Kansas City Royals: Five Reasons They Miss Playoffs in 2016

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Starting Pitching

While injuries are just a cruel twist of fate that is just bad luck, but is something a team can work around, starting pitching is something that teams absolutely have to have in order to contend.

Sure, last season the Royals didn’t have the best rotation, but Edinson Volquez was good and so was Johnny Cueto (when he wanted to be).

The team went out and signed Ian Kennedy during the offseason, and while Kennedy hasn’t been awful (3.97 ERA with a 6-7 record), he’s not performing well enough to merit the huge contract he signed.

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Yordano Ventura is still up and down as a starter, and Dillon Gee isn’t exactly the answer in the rotation either.

I touched on Medlen and Young on the last slide, but will reiterate here that both were terrible this season. Young finally got pushed into the bullpen, where he’s done well in just five innings of work.

The only bright spot of the rotation has been Danny Duffy, and he wasn’t even a starter at the beginning of the season. Duffy has been brilliant this season, posting a 3.09 ERA with a 4-1 record and looking like the 2014 Duffy we were hoping to see again.

The Royals’ lack of solid starting pitching is reason enough why the team won’t make it back to the playoffs this year. They’re struggling to not give up home runs and it always seems like the offense has to play from behind.

Not good.

Next: Sorry guys!

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