In the second edition of “Way Too Early 2012 Predictions,” it’s time to pick the Royals’ Pitcher of the Year.

Coming into this offseason, it was obvious that starting pitching needed to be the main focus. The Royals acquired Jonathan Sanchez in a trade with the Giants and signed Bruce Chen to a two year deal, but there hasn’t been a major upgrade over last season’s rotation just yet.

Essentially, the Royals swapped out Jeff Francis in favor of Jonathan Sanchez. While that is a definite improvement, it might not be the answer Royals fans wanted.

It’d be great if Jonathan Sanchez was an ace and a definite lock for pitcher of the year next year, but he’s not. He has a lot to prove before the Royals can say he is anywhere close to an ace, or even a number three starter for that matter.

Last year, Sanchez struggled going 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA. He battled injuries throughout the season, so a healthy Sanchez could look more like his 2010 season: 13-9, 3.07 ERA, 205 K’s. That type of performance would put him at the top of this list for sure, but I’d like to at least see him pitch healthy for 10 starts before handing him the award.

Right now, it looks like Luke Hochevar will once again take home my award for Pitcher of the Year. I gave it to him for the 2011 season and I am sticking with him for next year.

Greg Holland, Joakim Soria, Danny Duffy, and Aaron Crow got some serious consideration for this prediction, but I still have to go with Hochevar.

Call me crazy, but I still believe he can finally turn into that pitcher that everyone hoped he could be when the Royals drafted him 1^st overall in 2006.

He seemed to turn a corner last year when he “figured something out” with then-pitching coach Bob McClure. He had a stretch after the All-Star break where he looked like he should have been playing in said game.

After his red-hot stretch after last year, Hochevar had me thinking he could be our ace this year. His streak didn’t last too long, but he still finished the year much better than he started.

Right now, it looks like he will once again take the mound on Opening Day 2012. He will be the ace and he will be the Royals’ best pitcher next year.

But like I said, call me crazy.

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@natorius

Nate Green

When Aaron Crow got blasted last Saturday, giving up three straight hits, including a home run, it ended a string of thirteen appearances without surrendering a run.

That run of success to kick off his major league career left Crow tied for the Royals record of consecutive scoreless appearances to start a career. He tied a team rookie record held by another current Royal.

No, it was not Joakim Soria. And you know it was not Luke Hochevar or Kyle Davies.

It was none other than pitching coach Bob McClure, who began his playing career with KC back in 1975.

As a coach, McClure has done a fine job coaxing positive results out of his young bullpen this season. He’s made a star out of Soria. And he probably deserves some credit for Zack Greinke’s Cy Young Award.

But he’s not exactly worked wonders with Hochever and Davies.

You win some, you lose some. Nobody’s perfect.

But as a rookie pitcher, McClure was flawless.

McClure came up at the end of 1975, making his first appearance out of the bullpen on Aug. 13. In that game he pitched an inning of scoreless relief. He would be unscored upon for the next 11 outings.

In his final performance that season, on Sept. 23, McClure relieved an ailing Doug Bird in the second inning. McClure pitched the next six frames, surrendering just one hit and striking out eight. He earned the first win of his career that night.

McClure ended the season having finished four games and notched one save. In 15.1 innings, he gave up just four hits. He walked 14, but somehow managed to prevent any runners from reaching the plate.

He would record one more scoreless outing in 1976. The record of 13 straight appearances without surrendering a run still stands, shared now by his pupil, Crow.

McClure would surrender four earned runs in the four innings he spread out over eight appearances on the big league level in 1976. McClure spent most of that season at Double-A, trying to re-establish himself as a starter.

Following the 1976 season, the Royals dealt Jamie Quirk, Jim Wohlford and a player to be named later to Milwaukee for Darrell Porter and Jim Colborn. During spring training of 1977, McClure was named as that player to be shipped to the Brewers.

McClure spent the next 17 seasons honing his skills and developing a wealth of knowledge that he now shares with his Kansas City protégés.

In the highlight of his career, McClure served as an integral cog on the Milwaukee team that went to the World Series in 1982. Converted to a starter that season, went 12-7 with a 4.22 ERA. His performance out of the bullpen in the series with St. Louis was significant, if not ultimately successful. He posted two saves, but also was saddled with two losses in relief.

McClure finished a solid, if not spectacular, career in 1993. In 19 seasons, he suited up for seven different teams and finished with a 68-57 record and a 3.81 ERA. He pitched in 698 games, nearly all in relief, and he recorded 52 saves.

