Is Kyle Davies really as bad as some Royals fans seem to think? Judging by the comments I see, Kyle Davies is the worst pitcher in the American League, a gas can allowing runs everywhere he appears. (About five seconds after posting this, I saw that Royals Authority has a post up arguing Davies is the worst starter in MLB history. Wow.) Is that really the case? Is Davies terrible and awful or just blah?

This year Davies's strikeouts have been up (7.20 K/9) while his walks have been down (3.60 BB/9).  That's a very nice combination.  His K/BB rate is 2.0. The problem for Davies this year is that he's allowed a zillion hits thanks to an insane .420 BABIP. Somehow, I don't think that's going to last, unless there's some Ted Williams or George Brett cloning program going on that I'm not aware of. 

Kyle's Fangraphs FIP this season is 3.42. His xFIP is 4.45. Those aren't great numbers and well, they're advanced stats that not everyone likes. Yes, Davies has a 7.20 ERA (known as The WGN) and yes, he's Kyle Davies, a pitcher that many Royals fans are simply tired of watching. I'm just not so certain he's terrible. My sense, is that most fans are just worn out by Davies and his slightly above replacement level starts, which we've been watching for years now.

Davies faces a tough test tonight in Arlington. The scary thing is that he's actually been lucky/fortunate when it comes to not allowing HRs, despite the barrage of hits he's allowed. Well, all we can do is hope for the best.