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 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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

OF NICK CAPRA

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.