Kansas City Royals All-Time Team

Let's head to the heartland for a look at the Kansas City Royals All-Time Team.

 

Kauffman Stadium has been the Royals' home for nearly their entire existence, including World Series title-winning seasons in 1985 and 2015. Amazingly, this stadium still bears the name of the club's former owner thirty years after his passing*.

*I've probably just jinxed this, and tomorrow they'll announce a naming rights deal with Hobby Lobby or something.     

 

 

The winningest manager in Royals history has a losing record with the club, but Ned Yost managed more than twice as many games as Kansas City's other Series-winning skipper, Dick Howser.

Let's see the lineup Yost can boast:

Full disclosure: Salvador Perez was batting seventh in the original lineup, but breaking the single-season record for home runs by a catcher and tying the single-season team record triggered a bit of a shuffle. Freddie Patek is the lightest-hitting starter we've seen so far. Kansas City has to have a better option, right? Welll...

The good news is, 12 of the top 50 players in Royals history (by WAR total) are shortstops.

The bad news? Five of them don't qualify. One of them (Jay Bell) needed just one season to compile more Royal WAR than Brian McRae and John Wathan. Another one (Mike Aviles) played 301 games over four seasons.

	Royals stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	GP w/KC
	*Freddie Patek	20.5	0.241	0.309	0.321	0.630	78	1245
	Alcides Escobar	8.1	0.259	0.292	0.344	0.636	73	1245
	U L Washington	8.5	0.254	0.316	0.347	0.663	84	757
	Angel Berroa	2.2	0.263	0.305	0.384	0.689	78	627
	Kurt Stillwell	6.9	0.256	0.318	0.373	0.691	93	524
	Bill Pecota	8.1	0.254	0.330	0.370	0.700	94	445

There's your starting shortstop battle. Yuck. Escobar has a Gold Glove and an All-Star nod, but Patek has three All-Star appearances and nearly 400 stolen bases. He'll stay -- for now.

Yost has some more palatable options for his bench bats, including a new middle infielder (unfortunately not a shortstop).

Whit Merrifield has led the league in stolen bases three times, led the league in at-bats and games played three consecutive seasons, and turned 34 years old in January. You'd think a player like that would have stolen at least 300 bases by now. Yet Whit has not even reached 200 steals, nor has he swiped as many career bags as catcher Jason Kendall.

Porter and Mayberry are safe, but what about the rest of the Royal infielders?

	Royals stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Billy Butler	12.5	0.295	0.359	0.449	0.808	119
	*Kevin Seitzer	17.3	0.294	0.380	0.394	0.774	115
	Eric Hosmer	15.4	0.284	0.342	0.439	0.781	111
	Whit Merrifield	17.1	0.286	0.332	0.425	0.757	103

Billy Butler is basically a backup DH, but Merrifield isn't enough of an upgrade at the plate - and his speed isn't needed when the Royals can run with Patek, Otis, and Willie Wilson.

I know what you're thinking...

 

where's Bo Jackson?

	Royals stats	WAR	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
	*Willie Wilson	42.4	0.289	0.329	0.382	0.711	95
	Lorenzo Cain	24.7	0.289	0.342	0.421	0.763	106
	David DeJesus	18.1	0.289	0.360	0.427	0.787	108
	Bo Jackson	7.0	0.250	0.308	0.480	0.787	115

If Alex Gordon wasn't such a tremendous fielder, Yost could swallow the strikeouts and start Bo in left. Alas.

Can this squad surprise opponents by winning with pitching and defense? Probably not, but the Royals' rotation just got a whole lot better.

Zack Greinke returned to Kansas City in 2022 and is now beginning his ninth season in Royal blue. I can't possibly keep him on Arizona's all-time team, so he'll slide in behind Bret Saberhagen here. But who does that push out of the rotisserie: Paul Splittorff, Mark Gubicza, or .. both?

	Royals stats	WAR	ERA	ERA+	K/BB	WHIP
	*Paul Splittorff	22.4	3.81	101	1.36	1.340
	*Mark Gubicza	38.0	3.91	110	1.74	1.356
	Danny Duffy	20.2	3.95	110	2.43	1.316
	Larry Gura	18.7	3.72	107	1.26	1.253

If Danny Duffy's ERA were a bit lower, I could use this Camo card. Mark Gubicza gets the 5th starter spot.

