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Kansas City Royals: Recent Notable First Round Picks

By Leigh Oleszczak

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Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar (44) – Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Hochevar is a little more popular nowadays than he was when he was originally apart of the Kansas City Royals. He was a starter in the Royals’ rotation on and off from 2007 to 2013 (he got sent to the minors a few times) and was moved to the bullpen for the 2013 season.

The bullpen is where Hochevar came into his own. He posted a 1.92 ERA in 70.1 innings pitched and struck out 82 batters while only walking 17. Fans were looking forward to continuing to see Luke Hochevar dominate in the bullpen in 2014, but he had to have Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2014 season.

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The Royals’ bullpen was downright nasty on their way to the World Series, and it’s scary to think how much nastier they could have been with Hochevar in the mix.

Fortunately, he just rejoined the Royals and has pitched four innings, allowing six hits, two runs, and a 4.50 ERA in five games (as of May 20th). Hochevar looked slick in his first return since 2013 against the Indians, but since then he’s struggled with his command a bit.

Hoch’s time as a starter didn’t pan out, but he’s found his niche in the bullpen. He was basically the Wade Davis before Wade Davis was Wade Davis. Got all that?

Luke Hochevar also got the win during Game 5 (the clinching game) of the World Series. I don’t think anybody would have expected that to happen after 2012.

Career stats through May 20th, 2015

  • Wins-Losses – 43-61
  • ERA: 5.10
  • Games: 194 (Started 128)
  • Complete Games: 5
  • Saves: 2
  • Innings Pitched: 844.1
  • Strikeouts/Walks: 616/275

Next: The Moose Is Loose

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