Apr 5, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar (44) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

RHP Luke Hochevar

2016 Season stats – 37.1 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9 BB/40 K

A first overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2006, Luke Hochevar failed in his intended role as a starter, compiling a 5.44 ERA over 128 starts with the organization.

As soon as Royals manager Ned Yost gave him a chance to come out of the bullpen, he became a different pitcher. In 171 innings in his new found role, Hochevar managed a 2.95 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, with 178 strikeouts to just 45 walks.

His pinpoint control has led to low WHIP and walk numbers, so when paired with a mid-90s fastball, his strikeouts have taken off as well.

Hochevar doesn’t have any significant closing experience, as he was blocked by Greg Holland and Kelvin Herrera in KC. But postseason pitching quality is another factor in the determination of a player’s clutch ability – and Hochevar was an ace then.

In 10.2 innings pitched during the Royals’ 2015 World Series winning postseason trip, the 6-foot-5 righty didn’t allow a run with four strikeouts and just six hits and one walk given up over that span.

So it’s safe to say that if Hochevar is needed in a high leverage situation, he would handle it just fine for the Metropolitans.

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Chris recently graduated with a Journalism degree from Montclair State University. Baseball is his love and he hopes to bring back some of the old-school popularity to the game. Chris Thompson covers the NY Jets and NY Mets for Elite Sports NY. You can interact with him on Twitter @Time2Topher.