Kansas City Royals: Time For A Captain

The Kansas City Royals haven’t had a captain since 2007. Is it time to anoint someone the captain of the ship?

Mike Sweeney is the last player to wear a ‘C’ on his uniform for the Kansas City Royals. He was the team’s captain from 2003-2007. While he never led his team to victory, he was the face of the franchise for many years.

There have only been two other captains for the Kansas City Royals. Both of those players have had their numbers retired by the Kansas City Royals. Those players were George Brett and Frank White.

One thing all of those players have in common is their tenure with the Royals. All of them played for the Royals for more than ten seasons and Brett and White never played for another team. Sweeney played for a couple other teams in the twilight of his career, but never put up the same kind of numbers that he did when in Kansas City.

Playing for a team for more than ten seasons is a rarity in today’s game. There are a total of 14 players that are still active in the Major Leagues that are in their tenth year or more for their team.

The Royals currently have two players on contracts that will keep them in Kansas City for at least a tenth year of service. Both Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez have a chance at being ‘lifers’ for the Royals.

Gordon just signed a deal that keeps in in KC through 2019. His contract has an option for 2020 but even without that year that will give him 13 years for the Royals. Perez just extended his contract through 2021 which would keep him in Kansas City for at least 11 seasons.

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Both of those things are prone to change due to injury or should some kind of trade come up. It’s unlikely the Royals would be willing to trade either of these players unless the haul was too good to pass up.

Should either of these players be named captain for a Royals’ team that just won the World Series? A case could be made for either of them.

Alex Gordon saved the Royals in game one of the 2015 World Series with a monstrous home run to tie the game in the ninth inning. Salvador Perez took too many foul balls to the face mask to count, and walked away with the World Series MVP.

While both of these players could be named captain for the Royals, don’t look for that to happen with Ned Yost at the helm. He takes his cues from mentor Bobby Cox who never named a team captain when they were with the Braves.

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Ned Yost may have the right idea. The Royals probably don’t need a captain with the way they play the game. The best part about the team, is that the team is the captain. Every player has been key for this team to succeed. There is no one player who the team has to rely on night in and night out.

While no one player is likely to get a ‘C’ sewn onto their jersey, every player wears a ‘C’ on their hats. It’s the ‘C’ in KC that this team has shown is important. There is a bond between the team and the city right now.

The team plays for each other and they play for the fans. The fans live and die with every move the team makes. As the team goes, so goes the city.

Next: Spring Training Overreactions

What do you think Kansas City Royals’ fans? Should the Royals name a captain? Is this team above any one player being named captain? Let me know your thoughts in the comments’ section below.