At least the Royals bullpen is rock-solid. Two of the team's top ten players at all positions (Quisenberry and Montgomery) are closers, while the other four All-Time Royals relievers rank 15th, 19th, 20th, and 21st in WAR for the franchise.

Looking ahead, Bobby Witt Jr. - the best young player Kansas City has seen in at least a decade - doesn't have to work too hard to become the Royals' all-time greatest shortstop. Brady Singer and Scott Barlow have a longer road to making this squad, but they're on the right track.



TL; DR: One change from the original roster. Splittorff out, Greinke in.

 

Come back Thursday for our next All-Time Team, the Minnesota Twins.

 

Thanks for reading!

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Frankenset Sunday - We'll never be Royals

This week's Frankenset Sunday post concerns the Kansas City Royals. 

I'm going to post a Sports Illustrated cover with each of these, assuming there is one for every MLB team.

The Royals entered the MLB in 1969, their All-Time team doesn't have a lot of star power, and their back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015 occurred while I was shifting my collecting focus from hockey back to baseball. Also they don't have a large national following. 

Perhaps this explains why I'm one John Mayberry card away from completing the Royals team set. Here's the Royals All-Time team to date:

Did you know Kevin Appier was traded straight-up for Mo Vaughn? I remember the Royals trading Appier to the A's but I forgot all about that Angels-Mets swap. This Jeff Montgomery Firemen insert was part of my trade with TCDB user colonel98801.

I actually had a John Mayberry Royals card but I traded it, and it was a multi-player card anyhow. The Heritage Ned Yost is one of nine 2013 Topps Heritage Royals I acquired in a Nachos Grande trade stack. The 1986 Topps Hal McRae matches a Bret Saberhagen I have and I wondered if every Royals player in that set had their photo taken at the exact same spot at Yankee Stadium. Turns out only those two and Mike Jones were posed in the same place.

Saberhagen and Salvador Perez are guys I semi-collect so there were a fair amount of options. The only other Frank White card I have is PSA-graded so I had to go with 1990 Fleer. Patek needs an upgrade, and one is on the way. The open third base slot will be filled with a George Brett card -- which George Brett card is up to you.

"Mr. Royal" has had some fantastic cards. If I had one of these I'd slot it right into the binder and ask my readers to vote on Bret Saberhagen or Alex Gordon instead. But I don't, so..

I have 56 George Brett cards. 16 are in set builds, leaving 40 eligible for the binder. Here are my five favorite cards of #5:

1990 Leaf

1993 Stadium Club

2003 Flair Greats

2016 Stadium Club

2018 Topps Big League blue parallel

Which George Brett card should I slide into the binder? Vote for your choice in comments.

Thanks for reading!


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All-Time Teams: Royals

In my rush to complete the L.A. teams by Thanksgiving, I almost forgot Kansas City. Here's the Royals' All-Time Team:

 Manager: Ned Yost
Home: Kauffman Stadium

Leading off for the Royals.. the Center Fielder.. Amos Otis

Amos Otis is second on the Royals' career list in WAR, total bases, and runs scored. A five-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, Otis finished third in AL MVP voting in 1973. The speedy center fielder stole a league-leading 52 bases in 1971 and all but one of his 341 career swipes were with Kansas City. I thought that Willie Wilson would be starting here but Amos had a bit more pop and a better on-base %. His 193 home runs and 992 RBI are third in team history, and he has more career hits than Wilson and Frank White.





Batting second for Kansas City.. the Third Baseman.. George Brett

The only Royals player inducted into Cooperstown, George Brett is the franchise standard-bearer in nearly every statistical category. His 3,154 career hits are 18th all-time, and he's the only player in history to win a batting title in three different decades. Brett was a 13-time All-Star, a three time Silver Slugger winner, and was named the 1980 AL MVP after batting .390 and leading the Royals to their first World Series. Brett was ALCS MVP in 1985, a year in which he finished second in league MVP voting, won his only Gold Glove, and led the Royals to their first Championship.




