Kansas City Royals: Eric Skoglund suspension affects rotation plans
The Kansas City Royals were hit with the news on Wednesday that pitcher Eric Skoglund will be serving an 80-game suspension due to PED use. Skoglund had a shot to make the starting rotation out of spring training.
It almost seems rare now if a member of the Kansas City Royals isn’t slapped with some sort of PED suspension. The latest casualty is Eric Skoglund, who was suspended on Wednesday.
Skoglund is just 26 years old and has two years of major league innings under his belt. He was definitely in the running to be one of the Royals starters in 2019, but when MLB.com beat reporter Jeffrey Flanagan was asked who his starting five would be, he did not include Skoglund in that group.
Obviously there was still a chance for Skoglund to make a good impression in spring training, but that won’t happen now. He won’t get to throw a meaningful inning until July.
Royals lefty Eric Skoglund was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a banned PED. Here’s Dayton Moore’s statement: pic.twitter.com/HxtmtMLnVV
— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) January 16, 2019
Skoglund made his Major League Baseball debut in the 2017 season and threw a 6.2 inning shutout against the Tigers. He got the win that night, but that’d be his only victory in the 2017 season. Skoglund would end his first MLB season with an ERA over nine.
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In year two, improvements showed with Eric Skoglund, but he still wasn’t great. He had an ERA of 5.14 ERA in 70 innings pitched and 13 starts (14 total games). It was clear that the Royals saw him more as a starter last season, but an injury sidelined him and the team didn’t get to see him as much as they’d have liked to.
There are four locks to make the starting rotation for the 2019 season (barring something dramatic) and those guys are Danny Duffy, Brad Keller, Jakob Junis, and Ian Kennedy. Duffy and Kennedy will make it due to their contracts and starting experience. Keller was the best pitcher on the team last year and Junis is a young guy who will be a major part of the rebuild.
There’s still one spot left, assuming the Royals go with the traditional five-man rotation (the only time we see a six-man rotation is usually near the end of the season), and Skoglund would have had a chance at grabbing that final spot. Jorge Lopez appears to be the favorite by many, however, including by Flanagan in his recent prediction.
The 80-game suspension hurts for both the Royals and for Eric Skoglund for many reasons. At just 26 years old, Skoglund has an opportunity to be a big time contributor in this rebuild. By the time his suspension is served this season, we’ll have a good idea of where the Royals are at this year and if they’re anywhere close to contending in 2020 or 2021.
Next. Best Royals Pitchers in Wins Above Replacement. dark
Hopefully when the suspension is up, Eric Skoglund is ready to get out on the mound and compete, otherwise the 2019 season will be a wasted year for him.