Kansas City Royals: Bullpen Better Than Ever

The Kansas City Royals’ bullpen continues to get better and better as the years go by. It’ll play a huge role in getting the boys in blue back into the postseason.

If someone had told me over a month ago that the Kansas City Royals‘ bullpen would somehow be even better without Wade Davis, I’d probably have laughed and spit my Diet Coke out through my nose in the process.

That’s exactly what’s been happening though.

Ever since Wade Davis went on the disabled list at the beginning of August, the Royals’ bullpen has proven that they’re just as good as the H-D-H 2014 season and last year’s trio of Davis, Kelvin Herrera, and Ryan Madson.

More from Kansas City Royals

• This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
• The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
• DraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!
• 3 Royals Players Who Won’t Be on the Roster Next Year
• LAST CHANCE to Claim $250 GUARANTEED Bonus With FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!

Not only are the KC Royals doing this without their best reliever/closer in Wade Davis, but they’re also kicking butt without Luke Hochevar. Hochevar had been one of the most reliable relievers in the pen last season and he went on the disabled list around the same time as Davis did.

As of the end of August, the Royals have the best bullpen ERA in the major leagues at 3.10, according to ESPN. The next closest is the Dodgers at 3.35.

What’s helped the Royals get to that point is that Kelvin Herrera hasn’t missed a beat as the new closer. He’s notched 11 saves to this point and has an ERA of 1.80. Incredible!

More from KC Kingdom

• Win $650 GUARANTEED Plus $100 Off NFL Sunday Ticket With Caesars, FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!
• This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
• How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
• The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
• The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule

The Royals also brought up youngster Matt Strahm, who has been a freak out of the pen this season. Strahm has pitched 13.1 innings so far and has given up one run off of six hits. His ERA is at an eye popping 0.68 and he has struck out 20 batters already.

While Strahm has definitely been the biggest highlight and surprise to come out of the bullpen, there really hasn’t been a “bad” reliever. Sure, Chien-Ming Wang has the highest ERA, which currently sits at 4.38, but the guy has a 6-0 record. So even the “weakest” member is still contributing when necessary.

There’s also Chris Young, who was dreadful as a starter, but has been able to lower that high “close to 7 ERA” to now under 6 at 5.96. He had a tough outing against the Yankees on Monday night (and so did Joakim Soria on Tuesday night), but Young has definitely shown that he belongs in the bullpen this season.

Next: Ten Best Royals Closers EVER

Another pleasant surprise out of the pen is Australian reliever Peter Moylan. Moylan is a left-handed submarine pitcher, who is a lot of fun to watch. He has a 3.55 ERA, but has started to see more and more high pressure situations.

While the days of watching H-D-H are long over (we miss you, Holland!), this 2016 Kansas City Royals bullpen has proven that the days of great relief pitching in Kansas City aren’t over yet.