Yordano Ventura has transformed from top prospect to MLB’s newest villain

A year ago at this time, when baseball fans heard the name Yordano Ventura, we thought of the fire-balling Kansas City Royals pitcher, one of the top young arms in the game, the guy they’d already started calling “Ace Ventura” in his rookie season.

Today, when baseball fans hear Ventura’s name, we think of his fiery personality, one of the main troublemakers of the young 2015 MLB season, the guy they’ve already started calling a “thug,” a “hothead” and various other not-so-endearing names.

In the last three weeks, Ventura, 23, has joined Bryce Harper and Yasiel Puig in the ranks of baseball’s villains, all of them a few steps down from baseball’s villainlord, Alex Rodriguez.

And Thursday night, Ventura was front and center in the huge brawl between the Royals and White Sox.

He yelled “f*** you” at Adam Eaton after Eaton hit a comebacker, which immediately caused umpires to step in and both teams to spill onto the field.

The most loyal of them will make the same excuses for Ventura’s three outbursts: Trout said something to him, Brett Lawrie started it, Eaton mouthed-off.

The Royals are supporting Ventura, all the way up to the front office, where GM Dayton Moore told the Kansas City Star’s Andy McCullough on Friday that he wouldn’t condemn what Ventura did against the White Sox.

Last year, he was the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in the big leagues, the guy who went out and played rec-league softball after his team lost the World Series.

People have been comparing Ventura to Martinez long before he was making the benches clear.