Royals Fans Ask: Yeah, Why Not Us?

With Opening day for the Kansas City Royals just days away there’s still a few things that need to be decided.

Will Paulo Orlando make the team? Will Omar Infante be healthy enough to play defense? If not, who will replace him? Will the new Craft a Draft bar at Kauffman be a mad house all year? All of these will eventually be answered and we’ll have a new set of questions replacing them.

But the question that I’ve been asking myself actually appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. Why not us?



Let’s face it, the Royals, aren’t the sexy pick anymore. That honor goes to the Cleveland Indians. Most experts don’t think the Royals will find that lightning in bottle magic two years in a row. And who would blame them, after being absent from the post-season for 29 years. But the easiest thing in sports, especially baseball, is to be a pessimist. So I’m going to tell you five real reasons the Kansas City Royals will be in the post-season in 2015. Call it drinking the Kool-Aid or being a homer. I admit it; I want this team to win. I’m not ashamed of seeing the glass half full. So lets get to it.



Reason #1 the Royals will go to the 2015 Playoffs:

More pop. This team is ready to break out offensively. I know this may not be what the experts try to sell but the Royals are more than just a bunch of speedsters that play great defense. If Alex Rios hits 2 home runs in 2015 he doubles Nori Aoki’s contribution in 2014. I will venture to predict that Rios hits 15–17 home runs, in turn, shattering Aoki’s run production numbers. And that’s not all. How many home runs does Kendrys Morales need to hit to match Billy Butler? Nine. Same scenario here. Morales will hit more than 9 home runs.



Reason #2 the Royals will go to the 2015 Playoffs:

The Bullpen. And I’m not even talking about the three-headed monster of Herrera, Davis and Holland. No the real key is all the other guys. In 2015 the Royals will get a full season from Jason Frasor, who was a late season add-on last year. Veteran Franklin Morales, will be the much needed LOOGY (Left-handed One Out Guy) and Luke Hochevar will eventually be in the mix as well. And lets not forget about Chris Young, who was a decent starter last year for the Seattle Mariners, his 12-9 record with a 3.65 ERA holds water. And now he’s a bullpen guy! Five years ago Chris Young would’ve been the number one starter! The non-HDH guys are looking more reliable than last year; all they lack is a cool nickname. Any suggestions? Let’s see, how about “The Other Guys”



Reason #3 the Royals will go to the 2015 Playoffs:

The Defense. Yes, this has been talked and written about more than the Kardashians, but its not over-hyped. The Royals have the best Left fielder in the game, potential gold glovers at Centerfield and Short along with a gold glove catcher. This team will catch the ball. The only question mark is second base. If Infante doesn’t heal then a below league average defender will more than likely take his place.



Reason #4 the Royals will go to the 2015 Playoffs:

Confidence and Drive. Yogi Berra said it best when he explained that, “baseball is 90% mental — the other half is physical”. There’s a lot of truth to that crazy quote. These players have confidence. They know if things get tough that they can work hard and overcome adversity. They have the experience of being under rated and proving people wrong. With that said there’s a feeling of unfinished business and the drive to make a wrong into a right. These guys are still hungry for a World Series championship.



Reason #5 the Royals will go to the 2015 Playoffs:

David Glass. Wait! Don’t close the browser. Hear me out on this one. This may make more sense than you think. After seeing all the cold hard cash roll in from the 2014 playoff run, Mr. Glass, may open his pocket book a little more at the trade deadline. He may give Dayton Moore more funds to play with to get the team over the hump. Mr. Glass loves his money and now that he has seen how much merch Royals fans are willing to purchase, maybe he wants to go to the playoffs a little more. Even if its 1% more it will be a good thing if the Royals need and extra bat, starter or bullpen player at the trade deadline.

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