NFL Tickets
Joakim Soria compiled a 2.53 ERA over 67.2 innings of relief last year, and his career ERA of 2.64 proves him to be a consistent, successful reliever. Soria will get the Kansas City Royals through some important innings this season, but KC doesn’t need to force him into high-leverage setup roles when he isn’t at his best. He left a bunch of very hitter-friendly pitches over the plate Friday night, which led to a bomb of a home run by Byung-Ho Park and a 3-2 lead for Minnesota. If he doesn’t have command, he becomes very susceptible to tuned-in batters. Compare that to times when Kelvin Herrera can’t control his stuff, and you should see what I’m getting at here.
Herrera induces big swings, big misses and weak contact, even when he isn’t on-point. His live arm makes him exactly the kind of pitcher that the term “effectively wild” was created to describe. When Herrera did have his command last year, he was lights out. Deadly. Almost untouchable. Oh, and this year, he added a new pitch. With a nasty new slider/cutter/whatever experts smarter than me call it, Herrera could be devastatingly hard-to-hit this season. He’s shown remarkable confidence in this new tool so far, so keep him confident and let him use everything he’s got in higher-leverage situations.
Herrera helped KC win the World Series in 2015 with a 2.71 regular season ERA, and when they needed him most, he stepped up. He finished last year’s playoff run with a 0.66 postseason ERA and 22 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. Herrera can’t do anything more to prove his readiness as a high-leverage reliever.
Notice how I’m using the term “high-leverage” instead of “setup man,” and just look at that postseason strikeout total again. I want the guy who averages over one and a half strikeouts per postseason inning to come in when the opponent gets their best chance at scoring late. I don’t care if that’s the sixth, seventh or eighth inning, and neither does Ned Yost. But, whenever KC avoids trouble through the seventh inning, yes, Herrera should take care of the eighth. He’s the Royals’ best fireman right now, aside from Wade Davis, so use him in the most important moments of the game. To stick with an inferior arm, one that turns from really good to really wobbly when he doesn’t have control, just wouldn’t make sense.
Share 
