Luke Hochevar: An Infographic

Sometimes, I feel like the Royals fan base (like most fan bases) is filled with people who hope for the progression of one player even when that player fails. We push so hard to promote how that player will improve and finally turn the corner. Every offseason is filled with these kinds of predictions, and most of the time, well, they just don’t come true.

Luke Hochevar was my prediction this past offseason. I saw some things from him that I really liked before he was sidelined for much of the 2010 season. Sure, his ERA wasn’t great in that 13-game span (4.95), but he had some performances that we hadn’t seen from him before. Instead of completely imploding at a certain inning of the game, he would hold down the fort. Luke even pitched a complete game four-hitter. That was pretty great for him.

But every time you think Luke is flashing something, he sends you back down. I don’t know if you remember or have blacked it out, but Luke started one game early last year in which he threw 2.2 innings and gave up 11 hits and nine runs. Then, in his next start, he pitched six innings and gave up no earned runs on three hits. It’s the way it seems to go for Luke.

So, last night was the latest reminder of this interesting trend. I just wanted to dig some numbers out of these outings over the past couple years to see what’s going on here.

Click on the image for the full version.

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