Kansas City Royals: Top Ten Catchers In Team History

View of the fountains in the outfield at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Now it gets difficult.

Ed Kirkpatick was an original Royal, joining the expansion club for its inaugural campaign in 1969. He had seven years under his belt with the California Angels, but mainly as a utility layer. In fact, Kirkpatrick had only 21 games as a catcher in his time with the Angels.

Even more so than Wathan, Kirkpatrick played all over the field. In 1969, he saw action in just two games behind the plate, only one of which was a start. He started one game at first base, and another at third. He started 27 in left field, 19 in center, and another 29 in right. How about that for versatility.

It wasn’t until 1970 that he played most of his games for the Royals at catcher. In total, he played catcher 278 games out of 613 games for Kansas City, more than any single one position. He played in 281 games in the outfield, but spread among all three spots.

Thusly, Kirkpatrick qualifies at catcher. He and the player at number three are relatively close statistically, but Kirkpatrick gets the fourth spot because the next player is all catcher.

• Fifth in Home Runs – 56
• Fifth in Runs Scored – 249
• Sixth in Runs Batted In – 245
• Third in Stolen Bases – 16
• Sixth in Batting Average – .248
• Third in On Base Percentage – .334
• Fifth in Slugging Percentage – .390
• Fourth in Wins Above Replacement – 9.2

Kirkpatrick put up solid numbers in his Royals, and is in the top five in nearly all of these categories. Some younger fans may not even know his name, but Ed Kirkpatrick was a key performer in the Royals early years. His versatility helped his value, but he was no slouch at the plate.

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