Kansas City Royals: Jakob Junis provides hope for rotation next year
The Kansas City Royals had a tough time fielding a healthy starting rotation this year. The good news from that is that it forced them to throw Jakob Junis into the rotation, and he’s been fantastic.
If someone had asked Kansas City Royals fans who the best starting pitcher would be at the end of the season, NO ONE would have guessed the answer. That’s because Jakob Junis, the answer to that question, was a 29th round pick in 2011 and was a rookie when he first appeared for the Royals this season.
Now, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I predicted Junis to shine in 2017 back in January. I also said Hunter Dozier and Kyle Zimmer would shine, so I had my misses there obviously. Here’s what I said about Junis,
"While casual Royals fans likely have never heard of Junis, the kid could be an option for the rotation should an injury occur."
Nailed it!
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Junis first was thrown into a game in April where he was used out of the bullpen. He got his first start in late May against the Twins and went 4.2 innings while only allowing two runs.
Now, here we are four months later and Jakob Junis has been the best starter for Kansas City in the second half of the year. He’s started 14 games (pitching in 18 total) and has a 4.05 ERA in 86.2 innings thrown. Junis has put up an impressive record of 8-2 as a rookie, which no one expected from a former 29th round pick.
In his last slew of starts, Junis has been fantastic. He’s pitched at least five innings in his last six games and the most runs he allowed during that time was four (which was in a blowout win over Toronto on Wednesday).
With all of the drama that unfolded within the rotation, it’s been nice to see Junis step up and become the starter that the Kansas City Royals needed this year. From Danny Duffy‘s injuries to Nate Karns missing nearly the entire season to Ian Kennedy being bad, the Royals absolutely had to have a guy like Jakob Junis step up, or else this season would have been a wash months ago.
The Royals are likely going to be watching the playoffs from home this October, but one thing should be clear heading into the 2018 season: Junis deserves a top of the rotation spot. He’s more than earned it.