White. However, the next day Hochevar changed his mind on switching agents, returning to Boras and reneging on the deal. Several months of lukewarm talks continued, but amidst much bitterness, the two sides never came close to reaching a new agreement. Hochevar signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league. He had a 1–1 win–loss record and a 2.38 earned run average (ERA) in four games started with Fort Worth. Hochevar entered the draft yet again in 2006 and was selected first overall by the Kansas City Royals. On August 3, nearly two months after the draft, Hochevar signed a four-year major league contract worth $5.25 million guaranteed with the Royals. He received a $3.5 million signing bonus with the ability to earn as much as $7 million over the four years. After he signed, the Royals assigned Hochevar to the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League. Hochevar began the 2007 season with the Wichita Wranglers of the Class AA Texas League. He was chosen to appear in the 2007 All-Star Futures Game. Kansas City Royals 2007–2010 Hochevar made his major league debut September 8, 2007 in a game against the New York Yankees. In four appearances, Hochevar had a 0–1 record and a 2.13 ERA. In 2008, he had the lowest run support of all pitchers, with an average of 2.8 runs per game started, finishing with a record of 6–12. His ERA though, was a high one, finishing at 5.51 in 22 starts. Following the Royals' 2009 spring training, he was optioned to the Triple-A Omaha Royals to learn to "use both sides of the plate with more consistency" and to stay away from big innings. He was called up to the Royals starting rotation on May 10. In his 2009 debut, Hochevar lasted just two innings and surrendered eight runs. On June 12, 2009, Hochevar pitched an 80 pitch complete game, only allowing 3 hits and 1 run; this was a feat that had only been accomplished by 5 pitchers in American League the previous 20 years. On July 25, 2009, Hochevar recorded a career high 13 strikeouts in 7 innings in a 6–3 win over the Texas Rangers. On September 18, 2009, Hochevar threw his first career shutout in an 11–0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Despite these accomplishments, Hochevar struggled with his consistency