World Series 2014 Reaction

Growing up in the nineties and 2000s, the Royals would lose 100 games every year out of 162 in the regular season. These were not like the great teams of the seventies and eighties led by George Brett. Oh sure we had good players, but we were basically everybody’s AAAA team. Players would get good, and then want to leave for bigger markets. But finally we started getting good around 2013, and everybody on the current roster came up around 2012.

The epic nature of the wildcard game against our former team, the Athletics (moved from KC to Oakland in 1968. Then the Royals became an expansion franchise in 1969), was alone enough to write legends about. Especially after we wallowed in mediocrity for so many years.

Then the historian in me thought to himself, this has got to be our year, when Alex Gordon was on 3^rd base, with Salvador Perez up at bat in Game 7. All we needed was 90 more feet. It’s the scenario you dream up playing pickup baseball games with your friends in the backyard. Until Joe Buck’s new man crush Madison Bumgardner came in to save the day.

The San Francisco Giants may have won the World Series. Which they seem to do every other year under current management. But I personally think we put the baseball world on notice that the Royals don’t suck anymore.

I know it’s totally cliché in sports, when players and coaches say there’s always next year, but I really do feel like next year will definitely be our year. Sometimes, you learn more from defeat, then you do from victory.

2014 KC Royals Projected World Series Depth Chart

Well, after the marathon that is a baseball season, the Kansas City Royals have finally become no longer the punchline to bad jokes. To say I’m excited is an understatement! I’m going to try and temper my excitement as to not wear myself out by whenever the series ends. 

Once again, for the casual to non-baseball fan, there are 162 games in a season for each team. That’s one every day starting usually the 1^st Sunday in April, and going until the last day of September. Playoffs and the World Series are in October. There are 25 men on the roster. Whenever a game is rained out, or postponed due to lightning, they play what’s called a doubleheader to make up for the game that was lost the day before. So, for those days, teams are allotted a 26th man for the doubleheader. And the last month of September is when the roster is expanded to 40 for the month. The whole goal is to win a series at a time, against the team you play 3 or 4 times in a row until the end of the season. If you win more than 90 games total, you usually make the playoffs.
 
… Also, baseball is divided into 2 leagues with 15 teams each. They’re differentiated by the Designated Hitter in the American League (a position player only bats for the pitcher and never plays defense), and in the National League, the pitcher bats last in the batting order. Someday soon, I have a feeling both leagues will have a universal DH because the pitchers don’t practice batting very often and are always an easy out. I also believe, much like the DH, the 26th man will be permanent years from now.
 
I really hope we don’t just go to the World Series and fall flat on our faces. I hope we make it a great series for the Giants. I want it to be 1 of those World Series that people talk about for ages.
 
Here is my projected 2014 KC Royals World Series Roster:
 
Starting Lineup:
LF: Alex Gordon *favorite current KC Royal position player
CF: Lorenzo Cain
RF: Norichika Aoki
3B: Mike Moustakas
SS: Alcides Escobar
2B: Omar Infante
1B/DH: Eric Hosmer
C: Salvador Perez
 
2014 World Series Batting Order:
1. Alcides Escobar
2. Norichika Aoki
3. Lorenzo Cain
4. Eric Hosmer
5. Billy Butler
6. Alex Gordon
7. Salvador Perez
8. Mike Moustakas
9. Omar Infante
 
Bench:
OF: Jarrod Dyson
OF: Terrance Gore
1B/DH: Billy Butler
C: Erik Kratz
OF: Josh Willingham
IF: Jayson Nix
 
Starting Pitching Rotation:
1. James Shields
2. Yordano Ventura
3. Danny Duffy
4. Jason Vargas
5. Jeremy Guthrie
 
Bullpen:
Tim Collins
Brandon Finnegan
Jason Frasor
Kelvin Herrera
Wade Davis *Set up man
Greg Holland *Closer