When the Royals rose to prominence a decade ago (has it been that long already? Sheesh!), they weren’t known for hitting home runs or having elite starting pitching. Instead, they prided themselves on having a high-contact lineup, a shutdown bullpen, and an elite defense.
The 2014-15 Royals had 95.6 Defensive Runs Above Average, 40 better than the next best team. Left fielder Alex Gordon gunned down runners and won a Platinum Glove. A popular adage at the time was that 70 percent of the world was covered by water, the rest was covered by centerfielder Lorenzo Cain.