Kansas City Royals: Danny Duffy disappointing in 2018

The Kansas City Royals gave Danny Duffy a contract extension prior to the 2017 season and the Duffman has not lived up to the bill. He especially did not do his part this past season.

When the 2018 season opened up, no one was surprised to see Danny Duffy listed as the number one starter for the Kansas City Royals. When Duffy took the mound on Opening Day, it marked the second consecutive year in which he was the Royals “ace” on Opening Day.

The problem is that Duffy has never been an ace for the Royals. He might be the number one starter, but there’s a difference between that and being a true ace.

Duffy had a respectable 2017 season, but two stints on the disabled list made him an option to trade over the offseason. The Royals opted to keep him (after A LOT of pushback by the Duffman himself) and with that, there were expectations for Duffy. He didn’t deliver.

Duffy’s final numbers in 2018 were:

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• 28 starts
• 155.0 innings pitched
• 4.88 ERA
• 1.490 WHIP
• 8-12 record
• 141 strikeouts
• 70 walks
• 23 home runs given up

Those numbers are not exactly worthy of the contract Duffy currently has. One of his biggest issues has been staying healthy and that was once again a problem this year for Duffy, who was shut down for the rest of the season in early September.

Duffy has yet to throw 200 innings in a season with the Royals and the most innings he’s ever pitched was 179.2 in 2016. That was the year that got Duffy his extension, and most Royals fans would say they were okay with it at the time. He was great that year, but hasn’t replicated that success since signing the deal in 2016.

The good news for Kansas City Royals fans is that the team has a lot of up and coming pitching prospects in the minor leagues. They also saw a great 2018 performance from rookie Brad Keller and second-year man Jakob Junis showed promise as well down the stretch.

Even though Duffy is still under contract through 2022, maybe a team would be willing to trade for him and take that money off the Royals’ payroll. It’s not that I don’t like Danny Duffy, but he hasn’t been the pitcher the team is paying for and after another disappointing and injury-riddled season, it’s best for both sides to move on.

Duffy could use a change of scenery and the Royals could benefit greatly from not having the remainder of that contract on the books. Maybe a trade could happen this offseason, but if not, Duffman has to be better.