KC Royals: Projecting 2016 Opening Day Roster

Bullpen Pieces

The Royals have a bunch of pieces in the bullpen to lock things down and though they’ve lost a couple pieces they are still in great shape.

They’ve lost Greg Holland and Ryan Madson, but they’ve acquired Joakim Soria to try and make up some of that depth.

Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, Soria, and Luke Hochever can all be expected to make the roster as bullpen pieces. Those players that don’t make the rotation between Duffy, Medlen, Young, and Gee will also be relegated to the bullpen.

Brian Flynn, a left-handed pitcher who came close to making the team last year, has had a rough spring so far. His ERA stands at 13.50 and he’ll have to really improve that number to make a push.

Chien-Ming Wang has also had a solid spring but hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2013. Before that, he hasn’t been all that effective in the MLB since 2007. He could be this year’s successful reclamation project now that Ryan Madson is gone.

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Brian Duensing, who was a teammate of Alex Gordon at Nebraska and one of his best friends, has had a solid spring and offers a left-handed option out of the bullpen. John Lannan is another veteran lefty who has put together some decent numbers.

One player who may have an outside shot is Scott Alexander. The left-handed reliever hasn’t allowed a run in his 6.1 innings so far. He’s also struck out five and only given up two hits with one walk. His opponents average is .100 and his WHIP is 0.47.

His numbers, like Merrifield’s numbers, are impressive but have come against minor league talent. He’ll get more of a shot aginst Major League talent now that there are less arms in camp.

Next: The Final Tally