Batting third.. the Right Fielder.. Danny Tartabull

A Royal for just five seasons, Danny Tartabull nonetheless leads the franchise in career OPS, OPS+, and slugging. His .376 on-base % is third in team history. Tartabull smashed 124 home runs for the Royals in just 657 games, more than any right fielder and all but two full-time outfielders in team history. In 1991, Danny led the majors in slugging with a .593 % and made his only appearance in the All-Star Game.







Batting fourth.. the First Baseman.. Mike Sweeney

Mike Sweeney represented the Royals in five All-Star games through their lean years of the early aughts. A steady high-average hitter, Sweeney batted .300 or better five times, including .340 in 2002. His .299 average as a Royal is third in team history, and only George Brett has more homers with the club. Originally a catcher, Mike moved to first base and eventually became a full-time DH - one of the few positions where the Royals have depth. Sweeney finally made the playoffs at the very end of his career, with the 2010 Phillies.





Batting fifth.. the Designated Hitter.. Hal McRae

Moving Mike Sweeney to first base is Hal McRae, one of the game's first great designated hitters. McRae made three All-Star teams, finished fourth in AL MVP voting twice, and won a Silver Slugger in 1982, after leading the league in doubles and RBI. McRae batted .300 or better in six full seasons, accumulating 2,091 career hits. Hal is second in team history with 449 career doubles and fifth among all Royals with 169 home runs. He also managed the club for four years. We'll make sure he sticks to swinging the bat on this All-Time team.





Batting sixth.. the Left Fielder.. Alex Gordon

The #2 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Alex Gordon has produced more career WAR than that year's #1 and #3 picks combined. His 36.6 total is fourth in Royals history and a good chunk of that has come from his stellar defense. The seven-time Gold Glove award winner and three-time All-Star was perhaps the best defensive left fielder of the decade. Gordon could also hit a little bit, smacking a league-leading 51 doubles in 2012. His 186 career home runs are the fourth-highest total in Kansas City history.





Batting seventh.. the Catcher.. Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez has caught more games than anyone in franchise history - and he's still just 29 years old. The 2015 World Series MVP caught all 31 of the Royals' playoff games in 2014 and 2015, and is one of the few remaining players from that title-winning team on the current Royals roster. In just eight seasons, Perez has made six all-Star teams, won five Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and hit 20+ home runs in each of his last four seasons. The only reason "Salvy" bats behind Gordon here is because Gordon gets on base at a higher rate.




Batting eighth.. the Second Baseman.. Frank White

This Royals' All-Time team is strong on defense - which would be beneficial considering they wouldn't score many runs. Frank White won eight Gold Gloves in his eighteen years with Kansas City. The five-time All-Star was named ALCS MVP in 1980, collecting six hits in eleven at-bats against the Yankees. White won his only Silver Slugger at age 35, tying a career high with 22 home runs in 1986. His games played and hits totals are second in Royals history.






Batting ninth.. the Shortstop.. Freddie Patek

Freddie Patek was a three-time All-Star for the Royals in the 1970s. He finished sixth in AL MVP voting in 1971, when he led the majors with 11 triples. The speedy shortstop stole 30 or more bases eight consecutive seasons from 1971-78, and his 336 swipes as a Royal are third in team history. Patek's career on-base percentage was higher than Frank White and Salvador Perez, however "The Flea" was small in stature and had zero power. Patek would have been a perfect fit for the Golden Age of baseball. Here, he's a slightly better option than U.L. Washington.




The Starting Pitcher for the Royals.. Bret Saberhagen

Bret Saberhagen was one of the top starters in the American League when healthy (and in odd-number years.) A two-time Cy Young award winner and three-time All-Star, "Sabes" was the MVP of the 1985 World Series, allowing just one run in two complete game victories against the Cardinals. He has the lowest WHIP in franchise history, the lowest ERA among Kansas City starters, and the second-highest WAR. Bret's career total of 58.8 is higher than Hall of Famer Whitey Ford.

