Kansas City Royals Awards for the 2015 Season

Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

It has been quite the year for the Kansas City Royals. Initially projected to win 72 games by PECOTA, and not former Royal Bill Pecota, the Royals shattered those expectations, winning 95 games and clinching home field advantage throughout their run through the postseason. Along the way, Kansas City earned its first division title in thirty years, as the Royals ran away with the American League Central.

With the success that the Royals had this season, there were quite a number of players who exceeded expectations. Players like Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer finally reached their potential, or, at the very least, did more than scratch the surface thereof. Edinson Volquez was perhaps the most consistent pitcher of the season, and Wade Davis continued to prove that he is not human as a reliever.

Yes, there were disappointments. Omar Infante never got on track, and Alex Rios was, for the most part, a bust after getting injured during the first week. Greg Holland pitched through a torn ligament, and eventually succumbed to his injury, undergoing Tommy John surgery that will likely sideline him for the 2016 season. Yet, despite those issues, the Royals still had quite the successful year.

Now that the regular season is over, let us hand out some awards. Let us look at which players made the biggest impact upon the Kansas City Royals, while looking back at some of the best moments of the year.

Next: The Royals Player of the Year

Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Lorenzo Cain

There was plenty of competition for this award, but in the end, there was really one player who seemed to fit best. The one player who, after his coming out party in the postseason last year, took the next step towards stardom. A player whose offensive and defensive prowess this season should put him in the discussion for the MVP award and his first Gold Glove. The Royals player of the Year is none other than Lorenzo Cain.

Cain has already received one accolade this season, as he made his first All-Star Game. He continued his torrid performance throughout the season, posting career highs with a .307/.361/.477 batting line, 16 home runs, 34 doubles and 72 RBI. Cain also tied his mark from last season with 28 stolen bases, as he continued to provide that speed element even with his increased power.

Defensively, Cain continued to be the player that Royals fans have come to expect. He seemingly made a highlight reel catch every week, covering enough ground where virtually anything hit near center field in Kauffman Stadium was an out. Cain had the highest range factor of any center fielder at 2.90 per game, and was fourth with 2.3 defensive wins above replacement. A human highlight reel, Cain was simply superb at every facet of the game this season.

Even as the Kansas City Royals absorbed losses throughout their lineup, Lorenzo Cain was a constant, steady presence. With his blend  of defense and offense, there was no other choice for the Royals Player of the Year.

Next: The Royals Pitcher of the Year

Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Wade Davis

Last season, Wade Davis had one of the best years of any pitcher in baseball history. From a middling starter, Davis turned into WadeBot 2.0, a devastating strike throwing cyborg who the Kansas City Royals had unleashed upon unsuspecting teams, turning their hopes of a late inning comeback into the knowledge that they were destined to fail. It may have violated the Geneva Conventions, but Davis was a weapon unlike any other.

Conventional wisdom heading into this season was that Davis would not replicate his stellar 2014 campaign. Well, it turns out that those thoughts were correct, but not in the way that one would have expected. Indeed, Davis surpassed his previous marks by posting a 0.94 ERA and a 0.787 WHiP, issuing only 20 walks while striking out 78 batters in 67.1 innings.

Davis also proved his value by stepping into the closer role during those times when Greg Holland was unavailable. In fact, even before Holland was shelved for the rest of the year, Davis had seemingly forced his way into a co-closer role, giving the Royals a 1-2 punch the likes of which any other team would be envious of.

The greatest strength for the Kansas City Royals during this run of success may be their bullpen. In having a weapon like Wade Davis, ready and capable to step in to any role in the bullpen, the Royals truly have a lethal option.

Next: The Most Improved Royal

Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Moustakas

For years, the Kansas City Royals had been waiting for Mike Moustakas to truly break out. Last year, he hit his absolute nadir, being banished to Omaha for ten days due to his anemic production. While Moustakas was better after his return, and performed relatively well in the postseason, any optimism that he would be able to break through was muted by his track record of failure at the major league level.

This time, that solid postseason and excellent performance in Spring Training actually carried over to the regular season. Moustakas began hitting the ball to all field with authority, easily setting career best marks with his .284/.348/.470 batting line, 22 home runs and 82 RBI, while tying his career best  with 34 doubles. Showing more patience than he had in the past, Moustakas improved his walk rate while cutting down his strikeouts as he became a much more complete player.

Now, the question becomes whether or not Moustakas can sustain this success beyond this season. He did display an ability to adjust to what the opposition gave him, going the opposite way until opponents got out of their defensive shift, then pulling the ball through the hole on the left side. It could be that, instead of being a one year fluke, the breakout that the Royals had hoped for is finally here.

For one year, at the very least, Mike Moustakas has become the hitter that the Kansas City Royals envisioned. Considering where he was last season, Moustakas was the easy choice for the Most Improved Royal.

Next: Game of the Year

Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Omar Infante’s behind the back flip to Alcides Escobar

The 2015 Omar Infante Highlight Reel would likely consist of almost being the worst player ever selected to start an All-Star Game and his completely unexpected seven RBI game on September 17th. That is not exactly much, but it does accurately portray how Infante’s season had been. However, even with his miserable year, Infante was still a part of what may have been the Play of the Year in all of baseball, not just on the Kansas City Royals.

This play was certainly beautiful to behold. Facing Greg Holland, Roberto Perez hit a ground ball up the middle that appeared to be destined to be a base hit. Instead, Infante got to the ball, and made an incredible behind the back flip with his glove to Alcides Escobar. Escobar caught the flip barehanded, and in one motion, fired a strike to Eric Hosmer to gun down Perez by two steps.

On a team that seemingly owned the Baseball Tonight Web Gem segment, this play stood out above the others. For the Royals, whose defensive capabilities make the extraordinary play an everyday occurrence, this play was even beyond their standard of excellence. It was a play that could be made only by two players whose chemistry on defense had become a thing of beauty to behold.

The Kansas City Royals have a knack of making spectacular plays, covering more ground that seemingly any other team in baseball. However, it was this play, started by Omar Infante and finished by Alcides Escobar, that deserved the Play of the Year.

Next: Royals Heating Up at the Right Time