Remember The Royal - 610 Sports

P BRUCE DAL CANTON

Bruce pitched for the Royals from 1971-1975. He was a part of one of the best trades in team history when he came to KC with SS Freddie Patek. He served a number of roles for the team in his 4 seasons. He was 26-27 in 127 games. The Royals traded him to the Braves in June of 1975. He was named the 75th best player in Royals history.
He spent 25 years in the Braves organization working with young pitchers and passed away last October of cancer.

DH JORGE ORTA

Orta is really famous for one thing. In game six of the 1985 World Series he beat the throw to the out stretched body of Cardinals closer Todd Worell to help the Royals eventually win game 6. He came to the Royals from the Blue Jays for troubled star Willie Aikens before the 1984 season. Orta had been a very good hitter for 10 seasons with the Indians, and White Sox before struggling in 2 seasons with the Dodgers and Blue Jays. He hit .298 with 9 Hr’s in 403 ab’s in 84 playing the corner OF positions and DH. In 1985 he hit .267 in the regular season and was 1-3 in the World Series. He played 2 more years for the Royals before his release in June of 1987.

P RICH GALE

Rich was a very tall RH ( 6’7) pitcher that was taken in the 1975 draft out of the University of New Hampshire. His rookie year with the Royals was also his besxt year as he finished the season 14-8 with a 3.09 E.R.A and was 4th in the AL rookie of the year vote. In 1979 he was 9-10 and than went 13-9 for the AL champion club in 1980. He started 2 games in the 1980 World Series. The Royals traded him after the 1981 season after he had some arm injuries. He pitched off and on over the next 3 years but was out of the majors following the 1984 season. He did pitch for the Hanshin Tigers in 1985 and he was on the mound when his club won their first ever Japan Series. He re-appeared as a member of the Fort Myers Sun Sox in the Senior Pro Baseball League in 1992 and 1993. He has also served as a major league pitching coach for the Red Sox since his retirement from the game.

OF MICHAEL TUCKER

Michael was the Royals 1st overall pick of the Royals and the 10th player taken in the 1992 draft. He was a star infielder at Longwood University that many believed would become a major league star. He was converted to the OF early on and played his first 2 seasons with the Royals. He hit .260 with 6 home runs in 170 games in 1995 and 1996. The Royals traded him to the Braves in a trade that goes down as a win for the Royals because they acquired Jermaine Dye. Tucker played for the Braves, Reds, and Cubs before returning to KC for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He had a decent season in 02 when he hit a dozen HR’s and bated .248 with a .330 OBP in 475 at bats. Tucker went on to play for the Giants, Phillies, and Mets and he currently plays for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League.

P FLOYD BANNISTER

Floyd is better known in Kansas City these days for being the father of Brian but Floyd was at one time the biggest prospect in baseball. In his senior year of high school the lefty was 15-0 with a 0.00 E.R.A. He went on to star at Arizona State University before he became the #1 pick in the country by the Houston Astros in 1976. Floyd pitched for the Astros, Mariners, and White Sox before joining the Royals in a trade before the 1988 season. He was 12-13 in 1988 and was off to a nice start in 1989 before a injury sidelined him 14 starts into the season. He was never the same and after a brief try in Japan and again with the Angels and Rangers his career was over.

P DON O?RILEY

Don was a local kid from Topeka when the Kansas City A’s selected him before the 1965 season in the amateur draft. He never played for the A’s in KC or Oakland but he did play for the Royals. The Royals selected him with the 38th pick in the expansion draft. At the age of 24, in 1969, he pitched in 18 games for the first year club. He pitched in 9 more games in 1970 and finished his Royals career with a 1-1 record and a 6.17 E.R.A. The Royals traded him to the White Sox after the 1970 season in a 4 player deal but he never pitched in the big leagues again and was out of baseball after suffering a career ending motorcycle accident in 1973. Tragically, Don was Pitcher Don O'Riley was shot in a robbery while working in a convenience store in Kansas City and died at age 52. O'Riley got off a shot that wounded the perpetrator, but his own wounds proved fatal.

OF Mark Quinn

The Royals drafted Quinn out of Rice University in the 11th round of the 1995 draft. Quinn put up big numbers in the minor leagues leading up to his debut in 1999. In his big league debut he had 3 hits and 2 home runs against the Angels. He was just the third major leaguer to hit 2 home runs in his debut (Bert Campaneris and Bob Nieman were the other two) In his rookie year he made the Topps all rookie team when he hit 20 jacks. He hit 17 hr’s with a .269 .AVG in 2001 and injuries de-railed him in 2002 when he played in just 23 games. In 2002, his injury came in a peculiar way as he cracked his rib in a playful karate skirmish with his brother. The Royals released him in spring training 2003 and he bounced around after that but never played in another big league game.

2B JOSE "CHICO" LIND

One thing I always remember about Lind was that he was always yapping. He was always talking to the other team, to his own teammates, to no one in particular. It appeared that he played with great energy, but as it turns out he was a guy with a lot of demons (we will get to that later) The Royals acquired Chico from the Pirates after a 1992 season with the Pirates where he win the gold glove at 2B. The Royals thought they had found a replacement for Frank White after Terry Shumpert failed to seize that job. Lind played fairly well in his 2 ½ seasons with the team but somewhere along the line he became a serious cocaine user and he walked out on the team in the middle of the 1995 season after his wife left him. He finished out the season with the Angels but was done with baseball after the season. After his retirement his personal life continued to spin out of control as he was involved in a physical violence altercation on his ex-wife (an act that was viewed by his daughters) During his arrest the police found cocaine on him. The next year he was pulled over by the police for leaving the scene of an accident and he was visibly intoxicated and driving naked from the pants down. He was embarrassed even further a few years later when he was a part of the Mitchell report (he had 9 HR in 3677 ab’s) He is now the manager of the independent Bridgeport Bluefish.

2B CARLOS FEBLES

There were a lot of fans in 1999 that believed they were watching the next Frank White. The next great 2B of the Kansas City Royals and his name was Carlos Febles. Febles, along with Carlos Beltran became known as DOS CARLOS that summer. Febles was a slick fielding second baseman that held his own with the stick batting .256 with 10 HR and a .336 OBP while stealing 20 bases. But, almost as quickly as he rose, he also fell. His numbers declined over the next 4 seasons and he left KC with a .250 .AVG in 1656 at bats. He tried to catch on with the Red Sox but injuries ended his career. Carlos is now the hitting coach for the Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League.

OF LES NORMAN

Les was the Royals 25th round pick in 1991 out of the University of St. Francis. Les played in the Royals system from 1991 through 1996 and than again from 1999 through 2000. The right handed hitting outfielder played in 78 games over 2 seasons (1995-96) hitting .169 in 89 at bats with 15 runs scored. Les has stayed in Kansas City since his retirement and is very active in the baseball community. You can learn more about what Les is up to by going to his personal website http://www.lesnorman.com/

OF NICK CAPRA

Nick played his college baseball at the University of Oklahoma before he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 3rd round of the 1979 draft. He was a speedy outfielder that got into 24 games over 3 seasons before the Royals picked him up. He played at Omaha in 1988 and 1989 hitting .289 and .290. The Royals did employ him at the big league level for 14 games in 1988 when he was 4-29 with a SB and 3 RS. He has stayed in the game serving a number of roles including being the manager of the Kannapolis Intimidators of the South Atlantic League and also is currently the minor league field coordinator for the White Sox.

OF JERRY MARTIN

Jerry had been a solid defensive outfielder for the Phillies, Cubs, and Giants before the Royals made a trade for him with the Giants (Rich Gale and Bill Laskey went to the Giants for him) in December of 1981. He was used in Philadelphia as a defensive replacement for LF Greg Luzinski from 1975 thru 1978 and played in 130 games against just 121at bats in 1976. He earned more playing time as his career went on and he became a regular for the Cubs in 1979. He hit 42 home runs combined in 79 and 80. For the Royals Martin got 519 at bats in 1982, driving in 65 runs with 15 home runs while batting .266. He played in just 13 games in 1983 due to injuries and than was one of the 4 players involved in the cocaine bust that lead to an eventual suspension and his release from the Royals.

DH BILL BUCKNER

Buckner had played in at least one major league game since 1969 before his release from the Angels in May of 1988. However, he did not have to wait long for work as the Royals signed him just 4 days after his release. He served mostly as the DH, but played some 1B the rest of the way and his stat line included 263 at bats with 3 HR’S and a .256 .AVG. He played 1 more seasons with the Royals playing in 79 games in 1989 batting .216. He returned to Boston in 1990 and played in 22 games.

OF JOE LAHOUD

Joe signed with the Royals late in spring training in 1977 after his release from the Texas Rangers. He had been a bright prospect in the Red Sox chain and he played with them from 1968 through 1971. After playing in bean town he played for the Brewers, Angels, and Rangers. His best season was 1974 with the Angels when he hit 13 home runs in 377 at bats with a .271 .AVG. Joe might have played in the wrong era, as he was very adept at drawing a walk and usually had an OBP 100 points higher than his .AVG. For the Royals he played in just 47 games over 2 seasons and was always waiting a call from the AAA team at Omaha. He started game 3 of the ALCS in 1977 at DH batting 6th and he went 0-1 with 2 walks and 2 RS. After his career was over he was quoted saying "It's easy to stay in the majors for seven and a half years when you hit .300, but when you hit .216, like me, it's really an accomplishment."

INF CURTIS WILKERSON

Wilkerson had played for the Rangers, Cubs, and Pirates before the Royals signed him as a free agent in December of 1992.He started 80 games in his first year with the club playing primarily SS and 2B. He hit .250 with 18 sb in 296 at bats. He battled injuries in 1993 and played in just a dozen games before getting his release after the season.
After ending his playing career, Wilkerson coached in the Royals and Pirates organizations. He is currently the manager of the Tarrant County Blue Thunder of the independent Continental Baseball League.

1B CHUCK HARRISON

Harrison batted 5th and started at 1B going 1-5 in the 1st game in Royals history. He was known to be a solid glove man when the Royals purchased him from the Atlants Braves in October of 1968. He had played for the Houston franchise from 1965-1967. Harrison hit .221 with 3 home runs in 232 at bats splitting time at first with Mike Fiore in 1969. He did not play in the big leagues in 1970 but he returned to the Royals big league roster in 1971 and hit .217 in 158 at bats. That was the last season he spent in the big leagues.

INF LUIS ALCARAZ

The Royals purchased Luis from the Dodgers in October of 1968. He had played in 58 games for the Dodgers in 1967 and 1968. For the Royals he played in 57 games in 1969 and 1970 and was your typical light hitting middle infielder. He hit .253 in 1969 and just .167 in 126 at bats in 1970. The Royals traded Alcaraz to the White Sox for Infielder Bobby Knoop. Luis never played in another big league game.