Now let's take a look at the Royals' bench and bullpen:

Catcher: Darrell Porter

1st Base: John Mayberry
Infield: Kevin Seitzer
Outfield: Willie Wilson
Designated Hitter: Billy Butler

Porter was a four time All-Star who played a near-equal amount of games for three different teams. Mayberry finished second in AL MVP voting in 1975. Seitzer had a .380 OBP across six seasons in Kansas City. Wilson has more stolen bases than any Royal, and his 688 career steals are 12th all-time. This is the first All-Time team without a fifth outfielder; Butler was a better option than David DeJesus, and I had to get "Country Breakfast" in here somehow.

#2 Starter: Kevin Appier
#3 Starter: Dennis Leonard
#4 Starter: Paul Splittorff
#5 Starter: Mark Gubicza

Appier leads all Royals pitchers in WAR and strikeouts, and his 130 ERA+ is highest among K.C. starters. Leonard was an innings eater, tossing more complete games and shutouts than any hurler in team history. Splittorff leads the franchise in starts, wins, and innings pitched. Gubicza is in the team's top three in WAR, wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and shutouts. He's also the franchise leader in walks allowed, and his WHIP was higher than Splittorff's.

RH Reliever: Steve Farr
RH Reliever: Kelvin Herrera
RH Reliever: Joakim Soria
RH Reliever: Jeff Montgomery
RH Reliever: Greg Holland
RH Reliever: Dan Quisenberry

Farr edged out Doug Bird based on a lower ERA and a higher K/9 ratio. Soria had a sub-2 ERA and 40+ saves in 2008 and 2010.  Montgomery earned 304 saves, most in Royals history. Holland's 47-save season in 2013 included a 1.21 ERA and a 342 ERA+. Quisenberry led the AL in saves and finished top-3 in Cy Young voting four straight seasons.

I'm going to hit 'pause' on the All-Time Teams series until after the holidays. I've got plenty of other sports card-related topics to discuss, including recent purchases before and after Black Friday. I've also got a 12 Days of Christmas series in the works, which will dive into Starting Lineup and McFarlane sports figures, as well as some of my all-time favorite Christmas gifts. 

Thanks for reading these All-Time Teams posts!


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Sports Card Tour 2018 - Kansas City

Happy first day of May! The Collector's Sports Card Tour is chugging along to stop number 20. Today we're in Kansas City.

Kansas City has two pro sports teams - the Royals and the Chiefs. The Royals won World Series titles thirty years apart, in 1985 and 2015. The Chiefs won Super Bowl IV after the 1969 season, but have not returned to the big game since.

Len Dawson passed for an astounding 142 yards and was named Super Bowl MVP. (It was a different game back then.) Before writing this post I did not know Dawson was in the Hall of Fame.

In my opinion, the greatest player in Chiefs history is the late, legendary linebacker Derrick Thomas. That said, I never saw Dawson play. Or Bobby Bell. Or Buck Buchanan.

Perhaps Tony Gonzalez is the greatest player in Chiefs history. Perhaps not. But he is the greatest tight end in NFL history.

The greatest player in Royals history is unquestionably George Brett.

I have about 35 George Brett cards in my collection, including a relic and a rookie card:

These are the newest additions to my Brett collection:

The Upper Deck All-Time Heroes card was in the big box o' mystery; the Stadium Club card was a dime box find at the Milford card show. I also have two Staring Lineup figures (one from 1988, one from a later Legends series) and this oddball..

No idea where I got this card, or what it is. Does anyone know what I have here?

Did you know that Lorde wrote her song "Royals" after seeing this photo of a young George Brett? And that George Brett met Lorde after hearing how he inspired the song? And that San Francisco radio stations banned the song during the 2014 World Series?

Brett is the only Royals player in the Baseball Hall of Fame* - but Kansas City has seen plenty of other legends grace its ball parks.

*I'm not counting Harmon Killebrew as a Royal

The Negro League's Monarchs had dozens of great players in their 45 year-history, including Satchel Paige, Buck O'Neill, Turkey Stearnes, Hilton Smith, Cool Papa Bell, Ernie Banks, and Jackie Robinson. It seems appropriate that the Negro League Museum is in Kansas City.

Somehow I don't have any Monarchs cards in my collection... but I do have a few cards of a much less successful franchise that succeeded the Monarchs in Kansas City.

