Kansas City Royals: Danny Duffy The Ace

The Kansas City Royals may have found the ace of the pitching staff. He was already on the team pitching in the devastating bullpen. His name is Danny Duffy.

Danny Duffy has given the Kansas City Royals what the team desperately needed, starting pitching. The starting pitching staff hasn’t been good this season. The total starting pitching earned run average (ERA) including Duffy is 4.98. Best for 26th in the major leagues.

With that kind of pitching staff the Royals need an ace and quickly. Fortunately for Kansas City that ace may have been in the bullpen. Duffy started the 2016 season in the bullpen for the Royals. He then transitioned to the starting role due to injuries to both Chris Young and Kris Medlen.

Since then, he’s started six games for the Royals winning two of them. He’s gotten through six innings three of the six times he’s started.

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Duffy now is stretched out enough to go deep in games. The first few games Duffy had a low pitch count due to his transition from the bullpen.

Yesterday, Danny Duffy showcased the best of his abilities. He gave up three hits, three walks and allowed no runs in six innings pitched against the Chicago White Sox on the road. He added a career high 10 strikeouts and threw a guy out at first.

The Kansas City Royals are 5-1 when Duffy starts a game. The Royals are 3-0 against the White Sox when Duffy takes the mound. Two of those wins coming on the road.

Duffy’s ERA on the season is 2.98 as a reliever and a starter through 49 innings pitched. He has nearly a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio with 59 strikeouts to 10 walks. His walk plus hits innings pitched (WHIP) is barely above one at 1.061. He averages 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings of work.

Duffy has the lowest ERA of any of the Royals starters this season. Duffy pitches with max effort every time he pitches. This max effort makes his pitches the best they can be velocity wise.

He throws the fastball the majority of the time (70.8 percent). He averages 95.7 MPH on the heater. He throws a slider 14.2 percent of the time averaging 84.6 MPH. The last pitch Duffy has is a change-up. He throws the change-up 15 percent of the time, averaging 86.2 MPH, according to Fangraphs.

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With those three pitches, Duffy confuses the batter. The batter must be ready for a fastball at all times due to the amount of times Duffy throws the heater. If the batter is wrong he will look foolish swinging at air.

If the hitter can get solid contact on a Duffy’s fastball, the ball leaves the park in a hurry. Duffy has given up six home runs this season, five as a starter. He’s give up two home runs in a game twice as a starter. Once against the White Sox and the other versus the Orioles.

Danny Duffy has been the pitcher the Kansas City Royals have been looking for. His ERA is under three and he gets a lot of strikeouts. He might be a fly ball pitcher but pitching at Kauffman Stadium half of the season helps keep his home run totals down.

Next: Kansas City Royals: Top 10 Leaders In Wins

Duffy should be considered the ace of the Kansas City Royals. The guy that wears a bear suit for fun is here to stay. He will be the bear on the starting pitching staff from here on, literally and figuratively.