A quiet Surprise: Seven lessons learned from Royals spring training (so far)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Twenty-six Cactus League games are in the books and now only seven days separate the Royals from Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals' spring training record (16-10 entering Monday, for those wondering) is meaningless, but that's not to say the last month of baseball didn't uncover some things. After all, Yordano Ventura has cemented his role as the team's ace while the organization got a look at some of its top prospects. Decisions shaped the composition of the bullpen and the minor leagues.
Here are seven things we learned during spring training (so far):
• The young guns replace the old guard. Ventura was the presumed Opening Day starter for the Royals, but manager Ned Yost made it official last week. The 23-year-old fireballer will step into the shoes of James Shields, who started the last two Opening Days but left for San Diego in the offseason.
Ventura went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 183 innings last season and also collected a victory in Game 6 of the World Series. His seven-inning, three-hit shutout showed the potential the right-hander had, and now the Royals will look toward Ventura to anchor the rotation.
But Ventura isn't the only young pitcher from whom the Royals are asking a lot. Left-hander Danny Duffy will be Kansas City's No. 2 pitcher and will be counted on to improve on his 149 1/3 innings from 2014. Duffy battled injuries down the stretch last season, limiting his postseason to just 4 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old added weight in the offseason and will target 200 innings this season.
• Grooming Finnegan for the future. One of the biggest decisions facing Kansas City entering spring training was what to do with 2014 first-round draft pick Brandon Finnegan. Would they include him in the big-league bullpen on the heels of his remarkable late-season performance, or would they allow him to develop as a starter in the minor leagues? The Royals opted for the latter, sending Finnegan to Double-A Arkansas after a subpar Cactus League debut.
Finnegan, a 21-year-old left-hander, owned a 8.53 ERA in four spring games, giving up two home runs and four walks in just 6 1/3 innings. He was then optioned to stretch out in minor league camp before the start of the regular season. Despite his demotion, Finnegan still figures to appear in the majors this season, either as a reliever or a spot starter.
• Lingering injuries could be troublesome. Omar Infante and Alex Rios have both battled injuries this spring that bothered them last season as well. Infante missed the first seven games of spring while dealing with an elbow spur, and Rios sat out three games this week with a thumb injury.
The thumb injury hampered Rios in 2014, when he hit a career-low four home runs with Texas before signing with the Royals in the offseason. Infante, meanwhile, dealt with the elbow injury last year and had his worst season as a professional in a decade.
• Hochevar is still not ready. Right-handed reliever Luke Hochevar will likely not be on the Opening Day roster for the Royals, instead beginning the season on the disabled list as he completes his comeback from Tommy John surgery last March. Hochevar has appeared in four Cactus League games (one run on three hits in four innings) but has needed extra days of rest between each outing. His absence opens the door for either Louis Coleman or Brian Flynn to snatch the bullpen's last spot.
In 2013, Hochevar burst onto the scene as a dominant reliever after five mediocre seasons as a starter and posted a 1.92 ERA in 58 games. If a healthy Hochevar can deliver similar results, it will be another late-inning option to either shorten games or provide rest for Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland.
• But Gordon will be. Left fielder Alex Gordon missed the spring's first two-and-a-half weeks recovering from offseason wrist surgery but has played regularly since. Entering Monday, Gordon has played in seven games -- all but one in left field -- but hit just .125 with two more strikeouts (five) than hits (three). But despite the results, the spring has been encouraging for Gordon simply because he has been able to play and should be ready for Opening Day next week.
• Veterans add pitching depth. Veteran pitchers Chris Young, Ryan Madson and Joe Blanton will give the Royals some decent coverage in the event their pitchers falter. Young is the only one of the trio guaranteed a major league roster spot; he will be a middle and long reliever for Kansas City.
Assuming both don't exercise their opt-out clauses, Madson and Blanton will begin the season in the minors. Neither pitched in a major league game last season, and Madson hasn't been in the bigs since 2011. But both right-handers have looked OK during spring, with Blanton owning a 2.79 ERA and Madson sitting at 3.38.
• The future is in decent hands. The Royals got a chance to see some of their top prospects such as Raul Mondesi, Hunter Dozier, Miguel Almonte and Christian Binford against major league competition. Plus, players such as Brett Eibner and Whit Merrifield opened eyes with strong performances deep into spring.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
