ROYAL HARVEST

For the Royals, 2015 was a magical year. Helmed by manager Ned Yost, they won 95 games, fourth most in the major leagues. They ran away with the American League Central, then toppled the Blue Jays for the AL pennant and finished by taking down the Mets and winning their first World Series since 1985.

This came a year after making the World Series but falling short against the Giants thanks to an epic Game 7 performance from Madison Bumgarner. The Royals accomplished this while spending $205 million on payroll in 2014 and 2015 combined. That was $77 million less than what the Dodgers spent in 2015 alone.

Ultimately, the Royals were pushed to the top by a strong homegrown core of players acquired largely by general manager Dayton Moore and his front office