Here are the pitchers who have impressed:
Joakim Soria - A Rule 5 guy, Soria has shown why the Royals were so interested in acquiring his services. So far, Soria has thrown eight innings and has a 1.13 ERA. In the three games he's pitched, he's allowed only three hits and has yet to walk a batter. He's struck out five and allowed only one run. I don't always put a lot of stock into Spring Training stats, but if this is any indication of what's to come, I think we found a real diamond in the rough.
Luke Hudson - Hudson's seen action in two games now, going a total of 6.2 innings. After pitching pretty well as a starter last season, he's continued to impress. So far, Luke's only allowed two earned runs, giving him a 2.70 ERA. He's also struck out five, although he's given up three walks and seven hits for a total of 10 base runners in his limited time (for a WHIP of 1.61). Overall, Hudson's looked good, but I'd like to see him cut down on the number of batters he puts on the basepaths.
Brian Bannister - Another young starter fighting for a rotation spot. Bannister came over from the Mets in the Ambriorix Burgos deal (which I think we got the better end of). In five innings of work, Bannister has yet to allow a run and has a perfect ERA of zero. He's only walked one batter (he also hit a batter) and allowed three hits, meaning he allows about one base runner per inning. If he keeps showing this type of control, he should be a lock for the rotation as a fourth or fifth starter.
Gil Meche - Couldn't leave out Meche, our big free agent acquisition this past off-season. Meche has pretty much impressed me, and I think he'll be a solid guy to lead this revamped starting rotation through the 2007 season. He's gone seven innings and given up six hits while only walking one and striking out four. Meche has given up one homer and has allowed only two runs during his time on the mound. Hopefully he keeps up the good work and this will carry over into the regular season.
Other pitchers of note:
Octavio Dotel - He's looked sharp in limited time (only two innings so far), and I have no regrets (not yet, anyway) about brining him in as our closer. He's given up one hit, struck out two, and walked none.
Zack Greinke - Zack got shelled in his first outing and rebounded a little in his second. He's gone five innings and has already allowed nine hits and six earned runs (for a 7.20 ERA). On the plus side, he has yet to walk a batter, which means he's throwing strikes and challenging guys. He's also struck out five, for a pace of one K per inning. I'm pulling for Zack to make the rotation and hope he improves yet again in his next outing (which is today).
Jimmy Gobble - Jimmy seems to have found a role last season as a reliever. He's looked pretty good this spring, going six innings with two earned runs (3.00 ERA). Gobble's another guy who needs to watch his walk totals (three so far), but he has struck out four, which is pretty good for only six innings of work. I figure Gobble will be a long/middle reliever and may get some late inning work against lefties.
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