The Royals are going back to the postseason. Kansas City clinched the AL Central title on Thursday night thanks to their win (KC 10, SEA 4) combined with the Twins‘ loss to the Indians (CLE 6, MIN 3).
This is the Royals’ first division title since 1985, which, coincidentally, is the last time they won the World Series. Back then they played in the AL West — the AL Central didn’t exist until 1995, when the divisions were realigned and the wild card was created.
Last season the Royals snapped the longest postseason drought in baseball — it was their first trip to October since that 1985 season — by claiming the first AL wild-card spot. They won the wild-card game and eventually the AL pennant before losing to Madison Bumgarner and the Giants in the World Series.
The Royals were the best team in the AL Central almost from start to finish this season. They took hold of first place for good on June 9 and led by as many as 14 1/2 games at one point. They’ve had a double-digit game lead since August. Kansas City dominated the division; clinching it was only a matter of when, not if.
After falling just short of a World Series title last season, GM Dayton Moore went all in at the trade deadline, trading multiple prospects to acquire both Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist in separate deals. Cueto, by the way, allowed three runs in seven innings in Thursday night’s division clincher.
Kansas City succeeds with an extreme contact-oriented offense. Their team 15.7-percent strikeout rate is not just the lowest in baseball this season — the Athletics are a distant second at 18.0 percent — it’s the lowest since the 2011 Rangers struck out in only 14.9 percent of their plate appearances. The league-average strikeout rate this year is 20.3 percent.
The Royals are not just about slapping singles, however; Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Kendrys Morales provide power, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar add speed, and Zobrist and Alex Gordon add on-base ability. Thanks to that diverse attack, the Royals rank fifth in baseball with an average of 4.5 runs per game.
Also, Kansas City as an almost impenetrable team defense. They rank seventh in baseball with a 0.713 Defensive Efficiency, meaning they convert 71.3 percent of batted balls into outs. Gordon, Cain and Alex Rios are ballhawks in the outfield while Moustakas, Escobar, Zobrist and Hosmer are vacuums in the infield. Don’t forget Salvador Perez behind the plate either.
If there is a weakness, it’s likely the rotation. The Royals added Cueto at the deadline, though he has been quite shaky in recent weeks. Yordano Ventura has come on strong after a rocky start to 2015. Jason Vargas is out following Tommy John surgery, Chris Young has durability concerns, and Danny Duffy was recently moved to relief. Kris Medlen and Jeremy Guthrie are other postseason rotation candidates.
The Royals lost closer Greg Holland to an elbow injury Thursday, but they have a more-than-capable replacement in Wade Davis. Ryan Madson and Kelvin Herrera will handle setup duty alongside Franklin Morales and Luke Hochevar. The bullpen is not as dominant as it was during their postseason run last year, but it’s still very good.
With the AL Central clinched, the Royals can now focus on clinching the best record in the AL, which would ensure home-field advantage through the World Series. (The AL won the All-Star Game.) The surging Blue Jays are two games back of Kansas City for the league’s best record with 10 days left in the regular season.
For now, the Royals can celebrate their first division title in three decades and focus on finishing the season healthy. They surely feel they have unfinished business after last year.
The Royals have clinched the AL Central title. (USATSI)
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