Lyles is the workhorse of the rotation


The Kansas City rotation last season ranked 28th entering the early part of the season. While it didn't look good in the rankings, the starting rotation for the most part did what the front office hoped they would do—eat innings. Last offseason, the team was searching for a veteran starter that could go deep into games and would be a good veteran presence in a young clubhouse. Jordan Lyles has remained in the big leagues for those exact reasons and that's a big reason why Kansas City gave him the contract they did. And in Lyles's first year in a Royals uniform, he led the team in innings pitched. The hurler pitched a total of 177.2 innings and threw a complete game against the White Sox on May 9. The Royals’ starter ranked 44th across the league in innings pitched. While he didn't rank that high in innings pitched category across the majors, he did exactly what the Royals signed him to do. Hunter Felt of The Guardian sums up the 32-year old's career to this point: "As far as his bosses are concerned, this is a “quantity over quality” situation and they should be happy with the results." 
Many Royals fans would probably say that the team could have gone out and signed a veteran starter that can go deep into games and win; however, for a team like the Royals who haven't been back to the postseason since 2015, not many top name starting pitchers are probably willing to sign a multiyear deal with a team that isn't going to reach the postseason for quite some time. The Royals are unwilling to hand out big contracts to players that wouldn't see the postseason in a Royals uniform. This has led to the team not being able to sign other important pieces necessary for the future, and the bullpen is a great example. Heading into next season, the Royals will look for Lyles to continue to eat up innings and have quality starts. In my opinion, the 32-year old next season is going to be relied on a bit more with the possibilities of Zack Greinke retiring and not to mention Kris Bubic will be just returning from Tommy John surgery. And not to mention Daniel Lynch who will be trying to have a healthy season after having shoulder issues last season. Regardless of what Lyle's stats are next season, I am hoping he can lead the team in innings pitched and quality starts. It will be important for the 32-year old to be a durable arm in the rotation for the entire season, or just until some of the other starting pitchers fully recover from injuries. Not to mention the team doesn't seem to trust pitchers Brad Keller and Jackson Kowar as much as they once did under Dayton Moore to be a reliable every fifth day starter and give Kansas City the chance to win a game.

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