Kansas City Royals Week Five Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

1. Danny Duffy

With James Shields departing via free agency, the Kansas City Royals were counting on Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy to head the rotation. While neither have exactly lived up to those expectations, Duffy has been strikingly inconsistent.

Last week, Duffy had what may have been his worst start in his career. He failed to get an out in the second inning, as he allowed four runs on six hits in his inning of work. That just is not the type of performance that the Royals need from their second starter.

In fact, it may be fair to wonder about whether or not the Royals should be concerned about Duffy going forward. He is averaging under five innings per start, and while he had three strong outings prior to last week’s implosion, he just does not look like the same pitcher that he was last year. Even in those three starts where Duffy produced a 1.56 ERA, he had a 1.442 WHiP, indicating a degree of luck.

Hopefully, this is just a rough start for Duffy as he acclimates to a larger role within the rotation. However, one has to wonder if these inconsistencies will continue all year.

Now, on to the hot list!

Next: Pure dominance