KC Royals: Why The Royals Will Win The World Series

The KC Royals began spring training on February 19, when pitchers and catchers were required to report. Along with numerous early arrivals, the Kansas City Royals have now begun the 2015 season.

Here’s how they win the World Series.

This post picks up the long-time tradition established by former Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski, who started writing how the Royals would win the pennant back when the team lost year after year. He knew there was no real hope of a winning season, much less a title. Yet, he wrote those stories knowing they would never come true.

Hey, back then, Royals fans had, at most, a 10-week window in which they could actually have hope for the upcoming season. By detailing how the KC Royals could win a championship, Posnanski wrung about all the joy that could be had from the franchise’s Dark Ages.

Back then, during Posnanski’s tenure at the Star from 1996-2009, he’d predict this young prospect would break out, or that hoary veteran would recapture his prime for one glorious season. Generally, he’d have to expect a baseball Tinkerbell to sprinkle magic fairy dust over pretty much the entire team.

How times have changed.

As the defending American League Champions, no one laughs at the idea of the Kansas City Royals winning the World Series. A lot of skeptics project the Royals in the middle of the MLB pack in 2015, but everyone has to know it’s possible.

It doesn’t take any great stretch of the imagination to see this team winning it all, because images of these guys celebrating October victories is still fresh in every baseball fan’s mind. That’s what leaving Alex Gordon 90 feet away from sending game seven of the World Series into extra innings before losing will do.

The Royals win the World Series by third base coach Mike Jirchele waving Alex Gordon home as he rounds third…

I digress. That won’t help in 2015, and probably would have ended with Giants’ catcher Buster Posey waiting at home to apply an anti-climatic tag. Still, the whole idea of a World Series decided on a close play at the plate is a tantalizing dream that almost came true last October.

In Kansas City.

What’s crazy about 2015, is that the KC Royals can win the World Series next year if they do something we already know they can do: play like they did last October.

Yordano Ventura needs to be the dominating pitcher that won two World Series starts with a 1.46 ERA against the Giants.

Eric Hosmer needs to be the lineup cornerstone that slashed .351/.439/.544 during the playoffs with 9 walks and 2 home runs in 66 post-season plate appearances.

Mike Moustakas needs to be the guy that slammed 5 home runs and slugged .558 in the post-season. And, to put up that line, he needs to periodically lay bunts down the 3rd base line against the shift, and take outside pitches the opposite way, just like he did against the Orioles in ALCS.

Lorenzo Cain needs to keep catching everything in center field. We know he can do that, because he’s done it every year since he got called up to the major leagues. If he can pair that defense with an above-average bat, he’ll remain a star.

The HDH trio needs to, well, be themselves.

And free-agent thumpers Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios need to play like it’s 2013—which, really, isn’t so long ago.

Edinson Volquez‘s task is simplier: he just needs to throw strikes. He did it in Pittsburgh last season, rather than trying to nibble, and get strikeouts, as he has done in the past. Many claim that Volquez’s 3.04 ERA in the National League was a mirage driven by good luck and an outstanding Pirates defense.

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