Fansided

5 reasons the Royals can win the World Series in 2015

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jul 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (center) celebrates a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (center) celebrates a 2-1 win over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 20, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of Kauffman Stadium during a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 20, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of Kauffman Stadium during a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

Avoiding a one-game playoff

Kansas City has basically already accomplished the first step in winning the World Series: Making the postseason and advancing to the Division Series.

Entering Sunday, the Royals are 12 games up on the fading Minnesota Twins for first place in the AL Central. That’s over nearly double any other division lead in the Majors, even St. Louis in the tough NL Central.

Kansas City has a better chance than any other team of avoiding the randomness of a one-game playoff, barring a historic collapse. That gives their World Series chances a huge boost overall.

While the Royals would feel confident starting Cueto in the Wild Card Game, absolutely anything can happen in a one-game playoff, as Kansas City found out first-hand last year against Jon Lester and the Oakland Athletics. No team is going to have much better odds than a coin flip in such a contest, and running into someone like David Price or Masahiro Tanaka could end anyone’s season quickly.

Also helping Kansas City’s cause is the fact that their closest competition could get eliminated in the one-game playoff. The Blue Jays and New York Yankees look like the next best teams in the AL currently, and one of them is going to have to play in the Wild Card Game.

Next: A front-line starter

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