This is What an AL Playoff Team Looks Like

The Kansas City Royals have one of the best pitching staffs in the American League, and certainly the best bullpen. What the team lacks is an offense that can score enough runs to close the gap in the AL Central and Wild Card races. Let’s take a look at how the Royals stack up against the six American League teams that played 163 games or more in 2013:

Team	W	RD	R	H	XBH	HR	RBI	BA/OBP/SLG	K	BB	R/G	AB/HR	SV%W
BOS	97	140	853	1566	570	178	819	.277/.349/.446	1308	581	5.27	31.7	34
CLE	92	83	745	1391	484	171	711	.255/.327/.410	1283	562	4.6	32	41.3
DET	93	172	796	1625	491	176	767	.283/.346/.434	1073	531	4.91	32.6	41.9
OAK	96	142	767	1403	512	186	725	.254/.327/.419	1178	573	4.73	29.7	47.9
TB	92	54	700	1421	484	165	670	.257/.329/.408	1171	589	4.29	33.6	45.7
TEX	91	141	730	1465	461	176	691	.262/.323/.412	1067	462	4.48	31.7	50.5
AVG	94	122	765	1479	500	175	730	.265/.333/.421	1180	550	4.71	31.9	43.6
KC	86	47	648	1443	400	112	620	.260/.315/.379	1048	422	4	49.5	60.5

A few thoughts:

-  As you can see, the Royals fell short in nearly every category listed here. They really weren’t even close in most areas.

-  Simply put, the team must score more runs. 112 home runs, 400 extra base hits and a .379 slugging percentage are pathetic. Chicks dig the long ball remember? To make the playoffs in the American League, you must put the ball in the seats more than the Royals did last year.

-  Looking ahead, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Eric Hosmer showed last year that his power is improving. Billy Butler has the ability to hit 30 homers, and Alex Gordon could as well moving down in the order. The bad news is that the team did not add any power to the lineup by adding Aoki and Infante, and an increase in power production must come from players already on the roster. Perhaps Carlos Peguero is the missing link - right Landon?

-  Strikeouts can be a good thing. Seriously. Check the chart. The average team struck out 132 times more than Kansas City. If swings that result in considerably more long balls and extra-base hits also result in a few more K’s, so be it.

-  The team was pretty on par as far as bating average, but was certainly lacking in on-base percentage and slugging. In all, KC was far, and I mean far from doing the offensive damage necessary to play meaningful October baseball.

-  Saves as a percentage of wins. I am not sure if this is really even a statistic, but it was something that stuck out to me. If people have been looking at it for years, it never occurred to me. If I invited a new one, you’re welcome. Pretty much across the board, the teams that win the most games have a lower percentage of saves. What this means to me is the Royals are playing too many close games and have to scratch and claw for every win. This is why run differential is such a huge statistic. A few more lopsided victories would be nice to save some of the stress from a long season.

Pitching and defense can only get you so far. In fact, 86 wins may have been an overachievement for the Royals in 2013. The bottom line is, the 2014 Kansas City  ball club is going to have to make some serious improvements at the plate to make the playoffs.