Bold Predictions for the Kansas City Royals: Part One

Over the next three days, we will be bringing you our predictions for the 2014 season as it relates to the Kansas City Royals. We will be looking at six different topics, bringing you two questions a day. Today, we look at Yordano Ventura and former Royals pitcher Ervin Santana.

Sep 17, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura (30) delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

What are your expectations for Yordano Ventura this season? What will his ERA be?

Brian: Yordano will throw 175 innings of 3.70 ERA ball.  He sets himself up to start the first game of 2015.

Tom: Yordano Ventura will dominate. He’ll not only win Rookie of the Year, the Cy Young, and AL MVP, but he’ll arrange for Kate Upton to fully and publicly reconcile with Justin Verlander just so he can steal her away in August, so humiliating the Tigers Ace that he’ll stumble badly down the stretch, thus opening the way for the Royals to storm their way to the Central Division crown.

Alan: Yordano Ventura will win 12 games. He will be at least a .500 pitcher, and the team will have a better-than-.500 record in his non-decision starts. His ERA will be 3.90.

Mike: #LetsThrowFire will be the 2014 version of Greinke Day how that translates into wins and losses might be the same also ha. I think his ERA will be in the 3.35 range honestly

Ed: Ventura will go 14-8, with a 3.60 ERA.  He will also contribute over 200 innings and 200 strike-outs. Yordando will be the number two starter before the All Star break, and run away with the AL Rookie of the Year Award.

Ethan: My expectations for Yordano Ventura are to have an E.R.A. of 3.40 and to pitch at least 180 innings. I know better than to try and predict wins and losses. Hopefully the offense will provide more of the former than the latter.

Now that I’ve typed that, I’m scared. I just want one of our starting pitching prospect to pan out.

Jen: This is a tough one for me. Ventura looked dominant the one time this spring I had a chance to see him, but he has been so inconsistent over his minor league career, it is hard for me to tell which Ventura will show up. I think he will have a solid rookie campaign, but won’t live up to the extreme hype that is surrounding him this spring. His ERA will be around 4.00, he’ll walk 50-60 batters, and strike out around 150.

Dave: Ventura has looked quite good in Spring Training, so expectations are high. Once the regular season starts however, I expect that he will go through a few rough patches. Overall, I expect Ventura to perform well, and to tantalize with his talent, but there will be times that he does look like the rookie that he is. A 3.70 ERA and a 12-9 record over 180 innings seem about right to me.

Hunter: Ventura’s spring performances have made it difficult to temper my enthusiasm for his season, but I do think it’s possible he has a few rough stretches this season in between periods of dominance. Overall, I think he’ll put up an ERA of 3.68 in about 183 innings, while striking out 8.3 batters per 9, and walking 3.6 batters per 9.

Mar 25, 2014; Lakeland, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ervin Santana (30) walks back to the dugout at the end of the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Just for fun, what will Ervin Santana’s ERA be in 2014 with the Braves?

Brian: Ervin Santana in a pitchers park and moving to the NL posts another solid season with a 3.50 ERA.  There is still no one willing to give him a $100 million contract.

Tom: Erv will struggle mightily without the awesome Royals defense, and the unparalleled magic atmosphere of the K, as support. He will rue the day that he spurned DM’s generous offers and abandoned our fair city for the likes of Atlanta, as his ERA balloons to a Kyle Davies-like 5.59.

Having learned his lesson, he’ll come crawling back to KC in 2015 for a 3-year/$20M deal, regain his 2013-level competence, and (spoiler alert) help the Royals successfully defend their World Championship.

Alan: Santana’s overall ERA will be 4.10. After a slow start for the first half in which his ERA pushes 5.00, he will rebound in the second half for a playoff push and lower his ERA nearly 1 point. His lack of time in Spring Training will adversely affect his first half. The fact he is in, yet another, contract year fuels his motivation for the second half.

Mike: For some reason I think that it’ll be 3.80 range and really not sure why I feel this way, given how my feeling towards the National League being a league where ERA should drop.

Ed: Erv’s going to have a great year for Atlanta.  He’ll almost match his 2013 ERA and post a 3.40.  He will up his win total to 15.  Erv’s going to get paid big, just not as quickly as he wanted.

Ethan: 3.41. I don’t wish ill will to the man, although I unfollowed him on Twitter simply because all of his tweets about the Braves make me sad now.

Jen: I think Santana’s overall numbers will be better this season with the Braves than they were in 2013 with the Royals, though his ERA will be about the same. The NL East offenses aren’t as strong as the AL Central’s and I think he will be an All-Star. With all the injuries to the Braves rotation, he could help carry them to the postseason.

Dave: Santana’s ERA each year beginning in 2007: 5.76, 3.49, 5.03, 3.92, 3.38, 5.16, 3.24. With the late start to his Spring Training and how he has only produced back to back seasons with an ERA below 4.00 once in his career, I’m expecting him to be back over 5.00 this season.

Hunter: Turner Field limits home runs almost as well as Kauffman Stadium, and the move to the inferior league should pay off big time for Santana. I’m expecting his strikeouts to increase, and I think he’ll have an ERA of 3.52 in just under 200 innings.