After falling one win short of a World Series championship in 2014 against Madison Bumgarner and the Giants, the Royals went well beneath the radar with offseason moves. Kansas City scarcely created a ripple in the national media with Kendrys Morales, Alex Rios, Edinson Volquez, Ryan Madson and Chris Young.
When the Royals proceeded to take it the distance, claiming their first Fall Classic in 30 years, the prominent roles played by those understated acquisitions -- and midseason addition Ben Zobrist -- gave GM Dayton Moore the look of a visionary.