No. 3 – LHP Danny Duffy, $2,425,000
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Every exceptional rotation needs its left-handed specialist. The ’66 Dodgers had Sandy Koufax, the 1990’s Braves had Tom Glavine and the ’03 Athletics had Barry Zito and Mark Mulder. This dream rotation is no different.
Kings of Kauffman
After being patient and doing more than his fair share of relief duty in 2014, Royals southpaw Danny Duffy blew away the competition after he made his first start on May 3. It’s a wonder why manager Ned Yost did not grant him a rotation spot out of spring training last year. He had a rough time in March, but only pitched four innings of work. In 2013, however, Duffy started five games and did surprisingly well. He went 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA, but had a poor K:BB ratio of 1.57.
In 2014, Duffy improved in a number of areas, including his K:BB ratio. It grew to 2.13 and his BB/9 rate dropped from 5.2 the previous year to 3.2 in 2014. Because talented lefties are more rarer than righties, he’ll cost a bit more than a right-hander of his relative service time and skill set.
Only 26, the California native has more than enough time to continue his growth and development as a pitcher in MLB. Duffy logged 149.1 IP in 2014, so it appears as though he is ready to take the next step and approach 200 IP and 30-plus starts for the 2015 season. With no James Shields around anymore, there’s no reason to think Duffy cannot solidify his role on the team by being named the Royals’ Opening Day starter.