The Kansas City Royals knew that they were getting some talented arms when they left camp with rookie relievers Aaron Crow, Tim Collins and Nate Adcock.
But there was no way of telling that the trio would be this dominant in their few games in the big leagues.
In the team's recently completed season-opening series against the Angels, the threesome combined to pitch eight shutout innings while giving up six hits and striking out 11 in the process.
Although Adcock showed poise under pressure in his first appearance on opening day, it really has been the play of Crow and Collins that has people talking around Kansas City.
Crow, the former University of Missouri star, has looked like a man on a mission both times that he has taken the hill so far this season.
In his first outing, he struck out Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells back-to-back. Not bad for a guy who was making his major league debut in the same game.
His stuff has been filthy, from back-bending to nearly unhittable sliders, as he has looked every bit like the player that the Royals envisioned when they drafted him nearly two years ago.
As for Tim Collins, he has been just as good, if not better than Crow in his two appearances.
Collins, the left-handed pitching prospect that has been seemingly passed up by two previous organizations, is starting to show what they missed out on by not retaining him in the past.
In the series finale against the Angels, Collins pitched three crucial innings to close out the game and made the Angels potent lineup look like a collection of amateurs.
Without the performances of these two outstanding rookies, KC could have easily lost another game or two against the Angels over the weekend.
The next test for the Royals and their talented, young 'pen will be a two-game set against the White Sox that will start at 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday night.
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