P MOE DRABOWSKY

Moe is best known as a member of the Royals for having the first win in franchise history. He got in a relief outing on April 8, 1969 in a one inning outing as the 4th pitcher in the game. Moe had pitched in the big leagues since 1956 as a member of the Cubs, Reds, Braves, Kansas City A’s, and Orioles. He was 33 when the Royals took him with the 42nd pick in the expansion draft. He was 11-9 with a 2.94 E.R.A in that inaugural season pitching in 52 games, all in relief. He came back in 1970 but was traded back to Baltimore in June for INF Bobby Floyd. Moe passed on in June of 2006 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 70.

SS ROSS JONES

Ross was a collegiate star at the University of Miami. He was so highly regarded that the Dodgers made him the 8th overall pick in the 1980 draft. He never developed into the type of player many thought he would become. The Royals picked him up as a 27 year old in June of 1987. He had played in just 28 games with the Mets and Mariners up to that point in his career. He played 39 games for the 1987 Royals and hit .254 in 124 at bats. The Royals released him in October of that year. He never played in the big leagues again.

OF PAT SHERIDAN

The Royals drafted Pat in the 3rd round of the 1979 baseball draft. He made his debut for the Royals as a September call up in 1981. He did not return to the majors until May of 1983 and he stayed with the Royals through 1985. In 1985 he was part of a platoon in RF with Daryl Motley on the world championship club. His best season in KC was 1984 when he hit .283 in 531 at bats with 8 HR and 53 RBI. The Royals released him in late spring of 1986 and he quickly signed with his home town Detroit Tigers. He started for the Tigers in 1987 and 1988 and was a member of the NL champion San Francisco Giants in 1989. He played one last season in 1991 with the Yankees.

P Dave Morehead

The Royals drafted Morehead with the 15th pick in the 1968 expansion draft from the Red Sox. He never really got off the ground in KC going 2-3 with a 5.73 E.R.A in the first ever Royals season. He was better in 1970 going 3-5 with a 3.73 E.R.A in 28 games including 17 starts. He went to spring training with the club in 1971 but did not make the team. He was always bothered by arm ailments but he did once throw a no-hitter against the Indians in front of just 1,247 fans in Fenway Park on 9/16/65.

P Wayne Simpson

Wayne Simpson had a very good rookie season for the Reds in 1970 when he was 14-3 with a 3.02 E.R.A in 26 starts. He struggled in the 2 seasons after that before the Reds traded him and Hal McRae to the Royals after the 1972 season. Wayne played in KC just one season and was 3-4 with a 5.73 E.R.A in 16 games. The Royals traded him to the Pirates in spring training of 1974 and he played only 34 more games in the majors ( 7 games in 1975 with the Phillies and 27 games in 1977 with the Angels) On a side note Hank Aaron got his 3,000th career hit off of Simpson.

P Charlie Leibrandt

The Royals were really thinking outside the box when they traded Bob Tufts to the Reds for the 27 year old Leibrandt in the middle of the 1983 season. Charlie had not pitched in the majors in over a year. He came to spring training in 1984 and earned a spot on the club and went 11-7 with a 3.63 E.R.A in 23 starts. In 1985 he was a part of a terrific young Royals staff as he went 17-9 with a 2.69 E.R.A and he also started 5 games in the post season. He went on to win 48 more games for the Royals and finished his Royals career with a 76-61 mark. He was traded to the Braves in the Gerald Perry deal after the 1989 season. He found continued success with the Braves winning 15 games twice for them and helping them to the post season in 1991 and 1992.

DH Tommy Davis

The Royals signed the 37 year old Tommy Davis on 9/20/76. He had been a major leaguer since 1959 and was the 1960 rookie of the year while playing for the Dodgers. In 1962 he had a monster year driving in 153 runs while hitting .346. (he finished in 3rd for the NL MVP * one of the biggest joke votes in the history of the MVP) The Royals barely knew him as he went 5-19 to close out his career.

"For two years (1962 and 1963), Tommy was the best hitter in baseball. He just didn't get the recognition. He was part of a team that had a lot of good parts to it."' —Sandy Koufax

INF Jerry Adair

The Royals picked up Adair with the 51st pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He was known to be a terrific glove man in his big league career with the Orioles, White Sox, and Red Sox. He was the starting 2B for the Red Sox in the 1967 fall classic. In 1969 Adair was the starting 2B for the Royals and he hit .250 in 126 games with 5 HR. He played briefly in 1970 playing in just 7 games going 4-33. The Royals released him on 5/12/70. After leaving Major League Baseball, he played in Japan for a year and later coached for the Oakland Athletics (1972-1974) and the California Angels (1975). Adair died of liver cancer on May 31, 1987 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of 50. He is buried in Woodland Memorial Park Cemetery in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.

P Steve Renko

Steve grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and went to the University of Kansas. He had been a fairly successful pitcher for 6 major league clubs from 1969 through 1982. He joined his home town Royals as a 38 year old free agent in 1983. He pitched in 25 games including 17 starts and was 6-11 with a 4.30 E.R.A. He has been active in Kansas City since his retirement and is responsible for bringing the large softball complex at the end of Johnson Drive in the early 90’s. He also used to give pitching lessons to local high school pitchers like Chuck Crouch of Shawnee Mission Northwest in 1989-1990.

P Jim Rooker

Jim was the Royals 6th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He was a decent pitcher for the Royals as he pitched in 104 games for them from 1969 to 1972. He was 10-15 with a 3.54 E.R.A in 38 games in 1970. He was a very good hitting pitcher as he hit 4 HR in 59 at bats in 1969 with a .281 average. The Royals traded him to the Pirates after the 1972 season for Gene Garber. He pitched for the Pirates until his release in October of 1980. He had a 1.04 E.R.A in 8 2/3 IP for the 1979 world champion “we are family” Pirates. After his playing career, Rooker, well-known for speaking his mind as a player, joined the Pirates’ radio and television broadcast team, with whom he worked from 1981 (one year after he retired) through 1993. Rooker also went into politics after his baseball career. A Democrat, he once ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and once for the United States Congress, but lost both races.

SS Angel Salazar

Angel played for the Expos in 1983 and 1984 playing in 116 games and hitting just .156. He spent 1985 playing in the minors for the Mets when the Royals traded P Tony Ferreira for him. He entered the 1986 season as a utility player but soon became the regular SS. He played in 117 games and hit .245. In 1987 he was still the starting SS and he hit .205 with a .219 OBP in 332 at bats. He was traded to the Reds after the season in the Kurt Stillwell deal but he never played for them. He played for the Cubs in 1988 hitting .250 in 63 ab’s.

DH Terry Pendleton

Terry Pendleton played from 1984 through 1997 primarily with the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. He was a 5 time participant in the World Series and was the 1991 National League MVP. He spent one season, 1998, playing for the Royals. He played in 79 games hitting .254 with 3 HR in 254 at bats. He played 23 games at 3B was mostly a DH. He has been the hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves since 2001.

C Carl Taylor

The Royals purchased the contract of Carl Taylor from the Pirates in September of 1971. He spent 2 seasons with the Royals playing C,1B, 3B, and OF. He played in 132 games over those 2 seasons with 258 at bats hitting .244. The Royals released him at the end of spring training in 1974.

P Roger Nelson

Roger was the Royals 1st pick in the 1968 major league baseball expansion draft. Nelson had been 4-3 with a 2.41 E.R.A in 19 games as a 24 year old Baltimore Oriole in 1968. In the inaugural year for the Royals Nelson was 7-13 with a 3.31 E.R.A in 29 starts. He struggled with injuries the next 2 seasons playing in just 4 games in 1970 and 14 games in 1971. He rebounded well in 1972 going 11-6 with a stellar 2.08 E.R.A in 34 games with 19 starts. He was traded to the Reds along with Richie Scheinblum for Hal McRae and Wayne Simpson after the season. He returned to the Royals in 1976 and pitched in 3 September games allowing 2 ER in 8 2/3 IP.

P Bob McClure

Before he became a very good pitching coach Bob McClure was a 19 year major league veteran that pitched for 7 teams. He was the Royals 3rd round pick in the 1973 draft and played in 20 games for them in 1975-76. He was traded along with Jamie Quirk, and Jim Wohlford to the Brewers for Darrell Porter and Jim Colborn. He had the most success if his career for the Brewers and he pitched for them in the 1982 World Series against the Cardinals.

OF Bo Jackson

There is not a more exciting player to ever don a Royals uniform than one Vincent Edward “BO” Jackson. A 2 sports star at Auburn, the Royals drafted BO in the 4th round of the 1986 draft. Of course, everyone knows the highlight reel and the fact he played for the Oakland Raiders. He was also the MVP of the 1993 all star game. Bo hit 109 home runs for the Royals from 1986-90 and also stole 91 bases. He had a career threatening injury while running with the football in 1990 and was never the same again. He later played for the White Sox and Angels. The fans are still waiting for him to come back to KC so the fans can say thank you to the most exciting player ever in Royal Blue.

P Vida Blue

The Royals picked up Vida Blue from the Giants on March 30th, 1982. He was just 32 and was a much decorated pitcher for both the A’s and Giants. He had been a 5 time all star and also won the Cy Young and MVP in 1971. He was coming off a season where he had been 8-6 with a fantastic 2.45 E.R.A in 18 starts. However, the Royals were picking up a pitcher that would never have that success again. He was 13-12 in his only full season with the team in 1982 and was just plain awful in 1983 going 0-5 with a 6.01 E.R.A. He was released by the Royals in August of 1983 and than he was busted along with 3 current Royals for cocaine after that season. He came back to pitch 2 more seasons for the Giants in 1985-86. He made a name and career after baseball for himself in the San Francisco Bay Area by donating his time to many charitable causes, mostly promoting baseball in the inner city. Vida currently lives in Costa Rica and is active in promoting the sport of baseball in that country.

P Ricky Botallico

Ricky played just one season for the Royals in 2000 and served as the closer for the 77-85 Royals. He had a decent season out of the pen as he pitched in 62 games and was 9-6 with 16 saves and a 4.83 E.R.A. Prior to coming to KC, Botallico had been a very solid closer for the 1996 and 1997 Phillies when he saved 68 games in those 2 seasons. The Royals granted him free agency after the season and he signed with his old club the Phillies. He pitched through the 2005 season with Phillies, Diamondbacks, Mets, and Brewers. In 2008 he worked for Service Electric as an analyst for the Phillies' class-AAA affiliate the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He is currently a Phillies analyst for Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

INF Dave Chalk

Chalk was a regular player for the Angels from 1974 through 1978 and had been a 2 time all star. He played 1979 with both the Rangers and A’s in 1979 and the Royals picked him up as a free agent on March 28th, 1980. He played 2 years for the Royals and played in 69 games in 1980 primarily at 3B and 2B hitting .251 in 190 at bats. He had one at bat in the World Series when he drew a walk and stole a base before scoring a run. Dave played in 27 games in the strike shortened 1981 season and was out of baseball after the season.

