The Kansas City Royals just won the 2015 MLB World Series. Just a week ago that wasn’t a guarantee, and a year ago they were in that same spot and ended up losing to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants didn’t even make the playoffs this year, while the team the Royals beat – a good New York Mets club – didn’t even make the playoffs last year.
This season was even weirder when you take a close look. The St. Louis Cardinals, the team with baseball’s best record, didn’t even get out of the first round. In fact, the NL Central, which produced three of the top records in the majors, didn’t send a team to the final series of the year. The Toronto Blue Jays, the most potent offense in all of MLB, didn’t make it, either.
It’s also worth pointing out the success and failures of some team’s custom baseball uniforms. The Cardinals, Mets, Dodgers and Cardinals all had the best performing baseball uniforms this past year, and all naturally made the post-season. On the flip side, the Dodgers also had one of the worst performing baseball uniforms, and the Blue Jays also joined them on the much maligned list.
Needless to say, it’s going to be mighty interesting to see how 2016 plays out. Which jerseys will help teams be the most successful? Which offense will provide the most power? Which defense will be the most stifling? And will any of that, or even the best record in baseball, have anything to do with who wins it all?
The Royals won this year’s World Series despite not having the best record and not having the best offense or defense. They were simply the best when it mattered most. They knew how to come from behind and win in a multitude of ways. That’s the mark of a champion, and after coming up short in the previous season, they stormed back and finished the job.
So, while we tip our hats to a job well done by the Royals, we have to wonder what 2016 has to offer. It’s quite early, but Vegas suggests the 2016 MLB season will be another wild ride. The early World Series odds have Kansas City coming in as the second best team in terms of winning it all, only behind the upstart Chicago Cubs. Just behind those two lie the Dodgers, Mets and Cardinals.
If we’re going off of the odds, the Royals have a decent chance to repeat in 2016. If we’re going off of recent history, the Mets could pull a card from Kansas City and come back next year to finish what they started. Or we could all be wrong and the Phillies (worst odds at 200/1) could shock us all and make their way back to baseball relevancy.
No one can know just yet, but it’s fun to think about. Who do you have for next year’s baseball title? Will it be the Royals again or someone else? Let us know in the comments below!
