Kansas City Royals: Most disappointing players in 2018
By Mike Norris
Kansas City Royals. DANNY DUFFY. D. <strong>2018 Key Stats: 8-12, 4.88 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9</strong>. SP
To say Danny Duffy had a down year would be an understatement.
While the 29-year-old has really only lived up to expectations one year, when he went 12-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 179 2/3 innings in 2016 — Royals fans still expected more than what was considered a downright awful season for the southpaw in 2018.
Duffy never really hit a groove, losing six of his first seven starts — including his first three — and seeing his ERA balloon to 6.88 after a loss to the New York Yankees on May 19. He did win three of five starts in July, but lost three of his past four decisions to end the season. It culminated with a defeat against Cleveland on Sept. 4 when he pitched just 2/3 of an inning, allowing four hits and three earned runs, eventually heading to the disabled list for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.
It’s possible Duffy just fell victim to pitching on a bad team, but when talking about his struggles in May, he wasn’t making any excuses, per Sam Mellinger of the KC Star.
"“My teammates, man,” he says. “Can’t tell you how many times I’ve apologized to my team for completely taking us out of a game this year, man. It’s rough. They all keep saying, ‘Look, your stuff’s nasty, you’re good.’ But it’s obviously not nasty enough, because I’m getting destroyed pretty much every time out. “So I lean on my teammates.”"
It’s not fun to talk about, but it’s hard to wonder if an August 2017 DUI arrest still resonated with Duffy into the 2018 season. That could have messed with his focus coming into the season, and focusing on the mound seemed to be a problem for him early in his career.
Duffy struggled with walking too many batters when he entered the majors. He gave just 2.1 free passes per nine innings in 2016, and 2.7 in 2017, before seeing the number jump to 4.1 this past season.
Whatever the case, it was a (way) down year for the Southern California native who agreed to a five-year, $65 million contract in January of last year.
It’s possible Duffy is traded next season in what will surely still be a rebuilding year, but Royals fans will still want to see improvement from a guy they know has the talent to dominate on the hill.