Building a winner: How the ALCS teams were constructed
Constructing a winning team takes the right combination of patience, financial resources, and a fair share of luck. No teams are a better testament to that recipe than the representatives in the American League Championship Series.
Things haven't been easy for the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals, as the two organizations have combined for three postseason appearances over the last 22 seasons. After finishing with the top two records in the AL over the regular season, the rivals will renew hostilities in the ALCS for the first time since 1985.
The Royals are deploying the exact same roster they used for the ALDS, while Toronto is using the same 25-man crew it finished the divisional round with.
Both teams have followed different models of success to help them reach this point. Here's how each team was constructed:
Toronto Blue Jays
POSITION PLAYERS:
| Pos | Player | Acquired |
|---|---|---|
| C | Russell Martin | Free Agent (2014) |
| C | Dioner Navarro | Free Agent (2013) |
| 1B | Chris Colabello | Waivers (2014) |
| 1B | Justin Smoak | Waivers (2014) |
| 2B | Ryan Goins | Drafted 4th Rd (2009) |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | Trade OAK (2014) |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki | Trade COL (2015) |
| IF | Cliff Pennington | Trade ARI (2015) |
| OF | Jose Bautista | Trade PIT (2008) |
| OF | Ben Revere | Trade PHI (2015) |
| OF | Kevin Pillar | Drafted 32th Rd (2009) |
| OF | Ezequiel Carrera | Free Agent (2014) |
| OF | Dalton Pompey | Drafted 16th Rd (2010) |
| DH | Edwin Encarnacion | Free Agent (2010) |
PITCHERS:
| Pos | Player | Acquired |
|---|---|---|
| SP | David Price | Trade DET (2015) |
| SP | Marcus Stroman | Drafted 1st Rd (2012) |
| SP | Marco Estrada | Trade MIL (2014) |
| SP | R.A. Dickey | Trade NYM (2012) |
| CL | Roberto Osuna | Free Agent (2011) |
| RP | Ryan Tepera | Drafted 19th Rd (2009) |
| RP | Mark Lowe | Trade SEA (2015) |
| RP | Aaron Sanchez | Drafted 1st Rd (2010) |
| RP | Liam Hendriks | Trade KC (2014) |
| RP | LaTroy Hawkins | Trade COL (2015) |
| RP | Aaron Loup | Drafted 9th Rd (2009) |
ROSTER TALLY:
Trade: 11
Drafted: 7
Free agent: 5
Waivers: 2
Game-changer: Already armed with a highly-potent offense, the trade for Josh Donaldson helped the Blue Jays field arguably the best power-hitting trio in the majors when slotted next to Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Donaldson has provided Toronto with MVP-worthy production and gave the Blue Jays their first All-Star third baseman since Troy Glaus in 2006.
Under-the-radar: Marco Estrada arrived in Toronto without a defined role as the right-hander was excluded from the rotation to begin the year. Estrada made his first start in May, and hasn't looked back, going 12-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 28 starts and will get the ball for Game 1 of the ALCS. Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for Adam Lind in November, Estrada finished the regular season with the second-lowest WHIP (1.04) among qualified pitchers in the AL.
Homegrown: The Blue Jays were forced to part ways with some of their most promising pitching prospects, but the fruits of their strong drafting over the past half-decade were on full display in Game 5 of the ALDS. Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez combined to allow two runs over 7 1/3 innings while Ryan Goins and Kevin Pillar each scored runs.
Kansas City Royals
POSITION PLAYERS:
| Pos | Player | Acquired |
|---|---|---|
| C | Salvador Perez | Free Agent (2006) |
| C | Drew Butera | Trade LAA (2015) |
| 1B | Eric Hosmer | Drafted 3rd Rd (2008) |
| 2B | Ben Zobrist | Trade OAK (2015) |
| 3B | Mike Moustakas | Drafted 1st Rd (2007) |
| SS | Alcides Escobar | Trade MIL (2010) |
| IF | Christian Colon | Drafted 1st Rd (2010) |
| OF | Alex Gordon | Drafted 1st Rd (2005) |
| OF | Lorenzo Cain | Trade MIL (2010) |
| OF | Alex Rios | Free Agent (2014) |
| OF | Jarrod Dyson | Drafted 50th Rd (2006) |
| OF | Paulo Orlando | Trade CWS (2008) |
| OF | Terrance Gore | Drafted 20th Rd (2011) |
| DH | Kendrys Morales | Free Agent (2014) |
PITCHERS:
| Pos | Player | Acquired |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Yordano Ventura | Free Agent (2008) |
| SP | Johnny Cueto | Trade CIN (2015) |
| SP | Edinson Volquez | Free Agent (2014) |
| SP | Kris Medlen | Free Agent (2014) |
| CL | Wade Davis | Trade TB (2012) |
| RP | Ryan Madson | Free Agent (2015) |
| RP | Kelvin Herrera | Free Agent (2006) |
| RP | Danny Duffy | Drafted 3rd Rd (2007) |
| RP | Luke Hochevar | Drafted 1st Rd (2006) |
| RP | Franklin Morales | Free Agent (2015) |
| RP | Chris Young | Free Agent (2015) |
ROSTER TALLY:
Free agent: 10
Drafted: 8
Trade: 7
Game-changer: Trading Cy Young winner Zack Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010 was a tough pill to swallow for the Royals but it ended up netting them one of the most complete players in the majors. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain is a middle-of-the-order bat for the Royals, who rattled off 16 home runs and 28 stolen bases while hitting .307/.361/.477 across 140 games this season.
Under-the-radar: Many scoffed when general manager Dayton Moore signed Kendrys Morales to a two-year, $17-million deal in December. After finishing 2014 with the fewest home runs in the majors, Kansas City received a major boost in offense with Morales in the lineup as the slugger clubbed a team-leading 22 home runs and an .847 OPS.
Homegrown: Years of losing netted the Royals plenty of high draft picks and they were finally rewarded with a postseason appearance in 2014 after their drafted core took the next step. First-round picks Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas have developed into key pieces of the offense, both receiving All-Star nods in 2015.