Kansas City Royals: Starting Pitching Options

Royals Pitchers - Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Royals Pitchers - Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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royals – Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
royals – Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports /

The Kansas City Royals head to Spring Training with quite a few options in the ‘arms race’.

There are a lot of possibilities to fill out the rotation. The Royals have a few minor league options and several veteran pieces to choose from when it comes time to set their starters.

Based on an article written a few weeks ago, I project the starting to rotation to look something like this:

  1. Yordano Ventura
  2. Edinson Volquez
  3. Ian Kennedy
  4. Kris Medlen
  5. Chris Young

In that article, there is a player by player breakdown making the case for each as a starter and their spot in the rotation. Although those pieces seem to make sense to start the season, a lot can happen between now and opening day.

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A lot can happen during the regular season that will see some other players get a shot as well. Zimmer and Almonte may be first in line to take someone’s spot if they falter, or worse get injured.

Veteran Minor League pitchers in John Lannan and Chien-Ming Wang could also offer some depth in case something goes seriously wrong.

Dillon Gee may also have a strong showing in Spring Training and force his way into the rotation. At the very least, he’d be a good long reliever out of the bullpen if he’s willing to accept that role.

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What do you think Kansas City Royals’ fans? Who will make the opening day start? What pitchers are the most likely to start games this season? Let’s discuss in the comments’ section below.

All stats and projections provided by FanGraphs, Rotoworld, Spotrac, and baseball reference.