So I’m not really going to be concerned about anything. I just want him to come up here and enjoy playing in the major leagues.”

Moore and his lieutenants believe Starling will make the Royals better now and in the future. He slashed .310/.358/.448 with nine stolen bases, 21 walks and 59 strikeouts in 72 games with Omaha.

In a phone conversation Thursday afternoon, Moore hinted the club may have promoted Starling a week or two earlier, but thought playing in the Triple A All-Star game was important for his development.

Some housekeeping here: Starling will play regularly, mostly in center but also some in right. The scouting report describes an exceptional defender — he’s been called Lorenzo Cain with a better arm, which may be a bit overzealous — and a bat that could hit 20-plus home runs while striking out often.

“The power and defense is the really intriguing part of it,” Moore said.

The Royals will announce a corresponding move before Friday’s game. It won’t be designating Billy Hamilton for assignment, though Starling’s arrival will diminish Hamilton’s playing time more than anyone else’s.

Starling has long held an outsized place in the Royals’ future. The 2011 draft class burst with potential stars and the truth is the Royals would have preferred to draft one of four pitchers with their fifth overall pick.

When all four were gone, they faced what they recognized immediately as a massive moment. Anthony Rendon, Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez and George Springer would be among the next five position players selected. The Royals bet on Starling’s superior athleticism, with at least a tinge of geographical obligation.

Nobody wanted another Albert Pujols to star somewhere else. The day they drafted Starling, a Royals executive called it the most important selection the franchise would make in years. The decision has been among the most prominent examples used when taking inventory of nearly a decade’s worth of draft classes that haven’t produced enough.

Starling came to professional baseball with little experience and raw skills, particularly when compared to most modern top prospects. He was a three-sport star in a state with a short high school season. The Royals took a cautious approach, but even then he was off baseball’s top 100 prospect list two years after being drafted.