Kansas City Royals Hoping for Spring Training Carryover

Perhaps it is because we all need something to get excited over, but it seems that every year, Spring Training numbers are given far more credence than deserved. Yes, it is great to see that a player is taring the cover off the ball in Cactus League games, or that a pitcher is impressing, but what do those results truly mean? While they can be a guide as to which players should get the last few spots on the Opening Day lineup, Spring Training statistics really do not mean anything.

As a case in point, just look at the performance of some of the pitchers on the Kansas City Royals. Yordano Ventura has a 5.14 ERA and a 1.500 WHiP in his 14 innings of work. Prior to yesterday’s performance, Edinson Volquez had a 9.49 and a 2.351 WHiP in 12.1 innings. Even closer extraordinaire Greg Holland has gotten hit around, sporting a 6.43 ERA. Based on these statistics, it would be time for the Royals to panic.

Now that there is a week to go before Opening Day, we are seeing the pitchers begin to ramp up their performance. Ventura threw seven no hit innings in his last outing, completely dominating the Seattle Mariners and pitching like the ace the Kansas City Royals need him to be. Volquez was not quite as dominant yesterday, but he still struck out eight batters in five innings, while allowing only two runs on six hits and a walk.

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What does this performance really mean? Absolutely nothing. Once the games begin in earnest, what Volquez, Ventura or anyone else did in Arizona will be erased from our memory banks. As long as they perform when the games actually mean something, that is all that we, and the Royals, truly ask for.

Yes, there can be a carry over effect from Spring Training. Sometimes, a batter or a pitcher finds something that is working for them, and they can bring that adjustment into the regular season, getting off to a hot start. But just as easily, those gaudy Spring Training numbers can turn into a disappointing first month of the season. Just ask Mike Moustakas.

While it is great to see Yordano Ventura and Edinson Volquez pitch well in what should be their next to last Spring Training starts, that will no longer matter when the calender flips to April 6th. Regardless, we can hope that this is a sign that the Kansas City Royals vaunted pitching staff is getting ready to turn in another truly dominant season.

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