Consistency and Youth Make Up 2014 World Series

By Enrique Sierra, Jr. on October 17, 2014

Consistency and youth highlighted the NLCS and ALCS respectively this season. Two very different paths to possibly holding the Commissioner’s Trophy are being represented on the MLB diamond this October. On the National League side, the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants are two of the finest and most consistent organizations in all of baseball with long, established traditions of winning. On the other side of the spectrum, the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals represented an American League that has been overpowered by the hard-nosed, over-exuberant playing style of some of the game’s most talented young stars.

The Giants and Royals now meet in the World Series. Both teams have aces at the top of their game, both have young talent to compliment the veterans and both seemingly get the job done with a whatever-the-game-dictates offense and tremendous bullpens.

This World Series will mark the first time that two sub-90 win teams will meet. The added excitement of the second Wild Card allowed both of these teams to survive in a single game elimination match. San Francisco dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City survived a 12-inning thriller against the Oakland Athletics in which they were down 7-3 in the bottom of the eighth. The Royals have yet to lose a game this postseason.

The Giants find themselves in the World Series once again; that is now three of the last five that they have participated in. The longest tenured general manager in all of baseball, Brian Sabean, and a future Hall of Fame coach in Bruce Bochy (with the team since 2007), have solidified a winning culture in an organization that has come to expect it. Madison Bumgarner has proven to be one of the best lefties in the game and studs like Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval have been at the center of this dynasty-like stretch for the squad from the Bay Area. A top-notch franchise that exemplifies consistency, San Francisco will take the field against a very different franchise, but an eerily similar team.

Kansas City plays baseball. Simply put, they do what they must to win the game. From home runs to stolen bases and sacrifice bunts, from dominant pitching to spectacular defense, this scrappy young team has found themselves in the playoffs and are a runaway freight train. For the first time since winning the World Series in 1985, the Royals are playing October baseball. A team energized by a veteran ace in James Shields, a bright young star in Eric Hosmer, and an all around shut-down defense (including ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain and Gold Glover Alex Gordon), Kansas City has managed to ignite the postseason baseball flame to one of the league’s biggest laughingstocks for the better part of three decades. Through successful talent drafting, key moves and player development, this American League pennant ends a 29-year playoff drought for the Royals.

This World Series will be fun. These two teams play similar baseball and it should be a hard-fought, long series. The established Giants will take on the darling Royals for baseball glory. Terrific teams and wonderful baseball atmospheres at both of these ballparks will ensure a can’t miss Fall Classic from the boys of summer.

Enrique Sierra, Jr. is an ACC writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @enriquesierrajr, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.