Kansas City Royals: What Can Go Right In 2014
By Joel Wagler
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (11)Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
JEREMY GUTHRIE AND JASON VARGAS
The twins! Well, not physical twins but right-handed Jeremy Guthrie and left-handed Jason Vargas could be statistical twins. Guthrie and Vargas are very similar pitchers who rely good defense and a big ball park to survive.
If both can match their best years of their careers, and remain durable all season, giving the Royals six or seven solid innings most outings, the Royals’ rotation has a chance of not dropping off much in 2014.
These two pitchers are not going to blow many hitters away. They need to be artists on the mound, painting the corners and changing speeds. they can both be very effective.
Both tend to rely on luck somewhat. Guthrie has a .281 career Batting Average on Balls in Play, per 162 games, and Vargas’ mark is at .283. As long as they match those types of numbers for BABiP in 2014, their best numbers are repeatable.
It is imperative these two pitchers perform well. If they do, a lot of things will go right in the rotation.
This is a whole lot of ifs. There is no way around it. These are things that if even most go right, good things will be in store for the Royals. If all go right, it could be a great season in Kansas City!