INF Rance Mulliniks

Rance Mulliniks was acquired, along with Willie Aikens, from the Angels following the 1979 season. Rance had a very good rookie season as the starting SS for the Halos in 1977 when he hit .269 as a 21 year old. However, he hit just .185 and .147 the 2 seasons following. For the Royals Rance basically served as the backup at SS and 2B in his 2 seasons. He played very seldom though as he got into just 60 games as a Royal. He hit just .222 in 108 at bats with 11 RBI. The Royals traded him to the Blue Jays towards the end of spring training in 1982. He had a very good career after that playing for the Jays through 1992. He started for the Blue Jays as a 3B/DH from 1982 until 1989 and became a good role player after that.

1B Joe Vitiello

Joe Vitiello was the 7th overall player taken in the 1991 draft after a fantastic collegiate career at the University of Alabama. Joe played parts of 5 seasons for the Royals never getting in more than 85 games. His best season was 1996 when he hit 8 HR in 301 at bats and batted .241. Joe never became the player that many thought he was destined to become. He played 2 more seasons with the Padres and Expos and hit .342 in 86 at bats in 2003 with the Expos. He also played for the Orix Blue Wave in 2001.

OF Mike Kingery

The Royals brought up the 25 year old Kingery in 1986. In 1985, he had a strong year for Omaha but never got a call up to the eventual world champion club. After making his big league debut on July 7th, 1986 Mike played in 61 more games getting 223 at bats. He hit .258 with 3 home runs. The Royals packaged him along with Scott Bankhead and Steve Shields after the season to pick up Danny Tartabull. Kingery played 10 big league seasons for the Royals, Mariners, Giants, A’s, Rockies, and Pirates. Upon retiring from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996, Mike and his family moved back to his hometown. In 1997, Mike created Solid Foundation Baseball School, Inc. http://www.solidfoundationbaseball.com/mikekingery.htm#

1B Jeff King

Jeff had been a very successful 3B for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 8 seasons before the Royals picked him up in a very good trade after the 1996 season (the Royals also added SS Jay Bell in the trade) King immediately paid off for the Royals when he hit 28 jacks and drove in 112. He played very well in year #2 when he hit 24 home runs and drove in 93. King was the Royals regular first baseman at the beginning of the 1999 season, but, bothered by back problems, he abruptly announced his retirement on May 23, 1999, two days after going 1-4 against the Texas Rangers.

1B Willie Aikens

The Royals needed to add more power to their line up after the 1979 season and the Royals looked to the west to add the LH hitting Aikens. Aikens was blocked at 1B in California by Rod Carew and the Royals had not had a slugging 1B since they let John Mayberry go, so they traded the very good Al Cowens in a package for Aikens. Wille helped power the Royals to their first World Series birth when he hit 20 home runs and drove in 98. He also starred in the fall classic when he hit 4 home runs. He played for the Royals through 1983. After his career, Aikens' was found guilty of selling 50 grams of crack cocaine to an undercover police officer and sentenced to 20 years and 8 months in prison. He became a free man in the winter of 2008 and is currently residing in Kansas City and trying to share his story so others will not go down the road that he did.

OF Jose Cardenal

Jose Cardenal had played in 17 seasons before the Royals picked him up on August 21st, 1980. At the time the Cuban outfielder was 36 years old and had success as a 12 year starter for the Angels, Indians, Cardinals, and Cubs. Jose played very well in his brief time in Kansas City hitting .340 in 61 at bats. He also became the team’s starting RF in games 2 and 6 of the 1980 World Series. Following his retirement as a player, Cardenal coached for the Reds, Cardinals, Yankees, and Devil Rays.

OF Amos Otis

The Royals acquired Amos Otis in one of the most one sided trades in baseball history. After the 1969 season Royals G.M Cedric Tallis traded 3B Joe Foy to the Mets for Otis. The trade was made even more famous when Harvey Keitel had a monologue on this trade in the 1995 film “Smoke.” Otis was one of the most popular players to ever wear the uniform. Many fans still have memories of the collective cheers of A-O, A-O, A-O during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Otis finished in the top 10 in the A.L MVP vote 4 times in his time in KC. His best season was either 1973 or 1978 when he had very similar numbers.

P Hector Wagner

The Royals signed Wagner out of the Dominican Republic in 1986. He made his major league debut for the Royals on September 10th, 1990. He started 5 games in 1990 and was 0-2 with a 8.10 E.R.A. In 1991 he started 2 more games going 1-1 with a 7.20 E.R.A. He beat the Rangers for his only big league win on 6/19 in Texas allowing 1 ER in 6 IP. He pitched in the Royals organization in 1993 and than was out of baseball before re-appearring with the independent league Newark Bears in 1999. He played independent baseball through 2002.

SS Jackie Hernandez

The Royals drafted the Cuban born Hernandez with the 43rd pick in the expansion draft from the Minnesota Twins. He had played parts of 4 seasons as a big leaguer before becoming the 1st year Royals starting SS in 1969. He played in 145 games and got 549 at bats hitting .222 with 4 HR and 40 RBI. He was the club’s starting SS until July of 1970 after he was replaced when he was hitting just .206. The Royals sent the SS to the Pirates in the Freddie Patek deal after the season. Jackie played 3 more seasons with the Bucs.

P Bill Castro

Bill had pitched against the Royals for 8 years primarily as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Royals signed him in July of 1982 after he was released by the Oakland A’s. He pitched well after he arrived going 3-2 with a 3.45 E.R.A in 21 games with 4 starts. In 1983 he pitched in 18 games but had a 6.64 E.R.A before the Royals released him one year after they signed him. He has been a coach for the Milwaukee Brewers for 18 consecutive seasons and also served as the pitching coach for the Dominican Republic in the inaugural WBC.

OF Jon Nunnally

The Royals grabbed Nunnally from the Cleveland Indians in the 1994 rule 5 draft. His rookie year was his best season as a major leaguer when he hit 14 home runs and batted .244 in 360 at bats. He struggled in 1996 batting just .211 with 5 home runs in 104 at bats. He was traded mid way though the 97 season after hitting .241 in 34 at bats. After he left the Royals he played for the Reds, Red Sox, Mets and also spent time with Orix in Japan. Nunnally also spent 2 different seasons playing for the Royals AAA club. After retiring, Nunnally went into coaching. He has worked in the Cleveland Indians organization since 2006, and is currently the hitting coach for the Kinston Indians.

SS Kurt Stillwell

The Royals thought they were getting a future star when they acquired Kurt Stillwell entering his 3rd season from the Cincinnati Reds. The Royals gave up Danny Jackson to get him. Kurt made the all star team in his first season with the Royals in 1988. He hit just .251 on the year with 10 home runs. He played 3 more seasons for the team but never put up the type of numbers they expected. He was let go after the 1991 season as a free agent. He played for the Padres and Angels through 1993 and than re-appeared with the Rangers for 46 games in 1996. Stillwell currently works at Thousand Oaks High School as the Golf coach and physical education teacher.

INF Rico Rossy

Rico Rossy has one of the coolest names in Royals history. As a matter of fact I had 2 iguanas in college named Rico and Rossy. Yep, I have a disease. Anyway, Rico was the ultimate light hitting infielder for the Royals in 1992 and 1993. In 1992 he got 178 AB and hit .215 with a HR playing SS, 3B, and 2B. In 1993 he hit .221 in 97 at bats. He played in 37 games for the mariners in 1998 and finished his career with a .211 career average.

P Brian Anderson

The Royals made a trade with the Diamond Backs in August of 2003 for the quirky lefty Brian Anderson. He had been the first pick for the Angels in the 1993 draft and had pitched in the big leagues for the Angels, Indians, and Diamond Backs. He pitched in the 1997 and 2001 World Series. In 2003, for the Royals he went 5-1 in 7 starts to close out the season. In 2004 he pitched in 35 games with 26 starts and was 6-12 with a 5.64 E.R.A. Injuries sidelined him for most of 2005 and it eventually led to his retirement from the game.

C Bob Stinson

The Royals traded 2B Rodney Scott to the Expos on the last day of March in 1975 to grab catcher Bob Stinson. Stinson played 2 seasons for the Royals. In 1975 he played in 63 games getting 172 at bats hitting .265. He split catching duties with Buck Martinez and Fran Healy. In 1976, Stinson split time at catcher again with Martinez as he played in 79 games with 243 at bats hitting .263. The Royals lost him to the expansion Seattle Mariners after that season.

P Tom Burgmeier

Tom was the 47th pick by the Royals in the expansion draft. He pitched for the Royals from 1969 thru 1973 as a left hander out of the bullpen. His best season was 1971 when he was 9-7 with 17 saves and a 1.73 E.R.A in 67 games. The Royals traded him to the Twins for minor leaguer Ken Gill after the 1973 season. It is still the only trade the Royals have ever made with the Twins.

OF/3B/2B/1B Kurt Bevacqua

The Royals picked up Kurt from the Indians prior to the 1973 season. In 1973 he played all over the diamond and hit .257 in 309 AB. He was back with the Royals in 1974 when he hit .211 in 100 AB before the club traded him to the Pirates in a 5 player deal. Kurt went on to play for the Pirates, Brewers, Rangers, Padres, Pirates (again) and Padres (again) He was a member of the 1984 NL champion Padres and left the game with a .236 AVG in 2398 AB.

1B Russ Morman

Russ had been a fantastic collegiate player at Wichita State University when the White Sox took him in the 1st round of the 1983 draft. Russ grew up right next to Royals stadium in Independence, Missouri. He played parts of 3 seasons for the White Sox when the Royals signed him after his release in 1989. Russ played briefly with the Royals playing in 12 games in both 1990 and 1991. He hit .270 and .261 in those seasons but never was able to get a regular look. He left the Royals and played parts of 4 seasons with the Marlins.

OF Jim Eisenreich

Jim is one of the all time good guy Royals. Jim struggled with tourettes syndrome his entire life but was able to became a major leaguer and inspire many people across the country. Jim came to the Royals in 1987 after he had not played in the big leagues since 1984. Jim played 6 seasons for the Royals hitting over .280 in 3 of those seasons. He left the Royals as a free agent after the 1992 season and played through 1998 with the Phillies, Marlins, and Dodgers appearing in 2 World Series. Jim still lives in Kansas City and stays busy with helping individuals with http://www.tourettes.org/

OF Lonnie Smith

The Royals picked up Lonnie Smith in the middle of the 1985 season from the Cardinals and he became a huge part of the success for the 1985 club. Lonnie was 29 when the club picked him up and he had already played in 2 World Series in 1980 and 1982. He was nicknamed “Skates” because of his wild routes he would take to the balls in the OF. He was very fast and was had the ability to get on base in several ways including the ability to get walks. He batted lead off in a late switch in the 1985 World Series and hit .333 with 4 RBI in the series. He played the full season in 1986 and hit .287 with 568 AB with 27 SB and 80 RS. He struggled with injuries in 1987 and was released after the season. He went on to play in 2 more world series with the Braves. Lonnie played in 5 different World Series, not too bad.

