Wade Davis and Luke Hochevar will look to make the Royals’ bullpen the best in the league in 2015 (cbssports.com).
The Kansas City Royals began their 2015 season this past week as they opened camp at Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona. With their first playoff appearance since 1985 last season which ended in their magical World Series run, there are high expectations for this Royals’ roster and it all begins right now. With newly acquired Royals’ this offseason and the return of players’ such as Luke Hochevar from the disabled list, the bullpen with have a tough position battle heading into the regular season.
Last season Wade Davis had one of the best seasons for a relief pitcher in Major League history. Davis was a starter for his first three years in the big leagues with Tampa Bay, before they converted him to a relief pitcher where he found success. When he came to Kansas City before the 2013 season, the Royals tried to convert him back to a starter, but by the end of the season Davis found himself once again in the bullpen. In 2014, Davis appeared in a total of 71 games over a course of 72 innings. He boasted a 1.00 ERA over that span with 109 strikeouts, only 23 walks, 38 hits, a 0.85 WHIP, and not a single home run allowed all year. There was no one better in baseball last season in the late inning relief role than Wade Davis. With that being said, there should be no question who will be the setup man for the Royals’ this season, but it may not be that easy.
Kansas City Royals: Defensive outlook
Luke Hochevar
In 2006, the Kansas City Royals drafted Luke Hochevar with the first overall pick. A year earlier, the Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Hochevar with the 40th overall pick, but were unable to reach an agreement with him. Hochevar was a highly coveted pitching prospect when he entered the league, but has since had trouble finding himself as a prominent starter in the Majors. Through 2008-2012, Hochevar made 127 starts for Kansas City and had trouble finding consistency on the mound. In 2013, the Royals moved Hochevar to the bullpen, where he appeared in 58 games over 70 and 1/3 innings, with 82 strikeouts compared to 17 walks, a 0.82 WHIP, and a 1.92 ERA. While Wade Davis was struggling as a starter in 2013, Hochevar made a name for himself in the bullpen where coincidentally Davis would in 2014 after Hochevar was shut down for the season due to Tommy John surgery.
Looking forward
With both Davis and Hochevar coming back strong in 2015, the Royals are faced with a difficult decision. When Hochevar put his numbers up in 2013, he solidified himself an important role in the Royals’ bullpen. However, with Davis’ numbers last season, it makes things a bit more difficult for General Manager Dayton Moore. With the strong seasons’ Wade Davis and closer Greg Holland had last year, it will be difficult for the Royals to keep both of them long term. Davis has the quality of pitches to be a top end closer in the league, and if the Royals were to believe they could add an important piece to their roster to help contend in 2015 by trading Greg Holland, I think the front office would seriously have to consider that. This would pave the way for Hochevar to step into the role as setup man.
For as much as baseball is a game many people love, it is also a business. It would be great to be able to maintain a bullpen of Luke Hochevar, Wade Davis, Greg Holland, and Kelvin Herrera, but realistically, it is unlikely to happen. By the end of 2015, Davis or Holland could no longer be in a Kansas City uniform, as the Royals may look to trade one of them in attempt to add a player that could be vital to the success of the team in October.
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This article Kansas City Royals: Bullpen battle appeared first on isportsweb by Anthony Pluff