Derek "Bubba" Starling (born August 3, 1992) is an American former professional baseball outfielder.

He spent his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Kansas City Royals organization.

[6] On August 14, 2011, Starling signed a $7.5 million, three-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, opting to play professional baseball over a collegiate athletic career for the University of Nebraska.

[9] Starling made his professional debut in 2012 with the Burlington Royals and spent the whole season there, batting .275 with ten home runs and 33 RBIs in 53 games.

Starling spent 2015 with both Wilmington and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, compiling a combined .269 batting average with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs in 103 total games between both clubs.

Between his time in Omaha and rehabilitation stints with the Arizona League Royals and the Idaho Falls Chukars, Starling appeared in only 20 total games, hitting .296 with four homers and 11 RBIs.

[18] On July 21, 2019, Starling hit his first career MLB home run off Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand.

On July 2, 2021, Starling was named to the roster for the United States national baseball team for the 2020 Summer Olympics, contested in 2021 in Tokyo.

[24] Starling was born and raised in Gardner, Kansas, where his mother had also been a three-sport athlete at Gardner-Edgerton High School.