P Mike Jones

Jones was a tremendous prospect for the Royals. He was drafted in the 1st round of the 1977 draft out of high school in New York. The 6’6 lefty had a big time arm and looked like he was going to become the next big star of the Royals. In 1981 he showed the Royals what they were waiting for when he went 6-3 with a 3.21 E.R.A in 12 games with 11 starts. Unfortunately, Jones broke his neck in an off season car accident and his future looked dim. He rehabbed over a few seasons and came back to the Royals in 1984 when he got into 23 games with 12 starts and was 2-3 with a 4.89 E.R.A. He also played on the 1985 World Championship club but was taken off the playoff roster for Jamie Quirk. He never pitched after the 1985 season. He has found recent success as a high school summer coach in Florida (including working with Zack Greinke).

C Darrell Porter

The Royals picked up the LH hitting C from the Brewers in December of 1976. He had been playing C for the Brewers since the age of 19 in 1971 and had been a regular player since 1973. The Royals knew they were getting a bona fide catcher. This was a position that the Royals had failed to find stability at since they had become a franchise in 1969. In his first season Darrell helped lead the club to their second post season when he hit .275 with 16 HR. He was an all star for the Royals over the next 3 years when he also finished in the top 10 in the MVP vote 2 times. His best season was 1979 when he hit .291 with 20 HR, 112 RBI and he led the league in walks with 121. He left the Royals via free agency to play for the Cardinals where he played against the Royals in the 1985 series.

P Andy Hassler

The Royals purchased the contract of Hassler from the Angles in the middle of 1976. The tall lefty went right into action for his new club pitching in 19 games with 14 starts and going 5-6 with a 2.89 E.R.A. The Royals played in their first post season in 1976 and Hassler went 0-1 with a 6.14 E.R.A in 2 games (1 start). He went 9-6 with a 4.20 E.R.A in 1977 and again pitched in the post season (0-1 4.76) He was sold to the Red Sox during the 1978 after a 1-4 4.32 E.R.A start to his season. He pitched through 1985 with the Red Sox, Mets, Pirates, Angels, and Cardinals. Side note Hassler was 0-29 in his career as a hitter.

SS Angel Berroa

If you want to talk about a shooting star in the history of the Royals you have to talk about Angel Berroa. The Royals acquired Berroa in a large 2001 trade and he played briefly in 2 seasons before his true rookie season of 2003. In 2003, Angel won the A.L rookie of the year with this stat line; 17 HR, 73 RBI, .287 .Avg and 21 SB. Royals fans thought they had a SS that could soon be mentioned in the same breath as Jeter and Garciaparra. However, a true fan of stats could have pointed out this ugly line from his rookie season of 100 K’s vs. just 29 walks. He performed decently over the next 2 seasons but his plate awareness and range became more of a concern. The Royals gave him a nice contract, which at the time showed fans the Royals were willing to commit to their young players. Unfortunately for Berroa it all fell apart in 2006 when he hit just .234 with 88 k’s and 14 bb in 503 AB. In 2007 he played in just 9 games for the Royals and the Royals fans had all but given up on the once bright shining star they thought they would still be watching at SS today.

1B- Steve Balboni

The Royals moved power hitting 1B Willie Aikens after a troubling 1983 season. They realized they needed to have pop from the 1B position and Balboni was a good choice. At the age of 27, Balboni was blocked as a member of the Yankees. He had played in 69 games over parts of 3 seasons smacking 7 HR in 217 AB. He had been a prolific HR hitter in the minors and needed the opportunity for every day duty. He did not disappoint in 1984 hitting 28 HR while batting .234. In 1985 he set a club record (still the club record) with 36 HR in 662 ab. Like most big HR hitters Balboni was a free swinger and he struck out a league leading 166 times in 1985. He also hit .320 in the 1985 World Series. Steve was nicknamed “Bye Bye” and played for the Royals until he was released in May of 1988.

P Craig Chamberlain

The Royals took Craig with the 2nd pick in the nation in the 1978 draft out of the University of Arizona. Craig made it to the big leagues just 1 season later and after his first 3 starts the Royals looked like they had a star. He pitched 3 CG in a row giving up 1 run in his first 2 starts and 2 in his 3rd. His numbers looked like this after his first 3 big league games (3-0, 3 GS, 3 CG, 27 IP, 17 K, 5 BB, 1.33 E.R.A) Of course, you know where this is going because he ended up going 4-4 with a 3.75 E.RA in 10 starts that season and went just 0-1 with a 6.75 in 5 games in 1980 and was out of baseball after that.

OF Brian McRae

Brian McRae had the luxury of growing up around the ball park as he would shag fly balls at Royals stadium as a youngster whose father was a star player for the club. Brian was successful in his own right as a very good defensive center fielder. The Royals made Brain their first round pick in the 1985 draft and he made it to the big leagues on August 7, 1990. He played in 46 games and had 182 AB batting .286. He became the starting CF in 1991 when he played in 152 games with 663 AB batting .261 with 8 HR. Brian stayed on as the starting CF through 1994 and was traded away from the club right before the start of the 1995 season in an awful trade for reliever Derek Wallace.

OF/DH Hal McRae

The Royals picked up Hal McRae from the Reds in a 4 player trade in November of 1972. Hal had been a bench player for the Reds and at the age of 27 he needed a chance to start. The Reds were stacked in the OF and McRae was not going to get his chance there. In his first season with the Royals he played in 106 games but only hit .234 with 9 HR in 382 at bats. He broke out in his 2nd season when he hit .310 with 15 HR, 88 RBI in 607 at bats. He would hit over .300 6 more times as a member of the Royals. His best season was 1982 at the age of 36 when he hit .308 with 27 HR and 133 AB with a .910 OPS and finished 4th in the MVP race. He was a 3 time all star and became the manager of the Royals from 1991 thru 1994.

OF Steve Hovley

Hovley played 2 years (1972-73) for the Royals as a reserve OF. The Royals had drafted Hovley from the A’s in the 1971 rule 5 draft. In his 2 seasons with the Royals Hovley played in 209 games. In 1972 he hit .270 in 105 games with 226 at bats. In 1973 he hit .254 in 104 games with 268 at bats. He played all 3 OF positions for the Royals and was out of the major leagues after 1973.

1B Gail Hopkins

The Royals picked up 1B Gail Hopkins in a 4 player trade in October of 1970. He had been the regular 1B for the White Sox in 1969 and 1970. His first year in KC Gail played in 103 games hitting 9 HR in 339 at bats while batting .278 as a 28 year old. Things did not go so well for Hopkins in 1972 as he gave way to John Mayberry as the starting 1B and hit just .211 in 78 at bats. He played in 74 games in 1973 primarily as a DH *the 1st year of the DH batting .246 in 171 at bats. He was released by the Royals late in spring training in 1974 and w

as picked up by the Dodgers where he played in his last 15 big league games.

C Sal Fasano

Fasano made the Royals opening day roster in 1996 as a 24 year old backup catcher. He played in 51 games with 160 at bats his rookie season and .203 but did hit 6 HR. He was up and down for the Royals the next 3 seasons but did play in 74 games with 247 at bats in 1998 hitting 8 HR. He was a popular member of the Royals for his larger frame and love for Italian food. Eventually he would become more popular and even has his own group of fans that follow him on his web site http://salsbigfatblog.blogspot.com/ perhaps this quote from Jeff Pearlman of ESPN best sums up Fasano "When I think of Sal Fasano, however, I think of greatness. Not of Willie Mays or Ted Williams greatness, but of a uniquely excellent human being who, were class and decency the most valued standards of a career, would be the easiest Hall of Fame inductee of all time. Fasano returned to the Royals playing in 3 games with one at bat, He has played at least one game in the majors with 9 teams over 11 seasons.

1B/DH Mike Sweeney

If there is an all time team for baseball good guys and humanitarians Mike Sweeney would be on it. Mike came up to the Royals as a C in 1995 at the age of 21. He played in 4 games that first year and stayed at C thru 1998 in a limited role with the club. His breakthrough year was 1999 when he became a 1B and he hit 22 HR, 102 RBI, 101 RS, .322 AVG, .907 OPS. He played the next 4 seasons as one of the premiere RH hitters in the game. His best year was 2000 when he drove in 144 runs and hit .333. Everyone knows the injuries hampered Sweeney for the second half of his Royals career but when he was healthy he was a bona fide star. He left KC after the 2007 season and is currently playing for the Seattle Mariners.

P Mark Gubicza

Chances are if you were a girl in Kansas City in the 80’s you had a crush on Royals pitcher Mark Gubicza. Blessed with a powerful right arm the 21 year old from Philadelphia was a part of one of the best young tandems in baseball when he and Bret Saberhagen came up together in 1984. Mark won 10 games as a rookie striking out 111 in 189 IP. In 1985, he helped the Royals get to the World Series winning 14 games. His best season was 1988 when he was 20-8 with a 2.70 E.R.A in 35 starts. He finished 3rd in the AL CY Young vote. Mark was a 2 time all star for KC winning 132 games in his 14 year career. He pitched in only 2 games for a team other than the Royals.

2B Tim Ireland

For most of the 1970’s and 1980’s if you played 3B or 2B in the Royals organization and your name was not Brett or White you probably were best advised to change positions or look into real estate outside of Kansas City. Tim Ireland was one of the many players that faced this dilemma. The Royals picked up Tim in 1977 after he had played for 5 other organizations. He was the 2B for Omaha for 5 seasons between 1978 and 1982. In that time Tim played in just 11 games for the major league team going 1-8. He went on to have a successful career in baseball as a minor league coach/manager, and international scout.

OF Kirk Gibson

Most fans remember Gibson limping around the bases and pumping his fist after hitting a walk off home run off of Dennis Eckersley in the World Series. However, he also spent one season playing for the Royals. In 1991 Gibson played in 132 games with 540 at bats as a LF/DH hitting .236 with 16 HR, 55 RBI, 81 RS and 18 SB. He was traded to the Pirates after the season for LH Neal Heaton. He played 4 more seasons in the majors and hit 23 HR (98 games) as a 37 year old in his return to his hometown Tigers in 1994.

P Dick Drago

Dick was the 32st player taken in the 1968 expansion draft from the Tigers. As a 24 year old rookie he quickly established himself as an important member of the team. In 41 games (26 starts) he was 11-13 with a 3.77 E.R.A eating up 200 innings. Over the next 4 seasons he was a fixture in the Royals starting rotation. His best year was 1971 when he was 17-11 with a 2.98 E.R.A in 241 IP finishing 5th in the AL CY Young vote. The Royals traded him straight up for Marty Pattin after the 1973 season. After pitching 2 seasons for the Red Sox he pitched for the Angels, Orioles, Red Sox (again) and Mariners through 1981.

