Royals' nightmare start hasn't affected rotation in The Athletic's Top 100 starter list

If there is anything the Kansas City Royals can hang their hat on this season, it is the strength of their starting rotation. The pitchers taking the ball every five days give the Royals a fighting chance more often than not, even if the lineup can absolutely squander those efforts. Even after some meltdown starts from the likes of Noah Cameron and Cole Ragans, Kansas City's starters still own a 3.50 ERA, which ranks 10th in MLB. On top of that, the group’s 13 quality starts are tied for the second-most in baseball, trailing only the dominant Los Angeles Dodgers. Royals fans would think all of that would earn the team a record better than the worst mark in the AL. But hey, the starting pitching.

The Athletic's Eno Sarris updated his pitching rankings as April comes to a close, including projections for each pitcher the rest of the way. No reader should be surprised to see Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal or NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes sitting one-two in Sarris' rankings. The Royals' first representative, the aforementioned Ragans, checked in at No. 14. Then Kris Bubic was there. Cameron was there, followed by Michael Wacha. Finally, Seth Lugo showed up at No. 94, putting all five Royals starters in Sarris' top 100.

The Royals need more wins, and the starting pitching is doing their part

Kansas City was just one of seven MLB teams that could say its entire rotation landed in the top 100. These are arbitrary rankings at the end of the day, ones that do not impact the on-field product. Rather, they give readers insight into how those pitchers are regarded and how they project for the remainder of the season.

Royals fans know how much this rotation needs to produce for the team to win. The unit was one of the league's best in 2024, when Kansas City made its long-awaited return to the postseason. Meanwhile, the rotation was closer to average in 2025 and the team faltered, still posting a winning record but fading from the playoff race.

The starting rotation cannot carry the team to wins and losses however. The Royals are one of two teams with a losing record while their starter has a quality start, only joined by the woeful New York Mets. Kansas City's starting pitching is keeping up their end of the bargain this season, which makes such a poor start to the season in the win-loss column even more frustrating for fans.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow