The Royals' starting rotation looks similar to their group a year ago at this point. Sub out an aging Bruce Chen for a youthful Danny Duffy, replace workhorse James Shields with newcomer Edinson Volquez, and last year's season-opening rotation becomes this year's season-opening rotation.
But waving goodbye to a couple of familiar faces wasn't the only change in the rotation. Roles changed as well.
Yordano Ventura shifts from the No. 5 man in the rotation into a possible Opening Day starter, taking over Shields' job as an ace. Duffy transitions from an oft-injured question mark into, the Royals hope, a durable top-of-the-line starter. Volquez will try to continue his transformation from an unreliable and inconsistent starter to an effective innings-eater. And Jeremy Guthrie and Jason Vargas? Well, they'll try to fill the leadership void left by Shields.
Here's a look at the Royals' starters this season.
THE STARTERS: Yordano Ventura, Danny Duffy, Edinson Volquez, Jason Vargas, Jeremy Guthrie
Most expect Ventura to take the ball at Kauffman Stadium against the White Sox on April 6, but what happens after him is up in the air. But it'll be Duffy, Volquez, Vargas and Guthrie in some sort of order. In a way, the rotation order doesn't matter that much, because it'll likely shift with two off days in the season's first eight days.
Ventura has the stuff to be an ace -- his fastball averaged 96 miles per hour, second fastest in the majors last season, according to FanGraphs.com -- but can he handle another jump in innings? He threw 183 innings last season, about 30 more than the previous season and about 70 more than 2012. This year, he'll be part of the effort to replace Shields' 227 innings from 2014, likely meaning another increase in workload for the 23-year-old.
At times in 2014, Duffy was Kansas City's best starter, and he finished the season with a 2.53 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. But he was hampered by a late-season shoulder injury that limited him to eight innings in September, and a rib-cage ailment that allowed him to pitch just 4 2/3 postseason innings. If the 26-year-old can stay healthy (and maintain a .240 batting average on balls in play), he slots nicely into the No. 2 role.
For veterans Guthrie and Vargas, who combine for 20 major league seasons, it's more about quantity than quality. The pair will show up for 30 starts a year and hover around a 4.00 ERA, just like they have done in the last five or so seasons. They simply need to pitch, and somewhat effectively, to keep the Royals from dipping into options that aren't as solid.
Volquez is a different story. His last few seasons were erratic before posting a career-low 3.04 ERA with Pittsburgh last season. In 2013, he had a 6.01 ERA with San Diego before the Padres released him in August. And in 2012, he had a 4.14 ERA and walked 5.2 hitters per nine innings. Now, at 31, Volquez will try to replicate the success he found with the Pirates and live up to the two-year, $20 million contract he signed in the offseason.
THE "BACKUPS": Chris Young, Kris Medlen
As far as next-best options go, the Royals have two fairly solid ones in Young and Medlen. Young will start the season in the bullpen as a long- and middle-relief pitcher but figures to garner a spot start here and there if injuries occur during the season. Medlen won't return from Tommy John surgery until June or July.
Young had a solid season last year for Seattle, going 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts. He also made his first and only relief appearance last year, throwing two innings in his first game of the season before solidifying a rotation spot the rest of the year. As a flyball pitcher, Young's style plays nicely to the Royals, whose spacious home park and speedy outfielders benefit him.
Medlen hasn't appeared in a major league game since 2013, his first full season primarily as a starter. That year, he threw 197 innings and had a 3.11 ERA with Atlanta before missing all of last season. Medlen proved capable, if not above average, as a starter and is a nice insurance policy for the Royals in the second half of the season.
WHO'S NEXT? Yohan Pino, Brian Flynn, Aaron Brooks, Brandon Finnegan
Pino, Flynn and Brooks are familiar with this position. They have combined for 17 total starts, mostly in replacement roles as a spot starter coming up from the minor leagues. Pino made 11 starts with Minnesota last season, while Flynn (who came over from Miami in exchange for Aaron Crow) and Brooks (a 2011 Royals ninth-round pick) each started one game in 2014.
Finnegan could make the Opening Day roster in the bullpen, or he could head to the minors to become a starter. If he is stretched out in the minor leagues, he could potentially fill in as a spot starter in the majors if something goes wrong for Kansas City during the year.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