C Ellie Rodriguez

Ellie was the first Royal ever to participate in an all star game. The 23 year old catcher was the 13th pick in the 1968 expansion draft from the Yankees. In 1969 he hit .236 in 95 games as the starting catcher for the first year Royals. In 1970 he played in 80 games and hit just .225. He was traded to the Brewers after that season and played in 6 more seasons for the Brewers, Angels, and Dodgers. He was an all star again in 1972 as a member of the Brewers when he hit .285 in 422 at bats.

2B Frank White

The Royals signed Frank White out of their academy after his playing career at Longview C.C in Lees Summit. He quickly made it to the major leagues serving as a caddy to both Freddie Patek and Cookie Rojas, In 1976 the Royals gave the 25 year old the starting 2B job and he hit just .229 in 489 at bats. That season the fans booed him frequently as they missed their favorite player Cookie Rojas at 2B. The fact was that Rojas had slowed down quite a bit and defensively was below average. White soon turned those boos into loud cheers as he became the premiere defensive 2B in all of baseball for the next 15 seasons. He won 8 gold gloves in his career and was a 5 time all star. He batted clean up in the 1985 World Series and is one of only 3 Royals to have his number retired. Today, he stays busy serving several roles for the Royals. He is also one of the nicest people you could ever meet.

OF Felix Jose

When the Royals traded for Felix Jose during spring training in 1993 many fans thought the Royals were getting the next big star. Jose had shown flashes of brilliance in his young career with the A’s and Cardinals. Coming off a season in St. Louis where he had hit .295 with 14 HR, 75 RBI, and 28 SB the Royals thought they were getting a 20-20 guy. However, in 1993 Felix hit just 6 HR with 43 RBI while batting an anemic .253. He did steal 31 bases. In an injury riddled 1994 he showed signs of the player many scouts thought he would become when in 403 at bats he hit 11 HR, 55 RBI, 10 SB, and a .303 .AVG. Unfortunately, he could not stay off the D.L after that and played in just 9 games in 1995 before the Royals released him. Amazingly, he went on to play international ball (most notably in Korea) where he starred before returning to baseball at the age of 35 in 20 games with the Yankees. He played until he was 38 when he played in 18 games with the 2003 D-Backs.

RP Al Hrabosky

Al Hrabosky was called the “Mad Hungarian” for his very animated demeanor on the hill. Before crucial situations “the Mad Hungarian” would stand behind the mound with his back to the hitter and would get him self pumped up before slamming the ball back into his mitt and turning around with authority and returning to the mound. The Royals picked him up from the Cardinals in 1977 for Mark Littell and Buck Martinez. The lefty pitched 2 seasons for the Royals and saved 20 and 11 games in those 2 seasons. In 1978, he was 8-7 with a 2.88 E.R.A in 58 games. In 1979 he was 9-4 with a 3.74 E.R.A in 58 games before being leaving as a free agent to sign with the Braves. He works as a broadcaster for the Cardinals now and has a bar named after him outside the park.

2B Terry Shumpert

Shumpert had a very tough task of trying to replace legendary 2B Frank White in Kansas City. It did not go well as he hit just .217 with 17 stolen bases and a .605 OPS in 417 at bats in 1991. Terry never was able to live up to the promise he showed the Royals as a prospect as he spent most all of 1992 and 1993 in the minors after the team used Jose Lind as their second baseman. In 1994 the Royals used the Paducah, Kentucky native in 64 games and he hit .240 with a .716 OPS. The Royals traded him to the Red Sox after the season and he went on to play for the Red Sox, Cubs, Padres, Rockies, and Rays. He did hit .347 in 262 at bats for the 1999 Rockies.

C Larry Owen

The Royals signed the journeyman catcher on the last day of March 1987. Larry had played in 58 games over 4 seasons with the Braves prior to coming to Kansas City. At the age of 32 he finally played a full season in the majors backing up Jamie Quirk behind the dish. He hit .189 with 5 home runs in 188 at bats playing in 76 games. In 1989 he mostly played at AAA Omaha before receiving a late season call up and he played in just 37 games batting .210

INF/OF Keith Miller

The Royals acquired Keith Miller from the Mets in a large trade on December 1th, 1991. In that trade Bill Pecota and Bret Saberhagen went to the Mets for Miller, Gregg Jefferies, and Kevin McReynolds. Miller had been primarily a utility player for the Mets from 1987-91. For the Royals in 1992 he played in 106 games as the primary 2B and he also played some LF. He hit 4 home runs and drove in 38 while stealing 16 bases in 464 at bats. Keith had injury issues after that season and only played in 37 games in 1993; 5 in 1994 and 15 in 1995. The Royals released him in May of 1995.

OF Butch Davis

The Royals have never had a player have a greater first month in the big leagues than Butch Davis. The Royals brought up Butch on August 23rd, 1983 and he hit .344 in 130 at bats. He hit 2 HR’s and drove in 18 while stealing 4 bases. Howard Cosell used to do a pre season baseball special every year and I remember being at a friends house and watching this special when the Royals were featured. They showed young Butch and Cosell said “the next Willie Mays” in his Cosell voice. Well, I would say he became even worse than the fictional Willie “Mays” Hayes character the next season. In 1985 Davis hit .147 in 128 at bats and was sent to the minors never to return to the Royals. I remember this vividly…I was walking behind home plate and Davis was up and a fan yelled “Davis, you getting ready for Omaha?” and a fan an aisle over (I can see both guys faces to this day) yelled back “screw Omaha, he’s going to Memphis” * Memphis was the teams AA club at the time. Davis came back to the majors in 1987 with the Pirates and became a great AAA player for another decade (He also played in the majors with the Orioles, Dodgers, and Rangers)

OF Thad Bosley

Bosley was a 10 year major league veteran when the Royals signed him as a free agent before the 1987 season. Bosley was one of the premiere LH hitting pinch hitters before coming to KC. He had established himself in that area as a member of the Cubs from 1983-1986. He played for the Royals just over 1 season and hit .279 in 80 games in 1987 with a .292 AVG when entering the game as a sub. He had 12 pinch hits in 43 at bats and also played RF, DH, and LF. In 1988 he lasted just 15 games as a Royal and was 4-24 before the team released him. He finished out the season as a Angel and played 2 more seasons in the big leagues after that with the Texas Rangers.

P Jerry Don Gleaton

Jerry Don Gleaton was a great collegiate pitcher at the University of Texas. So good, that his hometown Rangers took him in the 1st round of the 1979 draft. However, despite making his big league debut in the same year he was drafted (I guess the Rangers did not learn after David Clyde) he struggled and was a journeyman reliever by the time the Royals signed him before the 1987 season. In 1987 the Royals used Jerry Don in 48 games as a lefty specialist. He threw just over 50 innings and had a 4-4 record with a 4.26 E.R.A and 5 saves while lefties hit just .210 off of him. In 1988 he pitched in 42 games (38 innings) and was 0-4 with a 3.55 E.R.A with 3 saves and lefties hit .264 off of him. He played with the Royals in 1989 but struggled to the tune of 0-0 with a 5.65 E.R.A in 15 innings, The Royals traded him to the Tigers the following season for a minor leaguer. He pitched very well in Detroit that next season ( 1-3, 2.94 E.R.A in 82 IP)

OF Gary Thurman

The Royals took Thurman with their first pick (21st overall) in the 1983 draft. The Royals brought him up in late 1987 and he played well batting .296 with 7 SB in 27 games. Gary did not make the club out of spring training in 1988 and struggled when he did come up hitting just .167 in 66 at bats. He looked just as bad in 1989 when he hit .195 in 105 at bats but he did steal 15 bases. In 1990, he spent a lot of time in the minors for the 4th season in a row and played in just 23 games hitting .233. Thurman finally got an opportunity in 1991 playing in 80 games and getting 200 at bats hitting .277 with 15 SB’s. At this point it was obvious that he was not the next Willie Wilson but maybe he would have a decent career as a reserve OF. In 1992 he played in 88 games but hit just .245 with 9 SB’s. He was waived by the Royals after that season and signed with the Tigers. He bounced around teams AAA clubs after that and appeared in just 99 games over 3 different seasons with the Tigers, Mariners, and Mets.

OF/DH Matt Stairs

Matt Stairs looked more like a Sunday softball player than a major league baseball player. The squatty Canadian was a fan favorite though with his skullet (bald head and party in the back) He was also the type of player that “if he got a hold of one” could hit a ball 500 feet. He played for the Royals 2 ½ years from 2004-2006. He hit 39 home runs in 1223 at bats as a Royal. He played some 1B, RF, and DH while in KC and was traded to the Rangers at the trading deadline in July of the 2006 season.

OF Danny Tartabull

Danny is the son of former Kansas City Athletic Jose Tartabull. Danny was a powerfully built RF that the Royals acquired from the Mariners in 1986. His first year in KC he hit 34 HR and drove in 101 runs while hitting .309. The Royals had a great player to help get the team back to the playoffs. In 1988, his 2nd year with the team he hit 26 HR’s with 102 RBI while batting .274. Danny regressed in 1989 hitting just 18 HR while carrying a .268 AVG. He battled injuries in his 4th season with the team playing in only 88 games and hitting 15 HR’s. However, in 1991 he had an all star season slugging 31 home runs and driving in 100 while batting .316 he also led the league with a .593 SLG %. He left the Royals after that season as a free agent and signed with the Yankees.

INF Dave Nelson

The Royals picked up infielder Dave Nelson from the Rangers in 1975 for pitcher Nelson Briles. Nelson had been the starting 2B for the Rangers from 1972-1974 before having some injury issues in 1975. While in Texas Nelson was a speed merchant stealing 51,43, and 25 bases in his 3 best seasons (72-74) Nelson played 2 seasons for KC batting .235 in 171 at bats in 1976 with 15 sb’s and just .188 in 55 at bats in 1977. The Royals released him towards the end of spring training in 1978. Dave has worked as a major league coach and broadcaster since his career ended. He is currently a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers.

