The Kansas City Royals won their first World Series title since 1985 last season, and now they want another one. With most of their core group of players back on the team this year, that stage is set for a repeat run at another title in 2016. Here are five reasons why the Royals will repeat as World Series champs this year:
5. The 10th Man Factor
The 12th Man of the Seattle Seahawks has on what Royals fans whip up in big-game situations. The 2014 postseason bumped up Kauffman Stadium to our "Stadiums You Must Experience Before You Die" list, and the 2015 postseason put it at the top. No fan base does it better, and in games where home-field advantage matters the most, the fan base comes ready to play.
4. Defense
Ben Zobrist is gone and while that hurts the Royals, they still have a strong defense. It's one of the best in the majors, and features three gold glove winners. The Royals don't make many mistakes on defense, which helps their pitching in a big way. Defense is often overlooked by the common MLB fan, but it's a critical aspect of winning games. And Kansas City has a defense that will help them compete for a World Series crown.
3. Strong Lineup
In short, there are very few breaks for any given opposing pitcher on any given day because Kansas City has so many weapons with "Next Man Up" magic in their bats. If you mow down Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon will get you. If he can't, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain or someone else will pick up the slack. Other lineups may get more national publicity, but not many teams have a lineup as solid from top to bottom as Kansas City.
2. Shut-Down Bullpen
The Royals bullpen is once again among the best in the majors. Wade Davis is one of the top closers, and the team has wonderful set up men in Joakim Soria, who is back in Kansas City and Kelvin Herrera. Don't overlook Luke Hochevar and Danny Duffy either. Once the Royals get to the seventh inning with a lead, the door is basically shut. While the Royals don't have the starting pitching staff they did last season with Johnny Cueto now gone, their bullpen makes things easier on the starters. There's a reason the Royals had one of the best save percentages in the MLB last season and that will be the case again this season.
1. Experience
This team is far from the group of young players that made the surprising run to the World Series in 2014. Two years later, this is a group that has routinely pulled out clutch wins and accomplished absurd comebacks. They've not only learned what it takes to win, but they've learned what it takes to be great. The Royals expect nothing less than another World Series crown, and they could very well up with another one this year.
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