Danny Duffy or Yordano Ventura? You Decide!

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

One of the more hotly debated topics surrounding the Kansas City Royals involves the identity of their fifth starter. Both Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura are young pitchers with a lot of potential, and have displayed flashes of being solid contributors at the major league level.

Last season, Duffy was coming back from Tommy John surgery, and had his moments with the Royals. While he was not at full strength, Duffy was 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA, striking out 22 batters in 24.1 innings. There were concerns, as Duffy walked 14 batters, but that was to be expected with his layoff due to injury. Ventura, in his three outings spanning 15.1 innings, went 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA, striking out 11 batters with 6 walks. He was also praise for his poise on the mound, as Ventura, despite being thrown into the middle of a playoff push, did not let the moment become too much for him last year.

Last night, on Twitter and on Facebook, we asked as to which pitcher you feel should be the Royals fifth starter heading into the regular season. The responses on that poll were overwhelmingly in favor of Yordano Ventura, with Danny Duffy being left on the outside. Since several people responded that both should be in the rotation, that is going to be an option here as well.

So, let us know what you think. Should Yordano Ventura or Danny Duffy be in the Royals rotation at the start of the 2014 season?