OF Clint Hurdle

Clint Hurdle is arguably the most popular prospect to ever come into the Royals organization (OK, BO I am aware of who you are) Clint was gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated as a rookie in 1978 and was touted as the next great star. He was the Royals 1st round pick in 1975 and had the looks of a Hollywood leading man. Out of the gate, Clint looked like the real deal batting .308 with 2 home runs in 28 September at bats as a 19 year old in 1977. In 1978 at just 20 years old Clint played 1B, LF, and RF for the Royals and hit .264 in 481 at bats. Not great numbers but certainly holding his own as a 20 year old big leaguer. In 1979 Clint struggled batting just .240 in 59 games but the Royals still traded away star RF Al Cowens after the season to provide a starting spot for Hurdle in 1980. Clint played well, but not great, batting .294 with 10 home runs. The lack of HR power that he showed at the big league level and lack of speed eventually led to the Royals trading him to the Reds after the 1981 season for P Scott Brown (who never played in a big league game with the Royals)

3B Dean Palmer

Dean Palmer hit 38 home runs as a 26 year old 3B for the 1996 Rangers. By the time he came to the Royals as a 28 year old in a mid season trade with the Rangers he already had 154 home runs. The Royals picked him up in July of 1997 for the speedy Tom Goodwin. It looked like this deal would be a steal for the Royals. In his first half season with the team he hit 9 HR’s in 206 at bats. It looked like the Royals team record for HR’s (36 by Steve Balboni) had a good chance of being broken by Palmer. In 1998 he hit 34 HR and drove in 119 in 639 at bats while hitting .278. The Royals had themselves a bona fide slugger but unfortunately the Royals could not keep Palmer and he left via free agency to sign with the Tigers where he hit 38 home runs in 1999.

1B Hal Morris

The Royals signed Hal Morris as a free agent prior to the 1998 season. He had been a starting 1B for the Reds since 1990 and was a consistent .300 hitter. However that .300 AVG did not come with a lot of HR’s or enough RBI. He was the 1B in Kansas City for just one season and he hit .309 with just 1 HR in 409 at bats. The Royals have employed plenty of low pop 1B in their history and Morris is one of the all time greats at that role. He went back to the Reds after his one season in KC and played 2 more years (also Tigers) before his career was over.

OF Dee Brown

Dee was the 14th overall pick by the Royals in the 1st round of the 1996 draft. He was labeled as a “can’t miss prospect” and unfortunately for the Royals he missed. Between 1998 and 2000 he was brought up each September and hit .103 in 58 at bats with 17 strike outs. He made the club as a 23 year old in 2001 and got 406 at bats hitting .245 with 7 home runs. However, he struggled in 2002 and got into just 16 September games batting .235 with 1 HR. He received time with the club in 2003 and 2004 but hit just .227 and .251 with plenty of strike outs. Brown, at least made the big leagues but he is a part of a large group of draft busts for the Royals in the 90’s and early 2000’s. He is now the DH for the AAA team of the Dodgers.

P Kevin Appier

Kevin was the 9th overall pick in the 1987 draft. He received a mid season call up as a 21 year old in 1989 going 1-4 with a 9.14 E.R.A in 6 games ( 5 starts). In 1990 He made the club and pitched in 32 games (24 starts) going 12-8 with a 2.76 E.R.A. His best season with the club was 1993 when he was 18-8 with a league leading 2.56 E.R.A (he finished 3rd in the Cy Young vote). He pitched with the club until he was traded to the A’s for 3 pitchers in July of 1999. He returned to the Royals in 2003 and battled injuries going 1-2 in 4 starts, he started 2 more games in April of 2004 but clearly was not healthy and his career was over. All in all, Appier was one of the most successful pitchers in franchise history going 115-92.

OF Willie Wilson

Willie was the Royals 1st round pick (18th overall) in the 1974 draft. His speed brought him to the Royals in 1976 and 1977 where he was mainly used as a pinch runner in the month of September stealing 8 bases combined with 10 RS. Obviously, it was his speed that brought him to the big leagues but soon he would become one of the premiere leadoff men in the game.

In 1978 Willie acted as a reserve OF and hit just .217 but stole 46 bases in 223 at bats. From 1979 to 1983 Willie was the club’s LF but most knew it was just a mater of time before he moved over to CF. In the middle of 1983 the Royals made the switch and he and Amos Otis changed places with Otis moving to LF. He had a breakout season in 1979 hitting .315 with 83 sb’s and 37 extra base hits including 13 triples. Willie was not your typical leadoff hitter as he did not draw a ton of walks and a routine season saw him getting 600 plus official at bats. His best season with the club was 1980 when he finished 4th in baseball in the MVP voting when he hit .326 with a league leading 230 hits and he also had 79 stolen bases. In 1985 Willie batted 2nd and started in CF for the world champion Royals. He played in KC in 15 of his 19 seasons and is now in the Royals hall of fame.

P Al Fitzmorris

The Royals selected Al Fitzmorris from the Chicago White Sox with the 40th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He played in 7 games in the inaugural year with the club. As a 24 year old in 1970 he made the club out of spring training and was used as a swing man by manager Charlie Metro and Bob Lemon. He was 8-5 with a 4.44 E.R.A in 43 games with 11 starts. He was used as a swing man again in 1971 going 7-5 with a 4.17 E.R.A in 36 games with 15 starts. The Royals used him almost exclusively out of the pen in 1972 as he went 2-5 with a 3.74 E.R.A. He finally got a chance to become a member of the rotation in 1974 and went 13-6. He stayed in the rotation in 1975 and 1976 going 16-12 and 15-11. He was than taken with the 13th pick by the Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft. Al was also a solid hitting pitcher batting .242 in 109 at bats. For his career with the Royals Al was 70-48.

C/1B/OF Ed Kirkpatrick

The Royals picked up the versatile Ed Kirkpatrick from the Angels in December of 1968. He was the opening day LF and started games at 7 different positions in his first season with the Royals. He hit .257 with 14 home runs. In 1970, he was the primary catcher but still started at 4 other positions. He hit .229 with 18 home runs. He served a similar role in 1971 but only hit .219 in 423 at bats. In 1972 Ed started 104 games at catcher and hit .275 with 9 HR’s. He went back to his versatile ways in 1973 starting at 4 positions hitting .263 with 6 HR’s in 485 at bats. The Royals traded Ed to the Pirates after the 1973 season. He played in the big leagues until after the 1977 season playing for the Pirates, Rangers, and Brewers.

OF- Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly was the 34th pick in the 1968 expansion draft by the Royals. He had played 20 games combined the previous 2 seasons with the Twins. Obviously the 24 year old needed a place to play. He was used as a pinch runner in the first game in Royals history against his former team. Eventually Pat became the everyday RF and he held that job for his 2 seasons with the Royals. A speedy player he stole 74 bases in his time as a Royal and hit .264 and .235 with 8 and 6 home runs. The Royals traded him to the White Sox in a 4 player deal following the 1970 season. He played for the White Sox for 6 years before he became a valuable member of Earl Weaver’s Orioles. He was an Oriole for 4 seasons and played his final year in 1981 with the Indians.

C Rey Palacios

The Royals picked up minor league catcher Rey Palacios in an August trade in 1988. Rey came up to the big club in September of 1988 and made his debut on the 8th, he went just 1-11. In 1989 Rey made the club out of spring training as a reserve catcher, third baseman, and first baseman and stayed with the club most of the season with a stop or two at Omaha along the way. He played in 5 games but got only 53 at bats hitting just .170 with 1 HR ( Scott Bailes was the pitcher) In 1990 Rey again rode the train between Omaha and KC hitting .232 in 61 at bats with 2 home runs. Rey was known for his freakishly large hands which could hold 5 baseballs in one hand. He was released after the 1990 season.

P Mike Armstrong

The Royals purchased the contract of the 28 year old Mike Armstrong prior to the start of the 1982 season from the Padres. In 1982 Mike was a very good set up man for closer Dan Quisenberry when he pitched in 52 games with 112 innings pitched. He was 5-5 with a 3.20 E.R.A and 6 saves. In 1983 Mike was strong; once again, he posted a 10-7 record out of the bullpen in 58 games and 102 innings. He was involved in the trade after the 1983 season that brought slugging 1B Steve Balboni to Kansas City.

INF Jerry Terrell

Jerry was a 5 year veteran utility infielder when the Royals signed him as a free agent prior to the 1978 season. He hit just .203 but played every position in the infield and played in 73 games. He played 3 years for the Royals playing all over the diamond (he even pitched in 2 games) He did not have a great career for the Royals but his versatility proved valuable. He had decent speed and was used as a pinch runner often in his time with the Royals. The Royals released him towards the end of spring training in 1981.

P-Jamie Bluma

Bluma was a decorated closer for Wichita State University when the Royals took him in the 3rd round of the 1994 draft. Bluma established himself as a future big league closer after being very impressive in the minor leagues. In his first professional season (1994) Bluma saved 14 games and had an E.R.A under 1.00. He also pitched well in 1995 saving 26 games between AA and AAA. He made his big league debut in August of 1996 and threw in 17 games including 20 innings. Unfortunately, like so many other young pitchers Bluma’s career was shortened by injuries and he never made the big leagues again. He tried to bounce back between 1998 and 2000 but was never the same. Those 17 games were the only he ever pitched in the big leagues.

P- Paul Splittorff

Splitt is one of the best pitchers in franchise history. The tall, lanky lefty came to the Royals after being drafted in the 25th round of the 1968 draft. While he made his debut in 1070, Paul came back to the Royals to stay for his entire career in June of 1971. He had a 8-9 record to go along with a 2.68 E.R.A in his rookie season (22 starts) He won 20 games in his 3rd big league season (1973) and finished his 15 year career (all as a Royal) with a record of 166-143 in 429 games. He was also known as the “Yankee killer” because of his effectiveness beating the Bronx Bombers. He was 2-0 with a 2.68 E.R.A in 6 championship series games against them.

SS Freddie Patek

Patek was a 3 time all star standing at only 5’5. He was acquired by the Royals in an absolute steal from Pittsburgh prior to the 1971 season. He played in 3 all star games for the Royals and led the American League in stolen bases in 1977 with 53. His best season came in his first season with the club when he finished 6th in the MVP voting by hitting .267 with 49 stolen bases. He was the starting SS for 9 seasons before he left the club as a free agent in 1979.

C- Benito Santiago

Santiago had played 18 seasons in the big leagues before the Royals signed him as a free agent in 2003. He played just one season in KC hitting .274 in 49 games. Obviously, he was injured much of the season. But, he represented a time when the Royals told the fans they were rebuilding but signed players like the 39 year old catcher. Of course, the Royals were coming off a 83-79 season and had fans believing the club was going to win. However in 2003 they were 58-104.

1B/OF- Dane Iorg

Dane Iorg is best known for the most famous hit in Royals history when he singled home the winning run in game 6 of the 1985 World Series. The call went like this from ABC's Al Michaels:

"And that's a looper hit into right field for a base hit! Concepcion scores. Here comes Sundberg, here's the throw. HE SCORES! We go to a seventh!"

Iorg was purchased by the Royals from the Cardinals in mid season 1984. He played in just 1 ½ years for the club but will never be forgotten do to that one famous hit. He hit .255 in 254 at bats in 1984 playing 1B and OF. In 1985 he hit just .223 in 138 at bats. Iorg left the Royals for the Padres after the 1985 season.

