With the 2025 season in the books, the question has come up, did Noah Cameron have the best rookie pitching season in Royals history?
First off, congratulations to Noah for an outstanding season. With all the injuries to the pitching staff, I’d hate to think about where the Royals would have finished without him. And his development, somewhat unexpected, gives the Royals another solid arm going into 2026.
It was great to see a local boy do well. That also goes for Carter Jensen, who provided some late season fireworks and looks like he’ll develop into a foundational piece for Kansas City.
The Royals have had a checkered past when it comes to drafting and developing local talent. They scored big with Frank White but have whiffed on just about everyone since.
When looking back at the performances of rookie pitchers, this essay only covers starting pitchers. If there’s demand, I’ll expand it to pitchers who were strictly relievers their rookie season.
I may have missed someone, but I came across eleven standout rookie pitching performances, which isn’t a lot considering the Royals have been throwing pitching mud against the wall since 1969.
In 2025, Noah Cameron appeared in 24 games, throwing 137 innings and compiling a 9 and 7 record with a shiny 2.99 ERA. He struck out 114 batters with an ERA+ of 137 and a FIP of 4.18. All of that was good for 3.80 WAR, which feels low to me. We now know that pitching wins and losses has little bearing on a pitcher’s effectiveness. We’ve seen pitchers throw lights out for seven innings, leave with a lead, then watch in horror as the bullpen blows it. Or worse, leave with a tie or behind by a run or two because the offense couldn’t score any runs for them. Painful stuff.
When putting this ranking together, it’s difficult because some of these guys threw a lot of innings, some did not. Some played on outstanding offensive teams, some did not. I scored then ranked their performance in eight different pitching categories. It’s not perfect by any means, but it should be close.
Here are the capsules of the top six in descending order. First, the honorable mentions:
Zach Greinke – 2004, 8-11, 3.97 ERA 145 innings
Jose Rosado – 1996, 8-6, 3.21 ERA, 107 innings
Dennis Leonard – 1975, 15-7, 3.77 ERA, 212 innings
Rich Gale – 1978, 14-8, 3.09 ERA, 192 innings
Noah Cameron – 2025, 9-7, 2.99 ERA, 138 innings
#6 – Steve Busby – 1973.
Busby was a standout at USC before the Royals drafted him in their vaunted 1971 class. Busby and Doug Bird teamed up to throw a no-hitter in the 1973 spring training, and Buzz wasted little time announcing his presence, throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history on April 27th, 1973, against Detroit. He threw another in 1974 against the Brewers just for good measure. Armed with a lively fastball and a devastating slider, Busby appeared in 37 games his rookie season, striking out 174 batters in 238 innings of work. He finished with a 16 and 15 record and a 4.23 ERA.
#5 – Yordano Ventura – 2014
Ace looked the part of Ace his rookie campaign, appearing in 31 games, striking out 159 batters with his blazing fastball in 183 innings of work. Ventura tallied a 14 and 10 record with a sweet 3.20 ERA while helping the Royals to their first World Series appearance in almost three decades.
#4 – Brad Keller – 2018
It’s easy to forget how effective Keller was as a starter. He didn’t look spectacular, like Busby or Ventura, but he got the job done. He was a workhorse, appearing in 41 games his rookie campaign, posting a 9 and 6 record over 140 innings of work. He wasn’t a big strikeout guy, only whiffing 96 batters, but his ERA was a very respectable 3.08, all good for 4.20 WAR.
#3 – Tom Gordon – 1989
The slightly built Gordon was a revelation when the Royals finally turned him loose. He did a little bit of everything his rookie season. He appeared in 49 games, with 16 starts. Gordon had a solid fastball and one of the best curveballs I’ve ever seen. He threw 163 innings, putting up an excellent 17 and 9 record while striking out 153 batters with an ERA of 3.64. That production placed him second in the American League Rookie of the year vote behind Baltimore’s Gregg Olson. Some guy named Griffey Jr. took third. The Royals let Gordon walk after the 1995 season. He went on to play for 13 more years, appearing in three All-Star games.
#2 – Kevin Appier – 1990
Appier was a stud right out of the box, with his distinctive leg kick and delivery. Appier appeared in 32 games, striking out 126 batters in 186 innings of work to the tune of 2.76 ERA and a record of 12 and 8. It was good for 5.30 WAR. Appier of course ended up being one of the best pitchers in Royals history and during his peak, one of the very best in all of baseball. Somehow, he only made one All-Star team and never won a Cy Young, though he certainly deserved it in 1993.
#1 – Bob Johnson – 1970
I’m sure this selection will elicit some howls of protest, but there’s no taking away the fact that Johnson was a demon in 1970. He appeared in 40 games that summer, accruing 26 starts once the Royals figured out what they had. Johnson had come over from the Mets in the Amos Otis trade and when he hit his stride, he was fantastic. He threw 214 innings for the Royals, striking out 206, a club record that stood until 1996. Johnson’s record was only 8 and 13 but his ERA came in at a sterling 3.07. Johnson really hit his stride in August and September, starting 12 games and only allowing 68 hits in the last 94 innings he pitched. That streak included a complete game two-hitter and a complete game three-hit win.
Johnson received little run support from his teammates. The Royals only scored one run in four of his starts and lost eight games in which he pitched by just one run. Johnson would have fit in perfectly with the 2025 Royals. 1970 was his only season in Kansas City, as GM Cedric Tallis sold high by trading him to Pittsburgh over the winter in the Freddie Patek deal. Johnson won a World Series with the Pirates in 1971, but never again achieved the heights of his rookie season.
