Kansas City Royals 2015 MLB season preview and predictions
By Will Osgood
2015 Season Predictions
It is impossible to predict that the Royals will match their 2014 success. Though they bucked recent trends in the majors by playing “small ball” en route to the 2014 World Series, it is possible that much of their success was blind luck, beginner’s luck, like they were playing their first ever hand in a game of poker.
Reason has it that they will fall off significantly. On paper, they are a more balanced team in 2015 with a more well-rounded pitching staff, one that could eventually go six-deep when Kris Medlen returns from his Tommy John surgery.
And in truth, the Royals now look to be equal to the Detroit Tigers on paper, the first time any AL Central team could say that entering a season in quite some time. Here are a few quick predictions:
-The Royals will win the AL Central this season. It may not be pretty. And it may not be as magical as it was a season ago. But with the Tigers looking like a candidate to drop in the standings, the Royals figure to benefit.
-Hosmer, Moustakas and Ventura namely will round into players somewhere in the middle of their previous regular season careers and magical postseason runs.
-Alex Gordon will finish in the top-five of MVP voting and approach best player in the game level. He was expected to become that when he was drafted second overall out of Nebraska several years ago. He is nearing that, and will finally reach it in 2015.
-But when all is said and done, the Royals will not have the same kind of postseason success as a year ago, likely bowing out in the AL Divisional round.