Royals rookie Yordano Ventura ascended so rapidly and seamlessly to the pinnacle of his profession last year that it was natural to shrug off his precociousness at 23 years old.
And it was easy to simply assume that his trajectory would be an ever-upward arc.
His regular-season, marked by a 14-10 record and a 3.20 ERA, was cause enough for optimism, but coming through in the caldron of the postseason escalated that anticipation to another tier.
When he yielded just two runs in 12 1/3 innings in the World Series, including a masterful performance in game six with the Royals facing elimination and Ventura mourning the death of friend Oscar Taveras, it seemed no circumstance would be too much for Ventura to withstand.