KC Royals News: Royals Projections Continue To Be Unkind

Today’s KC Royals News focuses on PECOTA, FanGraphs, and USA Today. All three are picking the Royals to have a big drop off in 2016.

The KC Royals are coming off their second straight world series appearance and they still can’t get any love in the 2016 projections. Pecota is picking the Royals to finish 76-86, FanGraphs has them finishing 78-84, and USA Today has them finishing 84-78 but still losing out on the division to the White Sox.

All of the projection systems have picked the Royals to lose and yet all have apologized for it. At a certain point, the statistics and the projections have to be thrown out the window. There is no great way to project what is going to happen in a season when you factor in injuries, bereavements, illnesses, and much more.

The Royals have done well to disprove the projections systems in the past couple of seasons. Last year they let the chip on their shoulder push them all the way to the World Series. If there is a positive in these projections it’s that everyone is picking the Royals to lose again. That doubt may be just enough to keep their work ethic sound and their heads from swelling up too much.

There are really a couple of ways to look at these projections:

The projection system is typically wrong so there should be little to no stock put into anything they have to say.
The projection system is typically right, so it speaks volumes as to just how unbelievable and special these past two seasons have been.

It’s more fun to stick with the theory that the Royals are just an inexplicable phenomena that can’t be defined by numbers or projections. The Royals were picked to finish 72-90 by PECOTA projections in 2015 and everyone knows how that turned out. They’re actually favored slightly more this season, so perhaps the Royals can reach the 100 win mark.

See what the rest of FanSided.com is saying about KC Royals News:

Kansas City Royals Can Become A Dynasty in 2016 [John Viril: Kings Of Kauffman]

Kansas City Royals: Two Years Or Three Months [Paul York: KC Kingdom]

"If you’re holding out hope that the KC Royals will somehow convince guys like Hosmer and/or Moustakas to truly be “Forever Royal”, you should stop. Both are clients of agent Scott Boras. Boras clients almost always test the free agent market, especially so at the peak of their respective careers."

Kansas City Royals Still The Class Of The AL Central [David Hill: Kings Of Kauffman]

KC Royals: Five Bold Predictions For 2016 [Scott Dillon: KC Kingdom]

What is the rest of the internet saying about the KC Royals:

PECOTA Picks Royals To Finish Last in Division With 76 Wins [Matthew LaMar: Royals Review]

The Royals Will Once Again Look To Be Projection Breakers In 2016 [Matt Snyder: CBS Sports]

The Royals are playing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball and will certainly have their work cut out for them in the coming season. There are no guarantees in baseball and teams miss the playoffs following World Series titles all the time. But the Royals are no ordinary team.

More from KC Kingdom

If the Royals can continue to baffle projection systems and keep people guessing they stand as good a chance as anyone else in the division. They also carry with them experience. The Royals have played in a lot of high-leverage situations over the past couple of seasons. Usually when a team has it’s back against the wall they tend to fall apart. The Royals have played some of their best baseball when facing elimination.

What will actually happen in 2016 is to be determined. Games aren’t played on paper and at the end of the season, the most complete teams will compete for a World Series title. The Royals have proven to be one of those teams in each of the past two seasons and have the depth and the know-how to seek a third run.

Next: Royals Pitcher's Walk Out Songs

What do you think KC Royals’ fans? Will the projection systems come up short again in 2016? What will the Royals have to do to finally receive some praise? Does it even matter when you’re the reigning World Champion? Let me know in the comments’ section below.

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