I'm ranking all 30 of the MLB teams in order of how much I like them at this moment in time. As with most countdowns, I'm starting with the worst (Cardinals) and I'll eventually end up with the best (Reds). The real question now is: Where will the other MLB teams land in my countdown?
We have finally reached team #16 in my countdown which means we get to take a look at the "best" that the bottom half of MLB has to offer.
#16: Kansas City Royals
I rooted for the Royals in the World Series in both 2014 (against the hated Giants) and again in 2015 (when they beat the Mets). It might be worth noting that the Mets are now ranked ahead of the Royals in my MLB rankings, that's how fluid the rankings can be!
So, why the Royals in spot #16 if I was actively rooting for them not all that long ago?
For starters, I feel like the Royals have operated their franchise in much the same way the Marlins have. That is to say, lots (and lots) of losing with maybe a season or two of trying to "go for it." Like the Marlins, the Royals let most of their stars from their two-year World Series run leave the squad and not surprisingly, the Royals went back to being a rather crappy team (58-104 last year definitely counts as crappy)!
Secondly (but related), the Royals don't have any current players that "move the needle" for me. Seriously, other than the most die-hard Kansas City fans, who can name ten different current Royals (without cheating)? Heck, who can name five?! That's not a good way to run a ball club and I will certainly think less highly of any franchise that is consistently "tanking" in MLB.
Now on the bright side, despite the crappy ownership method of slashing payroll and signing nobody, the Royals still came close to making the top half of the MLB teams. Why is that? Two words: Powder Blues.
Seriously, we need more powder blue uniforms in our life and the Royals are the MLB team to provide that. If you are going to lose 100+ games in a season, you might as well have some nice uniforms, right?!
Next time out, I stick with the AL Central as we discover who makes it to the bottom slot in the top half of MLB.
My list of favorite MLB teams (from worst to first):
#30: St. Louis Cardinals
#29: New York Yankees
#28: San Francisco Giants
#27: Washington Nationals
#26: Boston Red Sox
#25: Chicago Cubs
#24: Atlanta Braves
#23: Los Angeles Dodgers
#22: Milwaukee Brewers
#21: Miami Marlins
#20: San Diego Padres
#19: Arizona Diamondbacks
#18: Texas Rangers
#17: Los Angeles Angels
#16: Kansas City Royals
to be continued...
We have finally reached team #16 in my countdown which means we get to take a look at the "best" that the bottom half of MLB has to offer.
#16: Kansas City Royals
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| Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Royals |
I rooted for the Royals in the World Series in both 2014 (against the hated Giants) and again in 2015 (when they beat the Mets). It might be worth noting that the Mets are now ranked ahead of the Royals in my MLB rankings, that's how fluid the rankings can be!
So, why the Royals in spot #16 if I was actively rooting for them not all that long ago?
For starters, I feel like the Royals have operated their franchise in much the same way the Marlins have. That is to say, lots (and lots) of losing with maybe a season or two of trying to "go for it." Like the Marlins, the Royals let most of their stars from their two-year World Series run leave the squad and not surprisingly, the Royals went back to being a rather crappy team (58-104 last year definitely counts as crappy)!
Secondly (but related), the Royals don't have any current players that "move the needle" for me. Seriously, other than the most die-hard Kansas City fans, who can name ten different current Royals (without cheating)? Heck, who can name five?! That's not a good way to run a ball club and I will certainly think less highly of any franchise that is consistently "tanking" in MLB.
Now on the bright side, despite the crappy ownership method of slashing payroll and signing nobody, the Royals still came close to making the top half of the MLB teams. Why is that? Two words: Powder Blues.
Seriously, we need more powder blue uniforms in our life and the Royals are the MLB team to provide that. If you are going to lose 100+ games in a season, you might as well have some nice uniforms, right?!
Next time out, I stick with the AL Central as we discover who makes it to the bottom slot in the top half of MLB.
My list of favorite MLB teams (from worst to first):
#30: St. Louis Cardinals
#29: New York Yankees
#28: San Francisco Giants
#27: Washington Nationals
#26: Boston Red Sox
#25: Chicago Cubs
#24: Atlanta Braves
#23: Los Angeles Dodgers
#22: Milwaukee Brewers
#21: Miami Marlins
#20: San Diego Padres
#19: Arizona Diamondbacks
#18: Texas Rangers
#17: Los Angeles Angels
#16: Kansas City Royals
to be continued...
I was thrilled when the Royals got back to the WS and then won it the next year. They're one of my favorite small-market franchises. Unfortunately they're rebuilding again. I feel bad for Salvy Perez and Whit Merrifield. (To prove your point, I can only name them and Alex Gordon off the current roster.)
ReplyDeleteThe Royals would be somewhere in the teens on my list as well. Always enjoyed guys like Larry Gura and Willie Wilson. Can't really think of any guys on the team that stand out to me now.
ReplyDeletePowder Blues! Heck yeah!
ReplyDeleteI guess I didn't realize the Royals lost 100+ games last year. Wow.
I know more Royals than most, but only because I'm preparing for fantasy baseball drafts and I think they'll have a few guys who will be a cheap source of steals. Merrifield won't come cheap, but Billy Hamilton and Aldaberto Mondesi just might.