The Royals became a normal franchise again

The term normal can often have negative connotations in modern society. Terms like "mid" and "meh" are thrown around when people describe something that’s not great, but also not terrible either. Hear me out, the Kansas City Royals are a "meh" franchise and that’s not a bad thing. Think about life as a Kansas City Royals fan for the last 30 years. The Kansas City Royals infamously once carried the longest playoff drought in Major League Baseball, failing to make the playoffs every year from 1986 to 2013. The Royals finally broke through in 2014 and made the postseason, and we all remember how that season went and the season that followed. The Royals were able to make it to the World Series in both 2014 and 2015, winning their first title in 30 years in 2015. After this remarkable run, the Royals were an average team in 2016 and 2017 and missed the playoffs both seasons. The Royals finished with a combined record of 161-163 those two years following the World Series title, about as average as a team can be.

After what most fans in Kansas City refer to as the "run" ended in 2017, the Royals promptly returned to their losing ways in 2018. From 2018 to 2023 the Royals lost at least 88 games in every season and lost more than 100 games in 3 of those 6 seasons. This excludes the shortened-2020 season in which the Royals still had a poor record and missed the playoffs. The Royals obviously missed the postseason each of these seasons. This meant that entering the 2024 baseball season, the Kansas City Royals had played postseason baseball in 2 of the last 38 seasons, which is abnormal for a Major League Baseball franchise. For reference, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds each made the playoffs six times in that span. Due to the Royals long stretches of ineptitude, many Royals fans came into 2024 simply wanting the Royals to be competitive. We all know the 2024 Royals would clear these relatively low expectations. The Royals won 86 games, made the playoffs and won a playoff series against the Orioles. They didn’t win the World Series, instead they fell to the Yankees in the Divisional Series. Those that hoped the 2024 Royals would go on a magical run like those 2014 and 2015 teams were surely a bit disappointed after the Royals lost in the second round of the playoffs. However, losing in the second round of the playoffs is a very normal thing for a baseball franchise. Royals fans have only seen two outcomes over the last thirty-eight baseball seasons, miss the playoffs or go to the World Series. Sure, going to the World Series again would be amazing! It would be great to see the Royals become a dynasty like the Chiefs. However, dynasties are special because they are the exception to the rule and not the norm. Those same New York Yankees that defeated the Royals just advanced to their first World Series in 15 years. Yes, even the cash-rich Yankees went 15 years without making a World Series appearance. It is very likely the Royals will not make the World Series again for a while, and this is okay! What would not be okay is if the Royals go through another stretch like 1986-2014, or 2018-2023. Royals’ fans should want to see the Royals be competitive going forward. It’s not going to be easy, the Royals don’t have the ability to spend like the Yankees or Dodgers do. The Royals have made a lot of smart moves in the last 12 months that paid off in a fun season with a playoff appearance in 2024. 2024 was a fun year, let’s hope we see some more seasons like 2024.