Kansas City Royals: What do we do now?

It is probably a fair assessment to remind ourselves that both Yost and Moore prepared us for this season.

I am not for sure on whether I am disappointed, angry, or apathetic towards the current Kansas City Royals roster.  As I look back at the beginning of the year, I should have seen this season coming and prepared myself for it.

From the re-signing of Escobar to the signing of older vets on the cheap like Duda, the signs were on the wall from day one. However, the optimist in me always says, “hey, we might not have the best pitching or the best outfield or the best first baseman, but maybe there is a chance???” Nope. We didn’t have a chance. It was officially a rebuilding year.

The Royals ended up 58-104 and dead last in our division. As a Royals’ fan of over 40+ years (35 of which I can honestly remember fandom), I always set myself up for disappointment when I know the front office is hinting at a rebuilding year. Watching our team win the World Series in 1985 and 2015 was glorious.

I thought maybe this time around our owner might retain some of these players and build a strong core for the future. Nope. Outside of the apparent payroll issues for a small market team, our pitching turned out to be atrocious in 2017-2018 (and our hitting wasn’t that great either). To be fair, our pitching is hopeful now, but we are still a poorly constructed team (at least we are not Baltimore, right???).

The postseason is supposed to be about hope. In recent years, even last year, there was still hope of a wild card berth until September. That hope was squashed out in May, maybe as early as April this year. Now that the Royals are no longer relevant in October (not to mention May through September), what do we do now?

It would be easy to give up on baseball (did I type those words???) and focus on another sport or hobby until Spring training. However, real baseball fans don’t give up on baseball, regardless of how badly their team performs. For the true baseball fan, October is what we wait all year to experience. As for this Royals’ fan, he will be entrenched in postseason baseball.

After watching two great Wild Card games this week, I am sure we are all ready for some playoff action. The AL race to the Fall Classic will be a good one. After the Yankees defeated the A’s will they be able to slide past Boston? Will it be Cleveland or Houston advancing to the next round? Colorado slips by the Cubs only to visit LoCain’s Brewers in a series that should bring back memories for Royals’ fans. Finally, the matchup I am anticipating being great between the Braves and the Dodgers.

What do I do now that I have come to grips with the Royals not being in postseason baseball again this year? I am going to be a baseball fan. It is to my benefit to open my mind and see that there are other teams in baseball. It is going to be fun to follow more than just the Royals if you have never done so before.

Maybe you have only witnessed the 2015 championship in KC, and that’s great! Now you can expand your taste for baseball and witness what other teams have to offer their fans. That is indeed the gift that baseball keeps giving. Baseball fans love it when their teams win, but we also enjoy watching other teams grind it out in October. So bring on October playoffs, I am ready!