In the final hours before the start of the Kansas City Royals' season, manager Ned Yost hosted our broadcast crew in his office and was asked about any postseason hangover, following Kansas City's long, successful ride to the championship in 2015.

Terry Collins, the Mets' manager, had reached out to longtime friends like Jim Leyland and asked about that as he prepared for the start of the season, and Leyland and others told him that inevitably, yes, there would be a price to be paid, physical or mental, from the deep run into the previous October.

But Yost felt differently as the season began. His players, he thought, understood that they had a chance to create some rare accomplishments, and spring training had gone very well. No, Yost said, he didn't sense any hangover.

It may well be that the Royals didn't really experience any hangover, even as they slid below .500, and that their struggles were more about the failures of their starting pitchers, and their injuries, such as the season-ending knee issue that took down Mike Moustakas.

But here's the thing: The Royals have managed to get through that and climb back into contention, and now they should be the team that every other American League contender should fear the most.