2014 World Series: 5 Lessons for Kansas City Royals Heading into Offseason

The Kansas City Royals magical postseason run came up just 90 feet short in a 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. 

After nearly 30 years of annual disappointment, the Royals qualified for their first postseason since 1985. Kansas City went on to become the first team in MLB history to win its first eight postseason contests.

Yet despite this success, the Royals must use their 2014 postseason experience to build on their strengths and shore up their weaknesses for similar results in 2015.

What lessons can Kansas City take from its incredible October? Understanding the following themes from the 2014 World Series will only benefit the Royals in their quest for more playoff glory in 2015. 

A dominant bullpen can become a great equalizer in the postseason

Some interesting facts about the 2014 Royals:

• Ranked ninth in the AL in runs scored.
• Ranked last in the MLB in home runs.
• Ranked 10th in the AL in OPS.
• No starting pitcher posted an ERA under 3.20.

What do these stats mean?

Well, they signify that during the regular season, Kansas City was quite a mediocre ballclub. The Royals won 89 games to clinch a wild-card berth, outperforming their BaseRuns projected win total of 81 via FanGraphs.

So how did such an overachieving club come so close to a world championship?

Great defense and an uncanny ability to steal bases were crucial aspects to the club's success, but the Royals owe the majority of the credit to their dominant bullpen. 

The flame-throwing triumvirate of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined to post a 1.08 ERA in 40.1 postseason innings. 

Before the World Series, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wrote an interesting piece on Ned Yost's usage of his three bullpen studs in the ALCS. Here is the most telling portion of that article:

"

Overall, the Royals bullpen pitched 43% of the innings in the ALCS, and Herrera, Davis, and Holland combined for 92% of that chunk. If you extrapolate those percentages to a 162 game regular season, Herrera would have been on pace to throw 223 innings, while Davis threw 197 and Holland threw 160.

"

With more off days in the postseason, Yost was able to use his biggest strength with much greater frequency. This perk allowed the Royals to significantly shorten games, making them much more formidable in the playoffs than they might have been in the regular season. 

The continued development of Yordano Ventura into a certifiable ace

The Royals could very well be champions, if not for Madison Bumgarner's Herculean effort against them over the course of the Fall Classic. 

The World Series MVP went 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in 21 innings. The following tweet by Buster Olney helps put Bumgarner's performance into some context. 

With Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson not being able to make it out of the second inning in Games 6 and 7, it's truly remarkable that the Giants were able to take the series. 

The Royals don't need reminding of Bumgarner's excellence, but the club should follow a similar blueprint with the young Ventura. 

The Dominican hurler proved he was worthy of performing on the big stage, recording a 1.46 ERA in two World Series starts. Using an electric arsenal of pitches, the 23-year-old starter was clearly Kansas City's best starter.

Here is Yost talking about Ventura's composure in Game 6.

Expecting Ventura to replicate Bumgarner's postseason dominance would be ridiculous, but developing the youngster into a hard-throwing ace that you can rely on in the playoffs will be critical for the Royals in the years ahead. 

With James Shields likely playing elsewhere in 2015, Kansas City will be hoping that Ventura's postseason experience can propel him to new heights. 

Bunts and stolen bases provide the Royals with their best chance to score runs

Since "Moneyball," sacrifice bunts and stolen bases have become controversial topics within baseball realms. Those who value sabermetrics view these plays as giving away outs, while baseball purists regard them as necessary aspects of the game. 

We all witnessed Yost's propensity to employ both of these elements during the postseason, often drawing the ire of many in the baseball media. In Game 7, Yost asked Alcides Escobar to bunt with a 2-0 count, a runner on first and no outs. 

Many criticized this decision, as Bumgarner was able to maneuver around a leadoff single to Omar Infante and get out of the inning unscathed.

Aaron Reese of Kings of Kauffman went as far as to proclaim Yost's decision as "the Worst Bunt Ever". 

Sure, there's a time and place for bunting, but it's hard to be critical of Yost for sticking with what brought him to the dance. 

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs hammers this point home in an article that details the impact of bunting on the Royals offense.

In his piece, Sullivan notes that the Royals' sac bunt win probability added of 1.0 in the regular season topped MLB. To quote Sullivan, "Royals non-pitchers attempted 52 bunts, as interpreted by Baseball-Reference, and they were a net positive for the team."

Piggybacking on a similar school of thought, Kansas City led all of baseball with 153 steals. They safely converted 80 percent of those attempts, ranking third in MLB. 

For a team that lacked a 20-homer stick in the lineup, the Royals played a brand of baseball conducive to their roster construction. By trying to manufacture runs early with stolen bases and sac bunts, Yost's plan of handing a lead to his dominant bullpen was much more likely to come to fruition. 

The Royals manager should be commended for his approach and game plan that provided the Royals with the best chance to succeed. 

Despite all of its top picks, the Royals need to build around Lorenzo Cain

Kansas City showcased a classic example of the sum being greater than its individual parts in the 2014 postseason. The club was blessed with unlikely contributors up and down the roster, only emphasizing that point.

One player managed to stand out above the rest though: Lorenzo Cain. 

The ALCS MVP hit .333 and posted a .805 OPS in 60 playoff at-bats. The outfielder led the club in runs and hits in October while also providing the Royals with exemplary defense. 

Cain's offensive potential has just begun to really take shape, but he's already an elite defensive outfielder.

In 2014, Cain's Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games of 20.4 ranked sixth out of all MLB outfielders. According to FanGraphs, UZR "puts a run value to defense, attempting to quantify how many runs a player saved or gave up through their fielding prowess."

Here's a glimpse of Cain's defensive wizardry from Game 6 of the World Series.

Former top picks Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas all produced in the playoffs for the Royals, but Cain's collective impact on the club should make him the centerpiece of any Kansas City plans.

The front office needs to continue to make shrewd, brave decisions

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were the Royals. 

A front office led by Dayton Moore has needed to make difficult decisions regarding player transactions. 

Here are a few examples:

• 2010: The Royals traded ace Zack Greinke to Milwaukee for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jake Odorizzi.
• 2012: Kansas City acquires James Shields and Wade Davis for top prospect Wil Myers, Odorizzi and two minor leaguers. 
• 2013: Starting pitcher Jason Vargas is signed to a four-year contract worth $32 million. 

Each of these moves welcomed plenty of second-guessers, but all were crucial to Kansas City's resurgence to the top of the American League.

Cain and Escobar have developed into everyday starters, Shields and Davis helped bolster the pitching staff and Vargas turned into one of the bargains of the offseason. 

The Shields-Davis trade presented a high-risk/high-reward scenario for Moore. Giving up Myers was not a popular decision, but the Royals were able to add a potential ace and lockdown setup man to their rapidly improving roster. 

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post recently touched on that particular trade and its impact beyond the actual playing field.

In the article, Moore discusses the importance of playing in big games for young players such as Cain, Hosmer, Gordon etc.

Trading a top prospect always represents a risk, but Moore was confident that positioning his team to play in meaningful games was vital in bringing along Kansas City's increasing cast of youthful talent.

The 2014 Royals used the postseason to announce to MLB that they were one of the best teams in baseball. The next challenge will be to achieve continued success over an extended period of time.

Playoff success has already rejuvenated baseball in Kansas City. Better teams lead to higher attendance and ultimately an increased payroll. With a young, talented core, the club is well-suited to compete for a World Series again next year.

The Royals engulfed the imaginations of sports fans during October with their infectious style of play. By learning from the lessons, Kansas City won't have to wait another 30 years for more October fun.