It took several years, but Dayton Moore has built the Kansas City Royals into a perennial contender.

Kansas City hired Moore as their general manager in 2006 and nine years later they are in the ALCS for the second-straight year.

"When we hired Dayton, that was the plan all along," owner David Glass said. "We weren't interested in just getting there one year and not getting back.

"That required a lot of patience on his part, along with [club president] Dan [Glass], despite the criticism to the contrary from some people in the media. He stood in there and built something that is here to last."

After losing to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the World Series last year, the Royals won the American League Central and will host the ALCS after trading for Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist at midseason and signing Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios in the winter.

"Just a credit to our scouts, and they get the credit for recommending them," Moore said. "And then the players themselves get credit for going out and performing.

"The truth is, they blend in well with the other guys in that clubhouse. And it's an environment created by the core group of guys and [manager] Ned [Yost] and the coaching staff that allows them to succeed."