Kansas City Royals: Ranking The Bullpen
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar (44) – Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
After spending all of 2014 out of baseball due to Tommy John surgery, Luke Hochevar has not had a great season so far in 2015. His first appearance of the regular season was his best, when he came into the game in the sixth inning against Cleveland and struck out two batters.
Since then, it hasn’t been great for the former number one overall pick in 2006. Hochevar hasn’t seen many innings, but when he does, it’s usually when the Royals are already down by a significant amount of runs. It’s a damn shame given the potential this guy has, but I get it. He hasn’t proved himself to be reliable since coming back from surgery.
Hochevar, once the Royals’ closer, was thought by many coming into this season to possibly be the third H in the H-D-H knockout punch that so many loved to watch last season. Hochevar looked like he’d fill that role after his terrific premiere at Kauffman Stadium, where he received a standing ovation from the fans, but he has underwhelmed since that point.
Hochevar, once the Royals’ closer, was thought by many coming into this season to possibly be the third H in the H-D-H knockout punch that so many loved to watch last season.
Hochevar’s most recent outing was against the Minnesota Twins on July 2nd. Hochevar came into a tight game, a rare occasion for him this season, and recorded one out in just three pitches. His last full inning was against the Astros, where he pitched one inning and didn’t allow a hit. Both were decent outings from Hoch, and hopefully he can start pitching more like that, but the opportunities have been slim for him.
At one point, Hochevar posted a 7.20 ERA, which came after his appearance against the Brewers, when he gave up a home run.
Highlight of 2015 so far: Hochevar hasn’t had a lot of opportunities this season and is usually put into the ball game when the game is out of reach for the Royals. With that said, Hochevar’s best appearance in 2015 would have to be his bullpen premiere back in May against the Indians. Hochevar struck out two batters in one inning of work and then allowed H-D-H to do their thing so the Royals could get the win.
Lowlight of 2015 so far: There have been a few, but his worst appearance was against the Cardinals when he allowed four hits and two runs in one inning. I was at that game. It wasn’t pretty.
Next: Former Royals Hero