These are from my 1956 Topps set build.

The Athletics moved from Philadelphia in 1955, and unofficially served as the Yankees' minor-league team until relocating to Oakland in 1967. 

The expansion Royals succeeded them two years later. 

Dick Howser played for the Athletics and managed the Royals' 1985 World Series winners. He passed away in 1987, which was probably the first baseball-related death I was aware of. This card came from P-Town Tom, in a stack of about twenty 1963 Topps singles.

Frank White is the only Royal other than Brett (and Howser) to have his number retired by the team.

Jersey guy Willie Wilson played for Summit high school in the early 1970's. My father-in-law said Wilson was the best amateur player he ever saw.

Apparently I saw George Brett play, at the tail end of his career. Wish I could remember anything about this game. Based on the date, the tickets might have been a birthday present - and I do remember that my mom once bought Yankees tix through a bus tour to the stadium. When we got there the seats were so high up in the second deck above first base that my mom couldn't stay in them (now I know where I inherited my fear of heights.)

Btw, George Brett got three hits and the Royals won 7-0.

The Chefs..er, Chiefs reached the AFC Championship game in 1993, led by veteran acquisitions Joe Montana and Marcus Allen. 

1993 SP is probably my favorite football set of all time.

You probably know that the Packers defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl I. 

But did you know that Sports Illustrated predicted those two teams would meet in Super Bowl XXXI? (they were half right.)

Marge, I want you to draft my fantasy football team. My team name is Somewhere Over the Dwayne Bowe, and my password is "annoyed grunt."

I have lots of great running backs in my Chiefs binder pages. Holmes, Charles, and Johnson all had sensational seasons in K.C. - but not quite enough for my star player box.

The rest of my Chiefs hits. The Trent Green gold refractor was a 'sort by lowest' COMC purchase.

The rest of my Royals hits. Actually..I didn't scan up any recent Royals, did I?

Carlos Beltran was in and out of my star player box for years. But now that he's concluded what will likely be a Hall of Fame career, these cards will stay put. Beltran could have played in back-to-back World Series had he returned to the Royals in 2014, but opted to sign with the Yankees instead. (wait.. are you sure that's right?)

As someone who suffers from social anxiety issues I should be more sympathetic to Zack Grienke. But he's kind of a turd - just ask fellow memorabilia hobbyist Pat Neshek.

This was the only decent card I pulled from an ill-advised pack of Archives I purchased from a Shop Rite vending machine. I think the pack was $3 - and the machine ate my $1 pack of Topps Basketball. So basically I paid $4 for this card. Not doing that again.

Kansas City was once home to another royally-named franchise. The NBA's Royals left Cincinnati in 1972; since there was already a team called the Kansas City Royals the basketball team was renamed the Kings. The franchise moved again in 1985, this time to Sacramento.

The NHL has seen its share of short-lived franchises, but few have come and gone as quickly as the Kansas City Scouts. Joining the NHL as an expansion team in 1974, the Scouts moved west to Colorado after just two seasons.

Six seasons later, the franchise moved to New Jersey and became the Devils. A mural in the upper concourse of the Prudential Center showed Scouts fans filing into Kemper Arena (and Rockies fans filing into McNicholls Arena.)


Royals card I'd like to own: A George Brett sunset card from 1994 Topps.

Chiefs card I'd like to own: A Brandon Flowers rookie card. Because he's a Killer.

Favorite Royals player: Salvador Perez

Favorite Chiefs player: Travis Kelce or Kareem Hunt

Our next tour stop should be Las Vegas, but I don't have any Golden Knights cards yet. That means the next stop is a big one: Los Angeles. And since we're headed to Hollywood (and Collecting Cutch has been a bad influence on me) here's another pic of one of my favorite actresses, Kansas City native Katherine McNamara.

Kat was filming the first season of Shadowhunters in Toronto during the 2015 ALCS between the Royals and the Blue Jays. She asked her Twitter followers if she should cheer for the locals or her hometown Royals (most of them said Toronto.)

Which actress would you like to see at the end of my L.A. post (or posts)?

Thanks for reading!


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