Royals' Ventura to start Opening Day

The Kansas City Royals will open the regular season with their most promising youngster on the mound.

Manager Ned Yost confirmed Wednesday that Yordano Ventura, the 23-year-old who finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting last season, will start April 6 at Kauffman Stadium when the Royals host the Chicago White Sox.

"If you're going to ask a kid to go out in a do-or-die situation in Game 6 of the World Series and have him handle it, which he did, he is a perfect candidate for [Opening Day]," Yost told MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan.

Ventura, a native Dominican, finished sixth among rookie starters with 2.4 WAR last season, authoring a 3.23 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP over 30 starts with Kansas City. 

Armed with a fastball that averaged more than 98 miles per hour in 2014 - the highest mark among starting pitchers - Ventura allowed just 14 home runs over 183 innings while managing an impressive 10.3 percent swinging-strike rate.