KC Royals: Analyzing The World Series Hangover

The KC Royals are off to a slow start and nothing seems to be going their way. Is there any validity to a World Series hangover?

The KC Royals are making a lot of people in Kansas City uneasy. Already over the joy and excitement of 2015, Royals’ fans are clamoring for more and it doesn’t look likely right now.

It’s still early in the season and there is plenty of time to get things going again, but falling behind the red-hot White Sox this early in the season isn’t ideal.

Chris Young was run from the game in the third inning of the first game against the Yankees and Kris Medlen followed suit by only lasting two innings in his outing. For some reason, Ned Yost continues to pitch those two back-to-back and destroy his long relief options out of the bullpen.

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The blueprint seemed easy enough. Get a quality start from the starting pitcher and pass things along to the best bullpen in baseball. That hasn’t been the case this year. Maybe they can try a large group of one-inning pitchers and just use eight different set-up men before Wade Davis takes over (obviously, that’s a joke).

They’ve been accused of not trying or not having heart in the early going this season. Max Rieper over at Royals Review wrote a great article disproving that theory, but everyone is going to give them the eye test no matter how unqualified their eyes may be.

But is there some validity to a World Series’ hangover? It’s hard to tell based on the statistics.

Excluding the Royals, because who knows how their season is going to turn out, the last 20 World Series winners followed up with inconclusive records. See below the team, followed by the year after their World Series’ win, followed by the result.

Giants – 2015 – 84-76 – Didn’t make playoffs
Red Sox – 2014 – 71-91 – Didn’t make playoffs
Giants – 2013 – 76-86 – Didn’t make playoffs
Cardinals – 2012 – 88-74 – Lost NLCS
Giants – 2011 – 86-76 – Didn’t make playoffs
Yankees – 2010 – 95-67 – Lost ALCS
Phillies – 2009 – 93-69 – Lost World Series
Red Sox – 2008 – 95-67 – Lost ALCS
Cardinals – 2007 – 78-84 – Didn’t make playoffs
White Sox – 2006 – 90-72 – Didn’t make playoffs
Red Sox – 2005 – 95-67 – Lost LDS
Marlins – 2004 – 83-79 – Didn’t make playoffs
Angels – 2003 – 77-85 – Didn’t make playoffs
Diamondbacks – 2002 – 98-64 – Lost LDS
Yankees – 2001 – 95-65 – Lost World Series
Yankees – 2000 – 87-74 – Won World Series
Yankees – 1999 – 98-64 – Won World Series
Marlins – 1998 – 54-108 – Didn’t make playoffs
Yankees – 1997 – 96-66 – Lost LDS
Braves – 1996 – 96-66 – Lost World Series

While six of those teams had a losing record, the overall record is 1,735-1,502. That’s a winning percentage of .536 over the last twenty seasons for teams that have won the World Series.

While nine of the teams didn’t even make the playoffs following a World Series’ win, five of those teams made it all the way back to the World Series. Both of the wins came by the Yankees who won three straight from 1998-2000.

The results would tend to point to one thing: It’s impossible to tell if there is actually a World Series hangover.

What has occurred early this season are a lot of balls just bouncing the wrong way for the Royals.

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In last nights game, with the bases loaded, Brian Flynn threw a great pitch to Didi Gregorius. Gregorius got what Rex Hudler likes to call a ‘booty knock’ on a swing that saw him throw one hand at the ball and pull it into right-center field.

Cain misplayed the ball and all three runs scored giving the Yankees a two-run lead and putting the Royals in an early hole yet again.

Need more proof that the Royals are getting some bad bounces?

It’s always nice when the hardest throwing pitcher in baseball becomes available right before the Yankees play the Royals. As if the Royals needed any help keeping their slump going (Can we also talk about how ridiculous it is that a domestic violence issue only nets a 30-game suspension while Raul Mondesi is getting 50 games for taking cough syrup).

The unfortunate thing is that the Ned Yost blueprint is no longer working for the KC Royals. The problem is he’s too non-meddlesome to do anything about it.

Chris young is finally headed to the bullpen where he belongs. They’ll likely need to find someone to start for Kris Medlen also.

Yes, the Royals are off to a slow start and currently headed for a three-game losing streak. There is plenty of baseball to be played in both this game and the regular season so it’s still too soon to panic, but it’s not far off.

In the meantime, try to grit your teeth and enjoy fond memories of a good stretch of baseball. It may be rough for the Royals this season, but regardless ‘Go Royals!’

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