Speed Demon Royals Are Sign of Where Baseball Could Be Headed

Making their first World Series appearance since 1985, the Kansas City Royals are on some kind of run. It's fitting, then, that they've gotten here by using their legs—or at least, that's the perception.

The Royals, of course, are 8-0 so far, giving them a shot at the first perfect postseason since 1976 and the first-ever 12-0 record in a single October. That this is even possible, especially for a club that had been so bad for so long, is in no small part due to the team's best asset—athleticism.

Even more surprising, and perhaps telling of the times, is that Kansas City took out the power-reliant Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles—three teams that ranked 13th (146), seventh (155) and first (211) overall in home runs—along the way.

The Royals? They hit a mere 95 homers by comparison, a total that ranked dead last in the sport, as you've no doubt heard once or twice this month.

Meanwhile, the Royals swiped an MLB-high 153 stolen bases during the season. In the playoffs, their 13 steals are not only the most, but the total is also just two fewer than the other nine teams combined.

As Sean Gregory wrote for Time: "The Royals are more than just an enchanting small-market success story. They represent the changing game of baseball. In the post-steroid era, the game is going through a remarkable transition. Power is out. Pitching, speed and defense are in."

All of which has raised the possibility that at a time when baseball's offensive and run-scoring environment is the lowest in two decades, Kansas City has figured out a formula that other clubs will be trying to copy going forward.

That's what happens in sports, isn't it? A team figures out a new or repurposed approach that brings wins—perhaps even rings—and pretty soon everyone else is pushing to do something similar, if not exactly the same.

But there's more to the Royals than just stolen bases. Much like Moneyball often has been misinterpreted as the Athletics' and general manager Billy Beane's love of on-base percentage, "Royals ball" is being misidentified to an extent, too.

Yes, these Royals are about steals, but that's only part of it—and no, we're not talking about their inclination to sacrifice bunt.

Really, Kansas City's return to relevance the past two years and the team's World Series run this season is about overall athleticism, which includes agility and speed, in every facet of the game, from the basepaths to defense.

The Royals roster is loaded with athletes like underrated left fielder Alex Gordon, agile backstop Sal Perez, springy shortstop Alcides Escobar and do-it-all center fielder Lorenzo Cain, the ALCS MVP. That should be the takeaway here for teams aiming to learn from what has worked and apply it to their own roster construction.

As far as their athleticism applies on the bases, Kansas City tied an MLB postseason record with seven stolen bases in beating the Oakland Athletics 9-8 in a thrilling, extra-inning, come-from-behind AL Wild Card Game. That served as a start-your-engines performance that put everyone on notice and made opponents even more wary of their wheels.

Not only were the seven swipes achieved by seven different players, but the four steals during a three-run eighth inning that brought K.C. back to within a run at 7-6 also is a playoff record for the most in one frame.

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

The basepaths aren't the only place where Kansas City has flashed its flash. In fact, the Orioles were able to contain, through some different tactics, the Royals runners in the ALCS, allowing only one stolen base on three attempts in the four games.

That didn't prevent the Royals' speed from making an impact in the series, though. They just did so via a different avenue: their defense.

Across eight games this postseason so far, the Royals have made quite literally at least a dozen highlight-reel plays on D that have stolen hits, stopped rallies and/or saved runs—not to mention dropped jaws.

All of these put their speed, agility and athleticism on display.

As third baseman Mike Moustakas, who made a pair of exceptional plays himself in Game 3 of the ALCS including that crowd-surfing snag, said via Matthew Leach of MLB.com: "There's still some plays that I'm sitting back, like, 'Wow, I don't know how Lorenzo Cain got there or how [Alex Gordon] got there.' But it's almost like you expect them to make those plays."

Here's Richard Justice of MLB.com:

"

The Royals may make you rethink everything you've ever thought about the importance of defense on a baseball diamond.

"At some point, you just feel like you're not going to see a better play," Royals designated hitter Billy Butler said. "And then you see another one. It's incredible."

"

Here's the bottom line, though: Just because this has worked for the Royals doesn't mean it will for just any team. And frankly, just because it worked for the Royals over a span of anywhere from eight to 15 games isn't enough to make sweeping statements about how their success is going to impact the entire sport.

After all, K.C. also led the majors in stolen bases last year—with the exact same 153—and fell short of the playoffs. In fact, of the teams that placed in the top 10 in the category in 2013, only two made it to October.

Then again, one of those two teams was—drumroll, please—the Boston Red Sox, who went on to win it all. And this year, four teams in the top 10 in steals reached the playoffs, so clearly, the approach can fly.

Let's not forget that Kansas City has hit for more power in October—eight homers through eight games so far—than was the the case from April through September. And their shutdown bullpen—with its collective 1.80 postseason ERA—can't be ignored in any discussion about how the Royals have reached this stage.

Ultimately, the Royals' formula—speed and agility built on premium athletes—is at the root of this team's run to the World Series. It can and has worked in the postseason, but the sport changes in October, when the sample size is reduced from 162 games to a single game, inning, at-bat or even pitch.

Plus, not many clubs can copy Kansas City to this degree and have the same level of success. They will try, however, and when they do the focus shouldn't be on stolen bases and bunts but rather on having athletes around the diamond.

And athletes who can get around the diamond.

Statistics are accurate through Oct. 20 and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.