The Fall Classic pits the Kansas City Royals, last year’s bridesmaids and the epitome of a fundamentally sound team, against the budding New York Mets, who are making their first of what could be many appearances on this stage behind a youthful rotation exhibiting veteran poise.
One team was supposed to be here, taking care of unfinished business after falling short last year. The other came out of left field, an afterthought in a division all but conceded to the preseason World Series favorite Washington Nationals, according to Odds Shark.
The Royals have been on cruise control since Opening Day, holding first place for 143 days en route to winning the American League Central title by 12 games. The Mets simply hoped to reach .500 this year, as Athlon Sports noted, after enduring six straight losing seasons, which was tied for the longest active streak.
Neither team was favored to win its previous playoff series, yet both overcame the odds with relentless offense and superb pitching that now yields a mouth-watering Fall Classic matchup.
This matchup is not only the first between two expansion teams, but it also has an ambiance of unfamiliarity, as they didn’t play in the regular season and haven’t since 2013. Prior to the 1997 season, when interleague play was introduced, that was always the case excluding spring training.
Both teams have been completely revamped since their last meeting, long before the Mets’ trio of high-velocity starters made their MLB debuts. Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard marched the Mets to a 6-1 record in their postseason starts, posting a combined 2.39 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 45.2 innings.
The Mets will certainly be the toughest rotation the Royals have faced in this year's playoffs, but to counter, they match up better than any lineup the Mets have seen.
New York relied on velocity to exploit the overpowering Chicago Cubs, who couldn’t answer, and as such, they never led once during their four-game exit. The Royals don’t have a juggernaut offense like the Cubs or Toronto Blue Jays, the ALCS runners-up, but they’re as efficient as any team in MLB.
Their lineup doesn’t get overly aggressive swinging and makes contact, one through nine. According to Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated, the Royals put the ball in play an MLB-high 74 percent of the time and struck out an MLB-low 15.9 percent of the time.
Mets third baseman David Wright is well aware of the Royals’ consistency, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:
Adding to their efficiency, the Royals seem to have found a stroke of power. They’ve smacked 15 home runs in 11 playoff games and hit seven to the Blue Jays’ six in the ALCS. Kansas City manager Ned Yost provided some perspective on the recent uptick, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com:
We're not a team that relies on the home run. It’s not something we try to do. We have a lot of other ways we can score runs. And hitting in our ballpark, it doesn't make sense to try and hit homers.
But you look at our lineup, and we've got guys who certainly are capable. We go on the road and we can match up to other teams' power. Just about everyone in our lineup has power.
The Royals also have a pitching staff that actually exceeded the Mets in velocity during the ALCS, according to Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine, though their starters weren’t nearly as methodical. Their likely starters for Games 1 and 2, Johnny Cueto and Yordano Ventura, were each vulnerable at multiple points this postseason.
The Royals also have their own power trio, but you’ll find it in the bullpen. Relievers Kelvin Herrera, Luke Hochevar and Wade Davis generally pitch the final three innings in order like clockwork and have allowed one collective earned run in 21 innings these playoffs.
The Royals relievers have given Yost the freedom to not push starters late into games, a valuable luxury not afforded to many in postseason play. And if games get pushed late, this advantage will be a major factor.
Recall how Davis forced a groundout from AL MVP favorite Josh Donaldson with two runners on in the final play of the ALCS—the epitome of clutch, sufficiently summed up by Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star:
Prediction
One of these teams is on the cusp of ending a lengthy championship drought, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
The Mets have proven doubters wrong all season and certainly have a championship-caliber rotation that will give the Royals fits.
But Kansas City will counter with consistent offense, sound defense and a shutdown bullpen. The Royals never sank into a midseason slump and only rode three four-game skids. They continue to prove with their play that their "unfinished business" bravado will carry them to the crown.
Prediction: Royals over Mets in 6
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