Danny Duffy is finally stepping up for the Kansas City Royals and filling a void in their rotation. Should fantasy owners take another chance on him?
Danny Duffy has been an enigma for the Royals and fantasy owners alike, as he has always possessed tantalizing potential, but struggled to perform consistently.
Until now.
Duffy could not secure a spot in the rotation to begin the season, but thanks to the Royals lack of rotation depth, he has been thrust back into a starting role. The results have been great and his performance this season is the closest we have ever seen to Duffy’s upside.
He currently sits with a, 2.94 ERA/59 K/1.06 WHIP/3.09 FIP, line over his 22 appearances this season. He has started six games, and if not for one rough 5 ER performance against the White Sox in May, his ERA would be even more minuscule.
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When things are going wrong for Duffy his command is non-existent and he can not go deep into games. Therefore, in order to combat his wildness, he has strictly gone from the stretch this season. Abandoning his windup has paid huge dividends and serves as a tangible piece of evidence that fantasy owners can believe in.
Duffy has a career 3.66 BB rate, but so far this season, he has cut that down by two walks per game. Over his last three starts, he has only amassed three walks, so the positive signs are there. He has also struck out at least six batters per game over that time, highlighted by a 10 K performance against the White Sox on June 11th.
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All signs seem to be pointing up and the results have been evident thanks to his mechanical change. Fantasy owners may be hesitant to add him based on his checkered history, but there are enough indicators to lead owners to believe in his improvements. He gets the Tigers for his next start, which happens to be a team that has been victimized by lefties all season, so he is a great add for this upcoming week and moving forward.