Blue Jays: 5 reasons not to fear the Kansas City Royals

Oct 14, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista hits a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the 7th inning in game five of the ALDS at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

We Have the Bats

While the Royals can certainly manufacture runs, the Jays are no slouches when it comes to putting up numbers. The Royals are heralded as being efficient, but the Blue Jays are heralded as being deadly. It will come as no surprise that the Blue Jays rank ahead of the Royals in most offensive categories. While the Royals come ahead of the Jays in total hits over the course of the year, the Blue Jays make up for with plate discipline.

The Jays led all of Baseball with 570 walks. The Royals, on the other hand, ranked 29^th in the Majors. So it’s clear that no strategy is superior to another strategy. Scoring runs is all that matters, and you’ll take them anyway you can get them.

Yet the Blue Jays have the clear upper hand when it comes to the long ball. The trio of Morales, Moustakas, and Hosmer might be offputting, but the trio of Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion is downright terrifying. In fact, the combined numbers put up by these three (252 Runs, 62 HR’s, 191 RBI’s) is closer matched to the trio of Martin, Smoak, and Pillar (196 Runs, 53 HR, 192 RBI’s) than it is to the murders row perched atop the Blue Jays lineup. So while the Royals get contribution from all parts of their lineup, so do the Jays. It’s telling when batters 2-4 stack up closer with batters 5-7. That’s how you know you’ve got a good club.

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