KC Royals: Five Reasons They Missed Playoffs in 2016

Reasons Royals Missed Playoffs in 2016 – Number 5: Hangover in Full Effect

As much fun as it’s been watching the Kansas City Royals play deep into October (and even early November in 2015), they’ve played the most games out of any other team in baseball these last two seasons.

With that, comes fatigue setting in. Guys like Salvador Perez and Lorenzo Cain have had to take foul balls to the face mask and get hit by pitches deeper into the season than say, the Cleveland Indians… or any other team.

While any team would love the opportunity to go to back-to-back World Series, it does have its consequences.

The Royals proved that their deep run in 2014 didn’t bother them the next year, but two years of going as far into the baseball season as possible has definitely shown this season. The Royals are worn out, and they could use a break.

While any team would love the opportunity to go to back-to-back World Series, it does have its consequences. The Royals went all the way to Game 7 in 2014 and then went all out in 2015, clinching the World Series title in Game 5.

After that, they returned home to Kansas City and partied hard for months. Before we knew it, spring training had arrived and it was time to prepare for the next season.

People might not think this is a reason for the poor play in 2016, but it makes perfect sense. On the other hand, though, teams like the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers have gone to the playoffs consistently over the past two or three years (Cardinals haven’t missed out since 2008) and appear just fine in the regular season.

To each their own, I guess.