Time to Prep a Playoff Rotation

The Royals are in such a great position to make the playoffs that they have the chance to manipulate the schedule a bit to be ready for October baseball.

The goalposts have moved so much on this season that they may be on a different field. I started the season with a prediction of 75 wins. That would have been a 19-game increase! I think most people were generally in that ballpark. Some were a bit lower, some a bit higher, but those below 70 and those above 80 were the outliers. Now, after a hard-fought series in New York, only those who predicted 80 and above get to say they were correct. It’s a good feeling. And because of it, the goalposts continue to move.

First, it was to play competitive baseball. Then it was to play meaningful games in the second half. The second half turned into August. August turned into September. For a spell there, some fans were on the brink of a meltdown because the Royals were only 4.5 up on a playoff spot with 30 or so games to play. I’m not saying it’s not perfectly reasonable to have updated expectations. As new data becomes available, how we perceive things absolutely should change. It’s just interesting to me. And now we sit here on September 13 with the Royals comfortably in charge of their destiny for a playoff berth and I want to talk about the rotation is going to shake out.