Can the Royals Luke Hochevar Finally Live Up to Expectations in 2010

Article originally posted by Tom Reese at Hotstove.com – February 19, 2010 @5:11pm EST

At 6′5″ and with potentially dominating stuff, Royals starter Luke Hochevar hasn’t lived up to expectations in his first couple of seasons in Kansas City. We asked some top Royals bloggers if they think he can finally turn the corner this year.

Do you think Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar can make enough progress to be a legitimate Major League starter? He has the size and the arm strength to be a dominant pitcher, but hasn’t been able to put it all together at the Major League level.


Wally Fish, Kings of Kauffman
There is no doubt in my mind that Luke Hochevar can become at least a legitimate #3 starter in a contending rotation. At 26 years-old and with 48 major league starts to his credit, Luke has another season or two before I really start to worry about his future. 2009 was a rough year for him overall, but he mixed in a handful of truly dominant starts to show us all what he is capable of. Additionally there were some signs of progress hidden behind the unsightly 6.55 ERA and 1.4 HR/9. He increased his SO/9 from 5.0 in 2008 to 6.7 in 2009 while dropping his BB/9 by 0.4 and also stayed healthy the entire season.

Jordan Bratt, Royals Junkie
Luke Hochevar may never become a dominant pitcher, but he should develop into a legitimate number three starter while sustaining modest success over a number of years. Hochevar’s 13-26, 5.88 career numbers are greatly inflated due to the fact he relies on his fastball and pitches to contact on a team that has been miserable defensively over his time in the big leagues. This season Hochevar will be pitching with the best defense he has ever had behind him — which will be around league average — as the fielding range of new additions Rick Ankiel, Scott Podsednik and Chris Getz figure to assist in his development and that of the rest of the young Royal pitchers. It is likely that the 80-pitch complete game version of Luke Hochevar was an epiphany, but the kid has skills and it is far too soon to give up on him. He doesn’t turn 27 until September, and this will only be his third professional season; the Royals would be well advised to see what he does with a better team around him before they cut bait.