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The revolving door of not-quite-aces for the Kansas City Royals will continue in 2016, and that’s okay. Fans won’t see another Johnny Cueto type, unless that’s what Yordano Ventura eventually becomes, or unless GM Dayton Moore is compelled to make another huge mid-season move.
Edinson Volquez earned the nickname Steady Edi by being the pinnacle of consistency in 2015, but he isn’t aiming to be the ace. He’ll continue to eat innings in 2016 if healthy, but has only posted a full-season ERA below 3.55 twice in his long career. The Royals will rely heavily on Kris Medlen’s ability to start games for them this upcoming season, but nobody can count on him to provide ace-level production either. His only sub-3.10 ERA season came when he was mostly used in relief in 2012.
Then there’s Danny Duffy, who KC will hopefully give one more chance to prove his worth as a starter. Perhaps Duffy could get right quickly and look like a top-shelf lefty arm next season, and he has the natural stuff capable of doing just that. However, it isn’t something fans can necessarily count on. Despite being lights-out as a reliever later in the season, the poor starts that preceded them still inflated his season ERA to 4.08.
That number is one of many things Duffy and Ventura have in common. All of the Royals’ better-than-average starting pitching makes Yordano the best bet when it comes to being the ace this coming season. He has the stuff, and has at times shown the ability to command it with impressive results. He’s a two-time World Series vet now at the tender age of 24, and that experience makes him the favorite to lead the Royals’ staff in 2016.
Doug LaCerte is www.RantSports.com’s Kansas City Royals beat writer. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.
