Breaking Down Baseball: What is a quality start in baseball and why should KC Royals fans care?

Who leads the 2023 Royals in quality starts?

The number of quality starts a pitcher has should help Royals fans project the 2024 rotation better. Ragans has unquestionably been the Royals best pitcher since the All-Star break, but Lynch over Singer is not a popular pick. The numbers do not lie, though.

This also shows what starters need to leave Kansas City. Greinke has the fewest quality starts among pitchers, with at least 20 starts in 2023. The player above him? None other than Jordan Lyles. Both are huge negatives in the Royals rotation this season, but Royals fans did not need to be reminded of that.

The ratios are everything in quality, as well. For example, Lyles has had more starts than Lynch this season. Let's look at the percentage of starts that were quality ones for each starter, sorted by their total quality starts this season.

This paints a different picture. Instead of Singer leading the rotation by a healthy margin, he ties for the third-best percentage in the Royals rotation. Greinke's disappointing 2023 season sees a new low, and Royals fans are reminded that Kris Bubic started out the season strong before undergoing Tommy John surgery.

No statistic is perfect in baseball, which is why there are so many of them. But a quality start is a quick way to see which starters keep their team in the game the best. I like the quality start percentage because even bad pitchers can rack up a few quality starts over the course of a season. It takes more skill and effort to pitch six innings with three or fewer runs allowed in the majority of games.

This is also your reminder to hitch the 2024 wagon to Cole Ragans and see what happens.