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Kansas City Royals: Most surprising players in 2018

By Leigh Oleszczak

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Salvador Perez #13 celebrates with Whit Merrifield #15 and members of the Kansas City Royals as he celebrates his walk-off grand slam against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium on September 14, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Salvador Perez #13 celebrates with Whit Merrifield #15 and members of the Kansas City Royals as he celebrates his walk-off grand slam against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium on September 14, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /
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Brad Keller #56 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Brad Keller #56 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

MOST SURPRISING ROYALS IN 2018 – NUMBER TWO: BRAD KELLER

I debated putting Brad Keller at number one, but ultimately, he lands at number two. Keller, who was a Rule-5 Draft guy, started the season off in the bullpen. Keller was one of two reliable relievers (Kelvin Herrera was the other one) so when the team made the decision to move Keller into the starting rotation, it left the bullpen pretty depleted.

Keller performed incredibly well in the rotation though and that’s all that mattered. The rookie pitcher tossed 140.1 innings in 41 games and 20 starts with a 3.08 ERA, 1.304 WHIP, and 9-6 record. He recorded 96 strikeouts and walked 50 batters. Keller had one complete game as a rookie.

With the Royals being so bad this season, no one nationally was talking about Brad Keller and how well he was performing as a rookie, but they should have been. Keller was the talk amongst Royals fans and it’ll be interesting to see if he continues to be this good on the mound or if he regresses in 2019.

Regardless, it was a fun rookie season for the 23-year old righty and the Royals have him under contract for awhile. Get excited, Royals nation! We might have a legitimate ace to build around!

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