The Royals identified four starting pitchers as their prime free-agent targets last winter: Zack Greinke, Ian Kennedy, Wei-Yen Chen, and Mike Leake, according to Fox Sports analyst Ken Rosenthal.
Rosenthal pointed out three common characteristics among the group: 1) all throw change-ups, 2) all field their position well, and 3) all command their fastball. Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore told Rosenthal that pitchers that who fall behind in the count don’t fit the team’s style, presumably because pitchers that can’t command the strike zone saps the energy of defenders in the field.