P Renie Martin

The Royals drafted Renie Martin in the 19th round of the 1977 draft out of the University of Richmond. He made his big league debut just 2 seasons later in May of 1979. He had a tough rookie season going 0-3 with a 5.19 E.R.A in 25 relief appearances. In 1980, he made the club as a 24 year old and moved into the starting rotation in May. He was 10-10 with a 4.39 E.R.A in 32 games (20 starts) and also gave up 3 ER in 3 games (9 2/3 IP) in the 1980 World Series. In 1981 the Royals used Martin as a set up man for Dan Quisenberry and he was 4-5 with a 2.77 E.R.A. He was traded to the Giants in a 6 player trade after the season.

P- Marty Pattin

Marty pitched for the Royals from 1974-1980. He was acquired by the Royals in exchange for Pitcher Dick Drago in 1974 from the Red Sox after winning 15 games for Boston in 1973. In 1974, Marty struggled going 3-7 in 25 games (11 starts) with a 3.99 E.R.A. He rebounded in 1975 going 10-10 as a swing man in 44 games (15 starts) with a 3.25 E.R.A and 5 SV. In 1976 and 1977 Whitey Herzog used him as a starter and reliever and he helped the division champions serving a dual role. He was 8-14 with a 2.49 E.R.A in 76 and 10-3 with a 3.58 E.R..A in 77. His career numbers for the Royals gave him a 44-39 record in 7 seasons. He was let go from his Royals contract after the 1980 World Series. After Pattin's retirement as a player, he remained involved with the sport as a coach. He was the head coach of the University of Kansas baseball team from 1982 to 1987

1B- Jeff Conine

The Royals drafted Conine out of UCLA in the 1987 draft. He was brought up to the big club in September of 1990 when the rosters expanded and played in just 9 games hitting .250 in 20 at bats. He played at Omaha in 1991 and did not reach the majors again until August of 1992 at the age of 26. The Royals never gave him much of a shot and he was selected by the Marlins in the expansion draft. He quickly made the Royals pay for never giving him a chance as he played in all 162 games as a rookie and hit .292 with 79 RBI. He had a very good career as a Marlin helping them win a world championship along the way. He also hit 25 HR with 105 RBI in 1995 and 26 HR with 95 RBI in 1996. Conine returned to the Royals in 1998 when the Marlins traded him back to KC. In his one year return to the Royals in 1998 Conine hit just .256 with 8 HR in an injury riddled 93 games. He was traded to the Orioles after the season for a pitcher named Chris Fussell and Conine went on to play 9 more seasons in the big leagues.

P- Ted Abernathy

The Royals picked up the veteran reliever Ted Abernathy from the Cardinals in July of 1970. Ted was a submarine throwing pitcher with a very good rising curveball. In 1970, he pitched in just 3 months in a Royals uniform but went 9-3 with a 2.59 E.R.A and 12 saves in 36 games. In 1971 he was 4-6 with a 2.56 E.R.A in 63 games with 23 saves. At the age of 39 in 1972 (his final season in baseball) he was 3-4 with a 1.70 E.R.A in 45 games. He was released one month short of his 40th birthday in February 1973. In his 3 seasons as a Royal Abernathy was 16-13 with 40 saves and an E.R.A of 2.31 in 144 games.

P- Hipolito Pichardo

The Royals signed Pichardo out of the Dominican Republic and he made the club as a 22 year old rookie in 1992. Hipolito had a very good rookie season when he went 9-6 with a 3.95 e.r.a in 24 starts. The highlight of his rookie campaign was a 1 hit shutout of the Boston Red Sox. In 1993, he went 7-8 in 165 IP. After suffering arm issues, the Royals moved him to the bullpen where he pitched from 1994-1997. Hipolito was used as a middle reliever in that time going 16-12 with 7 saves in 146 games. The Royals tried him as a starter again in 1998 when he went 7-8 with a 5.13 e.r.a in 27 games (18 starts) Overall, Hip pitched 7 seasons for the Royals and was one of the better pitchers in an era of very bad Royals baseball.

OF-Joe Zdeb:

Joe was a very good reserve OF for the Royals in 1977. He played a key role on the greatest regular season team in club history. Zdeb was the 4th round pick of the Royals in the 1971 draft out of high school in Illinois. Zdeb, was talked out of playing football for the University of Missouri when he signed with the Royals. Zdeb made his big league debut in April of 1977 and played in 105 games as a rookie batting .297. Zdeb played in KC 2 more seasons and was out of baseball shortly after he suffered a career threatening injury. He stayed in Kansas City and has had success as a financial advisor and has 3 children that attended (still attending) Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

OF Al Cowens:

Al Cowens was a tremendous OF for the Royals from 1974-1979. Cowens would have been a fantastic every day centerfielder had it not been for Amos Otis. Because of Otis the Royals moved Cowens to RF and he was one of the premiere defensive right fielders in the game while in KC. His best year in KC was 1977 when he batted .312 with 23 home runs and 112 RBI, won the gold glove and finished in 2nd in the AL MVP voting. The Royals traded Cowens to the Angels in December of 1979 because the club felt young phenom Clint Hurdle was ready for full time duty so they moved Cowens (along with utility player Todd Cruz)to the Angels for a much needed power bat at 1B in Willie Aikens and utility man Rance Mulliniks. He died at the age of 50 in Downey, CA. of a heart attack.

C Don Slaught

In the early 80’s the Royals fans thought they had the catcher of the future in Don Slaught. Slaught came up to the Royals in July of 1982 and hit .278 in 115 at bats. In 1983 Slaught split time with veteran John Wathan and hit .312 in 276 at bats. The Royals gave the full time job to Don in 1984 and he .264 in 409 at bats. However, the Royals had a very young staff and felt they needed a veteran catcher to lead the kids and Slaught was packaged in a deal for Jim Sundberg. Don went on to have a very good career playing for the Rangers, Yankees, Pirates, Angels, White Sox and Padres, before his release from San Diego in 1997.

1B Todd Benzinger

In May of 1991 the Royals picked up Carmelo Martinez from the Pirates. Martinez looked like he was going to be a pretty good player when he was coming up with the Padres. But, in KC he was awful hitting just .207 in 121 at bats as the Royals 1B. The Royals traded Martinez to Cincinnati for Todd Benzinger in July of that same season. Benzinger had been to the Reds what Martinez had been to the Royals hitting just .187 in 123 at bats. Obviously, both clubs were hoping a change of scenery would help both players. In KC Todd improved hitting .294 in 293 at bats as the starting 1B. But, the knock on Benzinger was that he offered very little power as evidenced by his 2 home runs in those 293 at bats. After the season the Royals sent him to the Dodgers for Chris Gwynn (Tony’s brother)

P Doug Bird

The Royals drafted Bird in the 3rd round of the 1969 draft (secondary phase) He made it to the big leagues in 1973 and was one of the most effective relief pitchers in the game. In 1973 Bird pitched in 54 games (all in relief) and threw 102 innings. He was 4-4 with 20 saves to go along with a 2.99 e.r.a in his rookie season. He was still really good in 1974 when he pitched in 55 games and saved 10 to go with a 2.73 e.r.a. By his third season Bird was one of the most consistent relievers in baseball. He finished his third season with a 9-6 record, 11 saves and a 3.25 e.r.a in 51 games. During the 1976 season the Royals decided to move Bird into the rotation and while he was not as good as a SP as RP he still held his own going 12-10 with a 3.37 e.r.a in 39 games (27 starts) The Royals moved Bird back to the pen for the fantastic 1977 team and he rewarded the Royals with a 11-4 record and 14 saves. However, in 1978 things fell apart for Bird as he was lit up for an e.r.a of 5.29 in 40 games. The Royals traded him to Philadelphia after the season for INF Todd Cruz. When it was all done Bird finished his Royal career with 49 wins against 36 losses and 58 saves in 282 games.

1B Bob Hamelin

“Big” Bob Hamelin came up to the Royals as a September call up in 1993. He hit 2 home runs in 49 at bats but also struck out 16 times. The Royals had no idea they were watching the 1994 AL Rookie of the year. In the strike shortened 1994 season “Hammer” knocked 24 balls out of the park in just 312 at bats. He also had a .282 avg and a .388 OBP. If he had a full season he might have broken the single season HR record for the Royals (36 by Steve Balboni) Hamelin was never the same player he was in his rookie campaign as he suffered a sophomore slump in 1995 batting just .168 with 7 Hr’s in 208 at bats. He played one more season with the Royals batting .255 in 239 at bats ( 9 home runs) in 1996. After that season the Royals released him and he was out of the majors just 2 seasons later. That one summer in 1994 though, this guy that looked like a Sunday softball player became a person that fans could not wait to see at the ball yard.

SS Buddy Biancalana

In the fall of 1985 Buddy Biancalana became a rock star. If you would have told anyone during the season that a .188 hitting shortstop would be a hero they probably would have laughed in your face. However, in September Biancalana took the SS job away from Onix Concepcion and became a cult hero. In the post season Buddy played great defense and hit .278 in the World Series. He played in 137 more games as a Royal but he will be best remembered as the guy that was on the Letterman show. Biancalana also is a permanent member in the hearts of thousands of Royals fans.

P Bret Saberhagen

Who can forget the baby face MVP of the 1985 World Series. Bret burst onto the scene as a 20 year old rookie in 1984. He pitched in 38 games (18 starts) and won 10 games. But, no one could have expected Sabes to do what he did in 1985. Bret won 20 games and won the AL CY Young. He walked just 38 batters in 235 innings and lost only 6 games. He was even better in the World Series when he threw 18 innings, won 2 games and had an e.r.a of .50. He was the pitcher on the mound hugging George Brett as Daryl Motley caught the final out of the series. In 1986 Bret had an off year…Bret seemed to always pitch better in odd number years. He was 74-30 for the Royals in even numbered years and 36-48 in odd numbered years. He was absolutely dominant fore the Royals in 1989 when he won his 2nd cy young award going 23-6 with a 2.16 e.r.a. The Royals traded him to the Mets after the 1991 season.

1B Tony Solaita

Tony is one of the more intriguing stories in Royals franchise history. Tony grew up in American Samoa playing cricket. He was known as a premiere power hitter in the minor leagues but for whatever reason could never get a big league job. The Royals gave him an opportunity in 1974 when he was 27 years old. He made the club out of spring training and served as a reserve 1B. He played in 96 games with 239 at bats hitting 7 home runs to go along with a .268 .avg and a .361 OBP. In 1975 Tony hit 16 home runs in just 231 at bats while batting .260 with a .369 OBP. He struggled out of the gates in 1976 hitting just .235 with 0 home runs in 68 at bats. The Royals lost him to waivers when the Angels signed him in July. He returned to American Samoa in the 1980’s and helped to revitalize little league baseball. Tragically, he was murdered in a land dispute in 1990.

