Kansas City Royals: Pitchers who could make starting rotation in 2019

STARTING ROTATION CANDIDATES – HEATH FILLMYER

The Royals also acquired Heath Fillmyer in that deal with Oakland last year and he was a much better acquisition than Jesse Hahn. Fillmyer appeared in 17 games, starting 13 of them, and throwing in 82.1 innings.

Unlike the other guys on this list so far, Fillmyer was effective on the mound. He went 4-2 as a starter (I know that’s mostly irrelevant, but considering Sparkman and Oaks failed to win a game, it’s a little important here) and will likely be the first guy into the rotation should someone get hurt or fail to get the job done as a starter.

Fillmyer finished his first season in the majors with an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.336 while notching 57 strikeouts. He’s 24 years old and doesn’t hit free  agency until 2025, so the Royals know they have something special in this kid.

Hopefully Fillmyer has a nice Spring Training and can work his way into the starting rotation.