McClure would seem to be able to relate to nearly every pitcher on his staff. He experienced being a rookie reliever thrown into a pennant chase, and he experienced starting, working in long relief, and closing games. He struggled with control. And he survived the demise of his natural talents to prolong his career as a crafty veteran. And he pitched on the biggest stage – the 1982 World Series.

I bet McClure enjoyed seeing his exploits as a young rookie be relived this year. He can tell the young kids on his staff “Yeah, that was me. I did that.”

Let’s hope McClure can work magic with the young talent he will see matriculate to his club over the next few seasons. Let’s hope he can help several youngsters like Crow to forge successful major league careers and lead the Royals back to a World Series of their own.

Royals pitching coach Bob McClure was interviewed on 610 Sports Radio Friday afternoon, and he was asked to guess at what the team’s starting pitching rotation would look like on Opening Day. McClure hemmed and hawed before saying that hadn’t been decided yet.

McClure might not be ready to admit it yet, but I have a feeling the Royals know exactly who those five starters will be. I also have a feeling the rotation will look just like this come Opening Day:

1. Luke Hochevar, RHP

The team has as much as admitted Hochevar would be the “ace” next season (although I heard an interesting theory a few years ago that just because you’re the No. 1 starter doesn’t mean you’re an ace. And some teams can have more than one ace. Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay are aces. CC Sabathia is an ace. Tim Lincecum is an ace Zack Greinke is an ace. Luke Hochevar, sadly, is not an ace – though I’m hopeful he has the potential to turn into one.)

When it became clear Hochevar would probably get the nod to start Opening Day over Jeff Francis, I was a little confused. Francis is clearly a more proven pitcher with a lot more wins under his belt. But now I’m starting to get it. Hochevar has shown sparkles of brilliance, and if anybody on this current roster could turn into a true ace, it’s him. 2011 is a throwaway season, we all know it. We might as let Hochevar lead this staff – if only to see if he’s capable of doing it in the future.

2. Jeff Francis, LHP

It’s been a while since the Royals have had a really good, productive left-handed starter. And, as I wrote last week, the Francis free-agent signing was the smartest move of the Dayton Moore era.

Francis should do nicely in the No. 2 spot, even though he’ll clearly be the veteran leader of this team. And from what I’ve read about Francis’ makeup, he won’t mind that role at all.

Bruce Chen

3. Bruce Chen, LHP

I can’t remember the last time the Royals had two lefties in their starting rotation. I think the Royals will leave them next to each other in the rotation, too, because that presents some interesting challenges for opposing teams.

Besides closer Joakim Soria, Chen was the best pitcher on the team last season. That being said, I don’t expect him to repeat that performance. If he does, it’ll be terrific. But I’m afraid if he regresses at all, he’ll be called a flash-in-the-pan, and Dayton Moore will be criticized for re-signing him.

4. Kyle Davies, RHP

I’m afraid this is inevitable. Davies is not a very good starter, but he was able to make every scheduled start last year, and that’s not nothing. I think this is Davies’ last shot in Kansas City, though; too much fresh meat is coming up behind him.

5. Vin Mazzaro, RHP

Although it’s probably not a make-it-or-break-it situation for Mazzaro like it is for Davies, 2011 is without a doubt going to be a major milestone in Mazzaro’s career. This will be his first shot to pitch regularly in the majors, and we’ll all be watching to see if he can handle the pressure. And, we’ll also be watching to see if we truly did let Oakland steal David DeJesus.

Other possibilities

I think those five pitchers are going to comprise the starting rotation, but one of these guys could break in if there’s an injury:

Sean O’Sullivan, RHP: He showed improvement at the end of the 2010 season, but not enough. He’ll be a bullpen arm or, more likely, an Omaha StormChaser (that still doesn’t sound right).

Everett Teaford, LHP: Teaford got quite a bit of buzz in the offseason, and he probably had the best season of any pitcher in the organization last year. But it was at the AA level, and I don’t see him making the rotation this year.

Aaron Crow, RHP: It’s an extreme long-shot, but the Royals said they’ll take a look at the first-round draft pick during spring training.

Joakim Soria, RHP: Many fans have been hoping the team would convert the all-star closer into a starter. It’s next to impossible to believe it would actually happen this spring, but… this is the Royals we’re talking about. Anything goes.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer and the associate editor of I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey14@yahoo.com.