KC Royals: Dayton Moore Reclamation Projects

Jason Larue: Miss

Jason Larue was never a superstar player, but he was certainly serviceable behind the dish, as he was able to play in the league for 12 seasons.

Jason Larue may be more well known for a controversy in St. Louis that saw former Royal and Red, Johnny Cueto, kick Larue in the head during a benches clearing brawl. Four years before that incident, which many people blame for ending his career, Jason Larue was Dayton Moore’s first ‘reclamation project’ for the KC Royals.

From 2001-2005 Larue averaged a slash line of .245/.327/.423. That’s a pretty respectable slash line for a catcher and he even averaged 13.6 home runs per year during that span. His numbers dropped considerably in 2006 batting just .198 and hitting only eight home runs. He did play in about 40 less games that year which definitely had an impact on his home run numbers.

Larue was a big miss for Moore. The Royals were in the middle of the worst stretch in franchise history and acquisitions like Larue were a big reason for that.

Moore traded for Larue in November of 2006 most likely hoping he would have a rebound year. Larue only had one year left on his contract so the trade was relatively low risk. The trade also didn’t cost the Royals much considering it came down to them sending cash considerations to the Reds that came out to a total value of one dollar, but Jason Larue may not have been worth that dollar.

In 2007, Larue put up a career worst slash line of .148/.240/.272 and four home runs for the KC Royals. He only appeared in 66 games that year, but managed to find a way to put up a -.2 bWAR. His time with the Royals was mostly forgettable and could be why Dayton Moore didn’t seek out too many more projects over those next few years.

Larue was a big miss for Moore. The Royals were in the middle of the worst stretch in franchise history and acquisitions like Larue were a big reason for that.

Next: The Older Bonifacio