27-year old righty reliever/starter Robinson Tejada always had the arm to succeed and now he’s starting to put it all together. Tejada has pitched in 32 games (3 starts) for the Royals this season and he is 3-1 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has whiffed 74 batters while allowing only 34 hits in 58 1/3 innings showing how nasty his stuff can be. But he needs to tighten up his control a bit as he has walked 38 batters for the Royals. Tejada has really been nails since moving into the starting rotation. In his three starts with the Royals, Tejada is 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. If he finishes strongly Tejada could win a starting job for the 2010 rotation for the Royals.

The voters in the National League last season set precedence last season in voting Tim Lincecum for the Cy Young instead of Brandon Webb who was 22-7 last season for the D-Backs. That was because Lincecum had better numbers despite playing for a inferior team. Greinke deserves those same votes if he pitches well in September. He has started 27 games for the Royals this season and he is 13-8 with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has whiffed 202 batters in 190 1/3 innings for the Royals this season while only allowing 165 hits and walking 40 hitters. Greinke has outstanding stuff and he’s a workhorse for the Royals as he has six complete games three of which are shutouts. He has been simply amazing this season.

Joakim Soria is finally 100% healthy and it’s showing on the mound. Soria has pitched in 26 games (0 starts) for the Royals this season and he is 2-0 with 15 saves, a 1.63 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He has whiffed 35 batters in 27 2/3 innings this season as he’s just shutting down opponents late in games. That is very important because the Royals are not scoring many runs again this season.

When the Royals acquired 25-year old righty reliever Ramon Ramirez no one really thought it was that big of a deal. But, Ramirez has been outstanding this season for the Royals working as Joakim Soria’s set-up man. Ramirez has pitched in 55 games (0 starts) this season for the Royals and he is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Ramirez has only allowed 45 hits in 57 innings while whiffing 60 batters. Ramirez could probably even step in for Soria if he were injured or needed a day off and do a good job. Getting Ramirez from the Rockies was a steal for the Royals.

The Kansas City Royals are currently 43-53 which has them in 4th place in the American League Central, 12 games behind the White Sox. But, you can’t blame the Royals’ bullpen (at least the back end of it) for the teams’ record. Joakim Soria has been absolutely awesome this season for the Royals. He is 1-2 with 25 saves, a 1.47 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP this year. Soria has whiffed 46 batters and only has allowed 22 hits in 43 innings this season. Ramon Ramirez has been solid this season also working usually in the 7th or 8th innings. He is 0-1 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP this year. He has also whiffed 48 batters while only allowing 36 hits in 44.2 innings this year. Lefty Ron Mahay has also been very effective as he is 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. The Royals should hold onto Mahay unless they are given an offer they can’t refuse for him.