As they say, hope springs eternal. Fans, players, coaches, and front office staff alike have an infinite capacity for hope. Some of these hopes are not realistic: no team can win a World Series every year, but we can hope for it. Not every prospect can become an All-Star, but we can hope for that, too.
That’s why expectations are so important. Expectations are not always built on realism, but, moreso than hope, they are built on results. Nobody expected the 2019 Kansas City Royals to make the playoffs fresh off a 100-loss season, for instance, but we did expect the 2015 Royals to make the playoffs fresh off a World Series run.