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KC Royals: Projecting the Starting Rotation for 2016

By Scott Dillon

Feb 23, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals pitchers throw during a workout at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2015; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals pitchers throw during a workout at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 31, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Chris Young throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning in game four of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Chris Young throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning in game four of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Fifth Starter: Chris Young

Chris Young is a jack of all trades when it comes to pitching. Not so much in his pitch selection, but in his ability to pitch in any situation. He can start a game as effectively as he pitches in long relief or even just one inning of work.

The fact that he can get through a line-up more than once is incredible with a fastball that tops out at 89 MPH that comes in high in the zone. What should be batting practice fastballs wind up being turned into pop-ups on the infield, at least most of the time. He also only features his fastball and slider most of the time, rarely throwing any other pitches.

Young was more effective out of the bullpen in 2015 pitching to a 2.58 ERA, but still posted a very impressive 3.18 ERA as a starter over 99 innings.

Young was more effective out of the bullpen in 2015 pitching to a 2.58 ERA, but still posted a very impressive 3.18 ERA as a starter over 99 innings. He’s not going to strike a lot of guys out, but he won’t walk many either. His pop-inducing tendencies also help him strand runners on the bases. Where he struggles the most is when failing to get the first batter of the inning out.

Chris Young doesn’t just underwhelm the radar gun, his delivery to the plate is very slow as well making it easy for runners to swipe second. Allowing top of the line-up guys to get on base with no outs usually leads to problems early for Chris Young as they’re almost guaranteed to get into scoring position.

Chris Young is best used in a swing man role and pitches most effectively when not overworked. He had a good string of success for the Royals early last year but started to wear out in June and July. They did themselves and Chris Young a favor by letting him rest and he returned to early season form. Chris Young would be a nice starter in the fifth spot for a month or so before giving way to Kyle Zimmer in late-spring or early summer.

That all depends on Kyle Zimmer staying healthy of course, but giving Young the ability to return to the bullpen to rest while make a spot start occasionally should keep him healthy for the playoffs. Chris Young wasn’t just a good story during this past post-season, he was integral to the KC Royals winning a championship.

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