Kansas City Royals Survivor: The Rotation Edition

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Yordano Ventura

Ah, the 24-year old hard throwing righty who just got his payday, made the start on Opening Day, and has the highest ceiling. Need I really say more? The chances of Ventura pitching out of the pen are the same as me getting a call from Dayton Moore to pitch for the Kansas City Royals. Okay, so maybe not the exact same chance, but it’s hard to believe the Royals sending Ventura to the pen. I mean need I remind you all of a certain Wildcard game against the Oakland Athletics?

Sure Ventura has just a 4-6 record with a 4.73 ERA in 13 starts. He has certainly fallen short in innings thus far with 72.1 while fanning 58 batters. We have yet to see Ventura pitch at the level he did in Game 6 of the World Series. His best start was probably against the Cincinnati Reds versus Johnny Cueto.

It is difficult to imagine that the Royals would move Ventura from the rotation. After all, they had just signed him to a long term extension, and the Royals are certainly not paying him to be a long reliever. His odds of being removed from the rotation are minimal at best. If not for the fact that Volquez has had a better season, he would be the least likely to be removed from the rotation.

Next: He may have turned the corner