Chris Young was a last minute signing for Dayton Moore. However, without him, the Royals may not be in the position they are in.

I remember watching a game last June when the Seattle Mariners were in Kansas City playing the Royals. I remember watching this very tall pitcher for Seattle that couldn’t throw more than 86 mph and was in the strike zone. Still, the Royals couldn’t hit him and yet you just felt like at some point the Royals bats would come alive.

The Royals bats never came alive and they fell, 2-1. I remember wondering how a man who only threw 86 mph and was around the strike zone (he threw 72 of his 99 pitches for strikes) while only striking out 2 could be effective? Regardless, this pitcher, who wasn’t dominate, still got the job done. Who would have guessed that Chris Young would be pitching for the Royals a year later?

Dayton Moore signed Chris Young on March 7th, 2015. Young brought a veteran presence and rotational depth to the Royals. Young made his Major League debut on August 24, 2004 for the Texas Rangers. After pitching two seasons in Texas, Young was traded to San Diego where he would enjoy his most success. Young pitched 5 seasons for the Padres, going 97-97 with a 3.81 ERA.

Young also was named a National League All-Star in 2007 with a 3.12 ERA in 30 starts. In 2006, Young pitched Game 3 of the National League Division Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals. Down 2 games to 0 and needing a win to keep their season alive, Young 6.2 scoreless innings while only allowing 4 hits and striking out 9 in a 3-1 Padres win. Though the Padres would end up losing the series to the Cardinals, Young had proven that he could thrive under pressure. Then, in 2009, Young tore his labrum and that began his injury history on his shoulder.

Young would then pitch for the Mets for 2 seasons before missing the entire 2013 season with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that effects the nerves and puts pressure on his shoulder. In 2014, the Seattle Mariners gave him a one-year contract. After going 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA, Young would be awarded Comeback Player of the Year.

Still, going into March, Young remained unsigned. When the Royals signed him, he was projected to be a long reliever and work mainly out of the bullpen. Sure, he may make a spot start every once in a while, but, they didn’t imagine him in the starting rotation.

Young started the season making 5 relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 1.82 ERA. His first start would come on May 1st against the Detroit Tigers at home. Pitching on a limited pitch count, Young pitched 5 no-hit innings and the Royals would go on to win, 4-1. Young would make one more relief appearance before becoming a permanent fixture in the rotation with the early suspensions of Yordano Ventura and Edison Volquez coupled with the elbow injury of Jason Vargas.

When Young joined the rotation the starting pitching was the weak spot of the team. Young brought stability to the rotation and helped bridge the gap between suspensions, struggles, and injuries. From May 10th to July 28th Young would go 6-6 with a 3.53 ERA, including a start in Milwaukee where he would go 7 scoreless innings while also going 2-for-3 at the plate and driving in 3 runs, the first Royals pitcher to drive in 3 since 1972. Then, towards the end of July, Young would start to struggle and he would start to show signs of fatigue. With the acquisition of Johnny Cueto and the improvement of Yordano Ventura, Young was moved back to the bullpen. Young has made two more starts towards the end of September and early October and has pitched well in both.

When Royals fans look back at the 2015 season, they’ll remember many things. They’ll remember the first American League Central Division Championship in franchise history. They’ll remember 7 All-Stars and dominating the Midsummer Classic’s voting. We don’t know what will happen in October and hopefully we’ll have many, many more good memories in the postseason.

However, Chris Young has been somewhat of a savior for the Royals this season. When the Royals needed him, he delivered. Suspensions, struggles, and injuries to a starting rotation would normally sink a team. However, every time the Royals needed a big start, they turned to Chris Young. Less than 24 hours after his father passed away, Chris pitched 5 no-hit innings in a victory over the Indians.

He’s been as important a piece of this team’s success as anybody. Yet, he could be easily overlooked. He doesn’t have the velocity of Yordano Ventura, the precision of Kris Medlan, or the endurance of Edison Volquez. However, Chris Young is smart, an Ivy-Leaguer, and he loves to compete. He’s 11-6 with a 3.06 ERA this season. He’s made a strong case to be the 4th starter for the Royals postseason rotation. However, more than likely he’ll be used out of the bullpen.

However, if it wasn’t for Chris Young, the Royals may not be in the spot they are in today.

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