I think the Royals are perfectly built to compete in the modern sense in baseball. Never go all in at any point, shoot to win 87 games and finish fifth or sixth every season, and just attempt to ride the randomness to a championship. That's the way to do it these days for a small market club, and I think (as long as replacements can be found for some of the aging guys, Salvy and Seth Lugo won't last forever) that the age of this roster should allow them to do that for years. With every team in the Central going for the exact same mediocre-good goal, there may even be a few division championships along the way.
I don't know if I can forecast these Royals ever winning 100 games, but I'm not sure I can forecast them missing the playoffs in the imminent future either. It's an exciting time in KC.
I'm trying not to think too much about next year and beyond at the moment, so I can enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. But you make a good point, and it's why I'm a fan of the expanded playoff format, and will continue to be as long as MLB maintains a competitive imbalance. I don't want to hear any owner, even a small-market owner cry poverty, but I recognize KC can't match New York's payroll under current system. Doesn't mean you shouldn't aggressively attempt to get better, as Picollo and Sherman did this year (full credit to the oft-criticized owner for that), but you don't have to go for broke to build a juggernaut and end up shooting yourself in the foot. Just be relevant (which is all I ever wanted during the lean years between the mid-90s and 2013), find a way into the playoffs on a somewhat regular basis, and eventually cash in on one of those lottery tickets.
Not sure I expect much out of them in the playoffs, but as 2014 showed us, anything can happen. The Royals certainly have the starting pitching to give themselves a chance. And for a franchise that went almost three decades without a playoff appearance, any postseason action is good.
I think the Royals are perfectly built to compete in the modern sense in baseball. Never go all in at any point, shoot to win 87 games and finish fifth or sixth every season, and just attempt to ride the randomness to a championship. That's the way to do it these days for a small market club, and I think (as long as replacements can be found for some of the aging guys, Salvy and Seth Lugo won't last forever) that the age of this roster should allow them to do that for years. With every team in the Central going for the exact same mediocre-good goal, there may even be a few division championships along the way.
I don't know if I can forecast these Royals ever winning 100 games, but I'm not sure I can forecast them missing the playoffs in the imminent future either. It's an exciting time in KC.
Excited to see the Royals get in the WC series! Go Royals!
Nice article Patrick, hope they can get back to KC
Thanks for reading, Ed. Go Royals!
I'm trying not to think too much about next year and beyond at the moment, so I can enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. But you make a good point, and it's why I'm a fan of the expanded playoff format, and will continue to be as long as MLB maintains a competitive imbalance. I don't want to hear any owner, even a small-market owner cry poverty, but I recognize KC can't match New York's payroll under current system. Doesn't mean you shouldn't aggressively attempt to get better, as Picollo and Sherman did this year (full credit to the oft-criticized owner for that), but you don't have to go for broke to build a juggernaut and end up shooting yourself in the foot. Just be relevant (which is all I ever wanted during the lean years between the mid-90s and 2013), find a way into the playoffs on a somewhat regular basis, and eventually cash in on one of those lottery tickets.
Not sure I expect much out of them in the playoffs, but as 2014 showed us, anything can happen. The Royals certainly have the starting pitching to give themselves a chance. And for a franchise that went almost three decades without a playoff appearance, any postseason action is good.