The Detroit Tigers rightfully enter October as the most intriguing team in this year’s postseason field.
Detroit went from having less than a one percent chance at the playoffs to clinching a wild-card spot in fewer than two months. The club also ended a nine-year postseason drought, which was tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the longest active stretch in the majors.
Set to visit either the Baltimore Orioles or the Houston Astros in the best-of-three wild-card, the Tigers will be an easy team to root for as they prowl toward their first American League pennant in 12 years and their first world championship in 40.
But Detroit’s incredible surge cast an even darker shadow on the most underappreciated team in this year’s playoffs, the Kansas City Royals.
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has fittingly garnered tremendous attention amid his MVP-caliber campaign, but he and his teammates have quietly authored one of the best turnarounds in baseball history.
One year after going a franchise-worst-tying 56-106, Kansas City has stacked 85 wins entering Sunday’s regular-season finale. The Royals will visit either Houston or Baltimore in the wild-card round.
Kansas City’s 29-win increase (or 30, pending Sunday’s result) from last year to this season is the largest in the majors. It’s also the largest in franchise history in a full season, surpassing a 20-win jump from 1970 to 1971.
Still not impressed?
MLB research lists the Royals as just the second team to reach the playoffs in a full season following a campaign with at least 100 losses.
Of course, Witt has catalyzed his team’s turnaround, but plenty of other contributors have produced solid seasons that are too impressive to ignore.
Salvador Perez, the lone holdover from Kansas City’s World Series team in 2015, has clubbed 27 home runs with 104 RBIs while putting his pristine mitt to use at catcher and first base.
Vinnie Pasquantino racked up 97 RBIs in 131 games before a broken thumb he suffered on Aug. 29 sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. The slugging first baseman could return if the Royals make a deep playoff run.
Meanwhile, a pair of veteran starting pitchers have looked ageless with Kansas City after signing with the club last December.
Longtime reliever Seth Lugo, 34, has posted the majors’ 10th-lowest starter ERA (3.00) while throwing a career-high 206 2/3 innings in just his third season as a starter. Fellow right-hander Michael Wacha, 33, has logged 166 2/3 frames—the second most over his 12-year career—while pitching to a 3.35 ERA.
As for the younger arms, left-hander Cole Ragans has solidified himself as a budding star during his age-26 season, pairing his 3.14 ERA with 186 1/3 innings pitched.
And manager Matt Quatraro deserves a shoutout, too.
The 50-year-old has guided the Royals’ rise in just his second season as a skipper, keeping the club steady with his “Today” mantra that preaches focusing on the now instead of pondering the past or fretting over the future.
It’s OK if you haven’t been locked in on Kansas City’s turnaround this year. The Royals’ impressive campaign has been mostly concealed by the slew of other storylines within the AL Central, especially in recent weeks.
Detroit’s scintillating run has coincided with Minnesota’s stunning collapse. The Twins went from having a 95.8 percent shot at the postseason on Sept. 2 to dropping completely out of the race on Friday.
Minnesota’s 12-26 record since Aug. 17 is still 1 1/2 games better than the Chicago White Sox, who have perhaps generated the most attention among any team in baseball amid their record-setting 121-loss campaign.
And then there’s the Cleveland Guardians, who rebounded from last year’s third-place finish to capture the AL Central title and the No. 2 playoff seed under first-year manager Stephen Vogt.
Yeah, that’s a lot for one division. I don’t blame you for ignoring Kansas City’s sudden success.
Look, I can’t judge your fandom this October, and I won’t push you to root for a certain team if you’re still deciding. But at the very least, I ask that you appreciate how special the Royals’ season has been while it’s still around.