C Buck Martinez

The Royals selected Buck Martinez from the Phillies in the expansion draft and the Royals brought up the 20 year old Buck Martinez in June of 1969. He hit .229 in 72 games. In 1970 and 1971 Buck saw limited big league time playing in only 6 and 22 games. He was kept in the minors for all of 1972. In 1973 Buck still saw limited action going 8-32 in 14 games. Buck made the club in 1974 and after a brief demotion he finished the season with 107 at bats hitting .215. Buck shared catching duties in 1975 and 1976 and hit .226 and .228. He was the catcher in 5 games during the 1976 ALCS versus the Yankees and went 5-15. He became a backup in 1977 after the Royals traded for Darrell Porter. He left the Royals following the 1977 season when they traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals.

SP Tim Belcher

The Royals signed Tim Belcher as a free agent prior to the 1996 season. He rewarded the team with 15 wins in 35 starts. Tim pitched 3 seasons for the Royals and won in double digits on each season. He won 13 games in 1997 and 14 in 1998. He finished his Royal career with a 42-37 record. The Royals had 2 5th place finishes and a 3rd place finish in that time and Belcher certainly was one of a few bright spots during those 3 seasons.

INF David Howard

The son of former major leaguer Bruce Howard, David provided the Royals with versatility during his 7 years as a Royal. Howard broke camp with the Royals in 1991 and served as the team’s utility infielder hitting .216 in 94 games. David played all over the diamond for the Royals (like Pecota, he pitched in a game) He also became the starting SS in 1996 when he hit .219 in 420 at bats. David left the Royals as a free agent after the 1997 season and signed with the Cardinals.

P Steve Busby

We spoke about Jose Rosado earlier in the month but Busby was arguably even a bigger disappointment. Blessed with a powerful right arm Busby threw 2 no hitters for the Royals before tearing his rotator cuff. Steve was the Royals 2nd round pick in 1971 out of USC and he did not wait long to make his big league debut. He pitched in 5 games in 1972 and looked to be a fixture in the Royals rotation for years to come. In 1973 Busby won 16 games as a 23 year old. 1974 would be even better as Busby went 22-14 and made the all star games. He threw 292 innings in 38 starts striking out 198 hitters. 1975 again proved to be a good year for Steve when he won 18 games in 260 innings. However, in 1976 it all began to fall apart when he lasted only 13 starts before having to call it a season. Busby missed all of the 1977 season and tried to come back in 1978 but after only 4 starts in April (and 2 more games in September) it was obvious he would never be the same. Busby worked himself back onto the team in 1979 going 6-6 with a 3.63 e.r.a in 22 games. 1981 would be the last big league season for Busby when he went 1-3 with a 6.17 e.r.a. Most fans of the 1970’s Royals will tell you that Busby should have been the greatest Royals pitcher of the time and feel that a 1976 and 1977 world championship would have happened with Steve Busby at the top of the rotation.

C Jim Sundberg

Some feel Jim Sundberg had as much to do with the 1985 world champion club as any other player. Prior to the 1985 season the Royals had traded promising young catcher Don Slaught to acquire the defensive minded veteran Jim Sundberg. The Royals felt they needed a veteran to work with the very young pitching staff. Sundberg had played his first 10 seasons for the Texas Rangers and the previous season with the Milwaukee Brewers. At the age of 34 it would have seemed he was on the decline of his career. He swatted 10 home runs hit .245 but his true value was his gold glove caliber defense and the ability to craft the young pitching staff. He swatted 10 home runs hit .245 and hit .250 in 24 world series at bats. Jim lasted one more season as a Royal batting just .212. He was traded to the Cubs following the 1986 season.

OF Lynn Jones

The Royals signed reserve OF Free agent Lynn Jones from the Detroit Tigers following the 1983 season. Jones was a valuable defensive replacement for the Royals the next 3 seasons. In 1984 Lynn hit .301 in limited time. In 1985 Jones played in 110 games receiving only 152 at bats. He was used mostly as a defensive replacement in the outfield. He hit only .211 but served a valuable role as a member of Dick Howser’s bench. He played in 6 games in the 1985 World Series and was 2-3 with the stick. In 1986 Lynn played in 67 games but hit just .128 in 47 at bats before getting his release after the season.

RP Lindy McDaniel

The Royals picked up the 38 year old reliever before the 1974 season in exchange for popular OF Lou Piniella. In 1974, McDaniel pitched in 38 games, including 5 starts, and 106 innings. He had a 3.46. e.r.a. He pitched for the Royals again in 1975 going 5-1 in 40 games. Lindy was released by the Royals after the 1977 season after 21 years in the big leagues. I think Lou Piniella did pretty well for a few more years as a Yankee. For more on McDaniel go here http://www.lindymcdaniel.com/index.html

Ed Hearn

In previous days we had talked about some of the great steals in Royals history. Unfortunately, Mr. Hearn is known as being a part of the worst trade in club history. He was traded to the Royals for future Cy Young award winner David Cone. The Royals needed a starting catcher so they picked up Hearn who had been a valuable backup to Gary Carter on the 1986 world championship team. In respect to Hearn he had some very bad luck as he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 1991, and he has suffered from poor health ever since. He was treated for cancer twice, underwent three kidney transplants, and requires mechanical assistance to breathe. His condition forces him to take more than fifty types of medication on a daily basis. Ed Hearn is known to be a great person and he has become a motivational speaker based out of Kansas City. To read more about Hearn go here http://www.edhearn.com/

P Jose Rosado

Rosado is one of the toughest luck stories in team history. Blessed with a very good left arm Rosado could not escape the injury bug and was out of baseball at the age of 25. As a rookie in 1996, Jose started 16 games and had an e.r.a of 3.21 going 8-6 in the process. Jose pitched for the Royals in both the 1997 and 1999 all star games. Unfortunately he blew out his rotator cuff and despite a comeback attempt he never lived up to the potential the fans had hoped for. Jose finished his Royals career with a 37-45 record and a 4.27 e.r.a in 125 games. The Royals had been such a bad club during his this era in KC that Rosado was another example of hope diminished by the baseball gods.

3B Paul Schaal

Schaal is probably best known as the player that preceded George Bret as the starting 3B for the Kansas City Royals. However, Paul was a pretty good player in his own right. He had the ability to hit for a high OBP due to his ability to draw walks. He had 103 walks in 161 games in 1971(he finished 6th in the league with a .387 obp) He was also known as one of the better fielding 3B in the game. Schaal played for the Royals in the expansion season of 1969 until his trade in April of 1974 to the Angels for OF Richie Scheinblum opening the door for the greatest player in Royals history.

OF NICK CAPRA

INF Jerry Terrell

C- Benito Santiago

P Jeff Montgomery

P Jeff Montgomery

On February 15th, 1988 the Royals made a deal with the Cincinnati reds to acquire Jeff Montgomery. The trade would later prove to be one of the best deals of the era as the player the Royals gave up, Van Snider, played in just 19 big league games. Montgomery “Monty” soon would become the closer the Royals had missed since the departure of Dan Quisenberry. Monty pitched in 45 games as a rookie in 1988 serving as a set up man to closer Steve Farr. In July of 1989 Monty would become the closer. He finished the season with a 1.37 E.R.A. Even though the Royals picked up reigning Cy Young award winner Mark Davis before the 1990 season Monty quickly became the go to guy when Davis became the biggest free agent busts in Royals history. He was one of the top closers in all of baseball through 1993 and served as the teams closer until 1998. He finished his Royals career with 304 saves.

OF Tom Poquette

OF Tom Poquette
While Tom made his major league debut as a Royal at the age of 22 in 1973 ( 6-28 in 21 games) He did not come back to the Royals until 1976 when he made the club out of spring training as a reserve OF. However, he eventually became the platoon partner in LF after the Royals made the move to DH Hal McRae. Tom had a very nice LH bat for the Royals in his rookie season hitting .302 with 10 triples. He had a nice season again in 1977 when he hit .292 in 342 at bats. In 1978, Tom had an unfortunate accident in when he ran face first into the unpadded LF wall at Royals stadium. He suffered a broken jaw and never seemed to recover, at least as a Royal, after that. He hit just .216 in 1978 and .192 in 1979 before being dealt to the Red Sox for George Scott. Poquette came back to the Royals in 1982 hitting just .145 in 24 games before being given his release.

1B Pete LaCock

1B Pete LaCock

The son of legendary game show host, Peter Marshall (Hollywood Squares), LaCock came to the Royals in a deal with the Cubs following the 1976 season. He was a valuable member of the bench for the 1977 club playing 1B, LF, and RF while hitting .303 in 218 at bats. He became the Royals regular 1B in 1978 when he hit .295. He hit .277 in 1979 with just 3 home runs in 408 at bats. The Royals feeling the need to have more power at first acquired Willie Aikens after the season and in 1980 LaCock returned to a reserve role. He hit just .205 in 114 games and left the Royals after the 1980 World Series. He continued his career with the Taiyo Whales in Japan but never appeared in another major league game.

Dan Quisenberry

RP Dan Quisenberry In 1975 Royals scout Rosey Gilhousen found a gem in the undrafted Dan Quisenberry. Quisenberry known as “the Quiz” soon would become the most popular and colorful players in Royals history. His unique submarine style delivery brought him to the big leagues as a 26 year old in 1979. Between 1980 and 1985 he was one of the premiere closers in baseball. Known for his great control “the Quiz” walked just 11 batters in 139 IP in 1983, a year in which he saved 45 games. Closers were not one inning pitchers in his time as often Dan would throw 3 or 4 innings in a game. He finished his Royals career with 238 saves and represented the Royals in 3 all star games.

2B Cookie Rojas

2B Cookie Rojas

Born in Havana Cuba in 1939 Cookie Rojas was a veteran of 8 big league seasons before arriving to Kansas City as a 31 year old in 1970. The Royals traded a player named Fred Rico to the Cardinals to get him and Rojas would quickly become one of the most popular players for the Royals. His first year with the club the Royals had used 4 different men at 2B by the time Rojas secured the job on 6/16. He participated in the next 4 all star games as a Royal starting in 1971, a year in which he hit .300 and finished #14 in the AL MVP voting. He held down 2B until 1976 when he finally gave the job over to his long time caddy Frank White. Rojas still was a valuable reserve for the Royals in 1976-1977 the 2 best regular seasons in Royals history. He left the Royals after the 1977 season and did not play in another big league game.

3B George Brett:

3B George Brett:
The greatest Royal of all time was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 2nd round of the 1971 amateur draft out of high school in El Segundo, California. George spent just 2 and a half seasons in the minors before making it up to the Royals full time as a 20 year old in 1974. George made his first of 13 all star games in 1976, when he led the AL in hitting with a .333 .AVG. He helped the Royals to their first post season game in 1976 and was the starting 3B on the 1985 World championship club. His best year was 1980 when he won the American League MVP. He hit .390 that season and helped the Royals to their first world series. Brett retired after the 1993 season with 3154 hits and a career average of .305. He was elected into the baseball hall of fame in 1999.