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KC Royals: Who Should Be Named Closer in 2016

By Scott Dillon

Aug 7, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitchers Greg Holland (far left), Wade Davis (left center), Luke Hochevar (right center) and Danny Duffy (far right) stand in the out field during batting practice prior to a game against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitchers Greg Holland (far left), Wade Davis (left center), Luke Hochevar (right center) and Danny Duffy (far right) stand in the out field during batting practice prior to a game against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the 10th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the 10th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Luke Hochevar

For a long time, Luke Hochever looked like he was going to be a bust. The Royals had used their first overall pick on Hochevar in the 2006 draft and he never lived up to the hype…at least as a starter.

In his career as a starter Hochevar carries an ERA of 5.44 with an underwhelming 6.2 Ks/9. The scary thing is, during his time as a starter he may have been one of the Royals’ best options. It’s hard to believe we’re not that far removed from a Royals’ team where Luke Hochevar was the opening day starter.

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In 2013, Hochevar was relegated to the bullpen and completely turned his career around. His Ks/9 jumped to 10.5 and his ERA dropped to 1.92. He also allowed less than one base runner per inning seeing his WHIP drop to .825. Those are almost Wade Davis numbers.

Hochevar didn’t put up numbers that impressive during the 2015 campaign, but he was coming off his first major surgery that saw him miss the entire 2014 season. He was better in the second half of the season, though still not as dominate as he was in 2013.

Hochever is going to have a full off-season and a full spring training of recover under his belt heading into the 2016 campaign. If he can come even close to the numbers he put up in 2013, he wouldn’t just be a good candidate at closer. He’d be a great candidate.

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