Peter G. Aiken – USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Royals took the baseball world by storm during the offseason, acquiring a whole lot of new talent for the 2013 season. Obviously, most fans will look to the acquisition of James Shields and Wade Davis as Kansas City’s big move, but there was another pitcher they quietly acquired that is paying huge dividends so far this season.
Ervin Santana had a really rough 2012 season with the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed a remarkable 39 home runs, which is one of the main reasons why he had 13 losses and a 5.16 ERA. Considering Santana was owed a pretty penny, the Angels moved him to the Royals. Many people mocked the move, chalking it up as another head-scratcher made by general manager Dayton Moore. However, with April coming to a close, not only has Santana been adequate for Kansas City but he has been their best pitcher this month.
In 29 innings, Santana has won two of his four starts, struck out 26 batters and has a 2.48 ERA. The reemergence of Santana has given Kansas City Royals fans plenty of optimism that this team can compete with the Detroit Tigers and everyone else in the American League Central, because the starting rotation was the biggest question mark for Kansas City coming into the season.
I think it’s rather obvious that the Royals can hit with the best of them, especially if Mike Moustakas realizes that the wooden thing in his hands is supposed to put the ball in play. Plus, their bullpen is still one of the better ones in the American League, even if Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland are struggling. So, if Santana keeps his production up, with Shields, Davis and Jeremy Guthrie giving consistent efforts, this team will not be going away anytime soon.
