Kansas City Royals Brandon Finnegan Is the Real Deal

By Pete Schwichtenberg @schwick26_pete on October 4, 2014

When the Kansas City Royals‘ season officially ends, they will enter an uncertain future with staff ace James Shields. Through his years as a Royal, he has not only been a big game, but he has been the unquestioned ace. With inflated pitching contracts throughout the league, there is very little chance the Royals will be able to hang on to their star. But with the continued development of 2014 first round pick Brandon Finnegan, the Royals rotation will not miss a beat in 2015.

It is not often that a pitcher goes from being selected in the draft to a playoff roster, but that is exactly what Finnegan has done. While he did not record a win in the minor leagues, he was spectacular in his first 13 appearances (including five starts) posting a stellar 1.33 combined ERA. As a starter he was even better, surrendering just one run in five starts.

Since joining the Royals and becoming the first player from the 2014 draft to make it to the majors, he has gone from being a young rookie to a reliable and trusted arm. In the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics, Finnegan pitched like a poised veteran in extra innings with the season on the line. As the playoffs have continued, he has been placed in critical situations in both of the first two games of the American League Division Series.

Some may say that Finnegan will be only a late inning reliever, but he will be much more. He has poise on the mound and impressive success everywhere he has pitched has earned him a ticket for much bigger things. Usually missing a pitcher of Shields’ caliber could cause a team to take a step backwards, but the Royals will not miss a beat. Finnegan’s early success is no fluke. He is the real deal.

Pete Schwichtenberg is a baseball writer for RantSports. Follow @schwick26_pete, Like him on Facebook or add him to your Google Network.