Kansas City Royals: A Look At The 2016 Offseason
By Paul York
On to the latest Royals addition, Ian Kennedy. To the tune of five years/$70 million. This signing has drawn a lot of raised eyebrows.
As mentioned earlier, Mike Leake, a younger and better pitcher, signed for just two million a year more than Kennedy. I think the concern is valid, but my aim is to quell some of those concerns.
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Ian Kennedy reminds me a little of James Shields, maybe Shields-lite. They’re similar in that they both are solid strikeout pitchers, but when they get hit, they get hit hard.
Many times those hard hits come in the form of home runs. Shields, despite how good of a pitcher he is, has twice led the league in home runs surrendered. He gave up 33 last year, which led the league, and still posted a 13-7 record, with a 3.91 ERA. Serviceable, right?
Checking in right behind Shields in surrendering the long-ball was Ian Kennedy with 31. Kennedy finished the 2015 campaign with a 9-15 record, and a 4.28 ERA. Again, that’s serviceable, and something the Royals can work with.
Next: Let's look at the facts