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Kansas City Royals: Five Most Pleasant Surprises in 2016

By Leigh Oleszczak

Sep 28, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) pours the water cooler on right fielder Paulo Orlando (16) after the game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) pours the water cooler on right fielder Paulo Orlando (16) after the game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kansas City Royals catcher Drew Butera (9) – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Royals catcher Drew Butera (9) – Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The MLB playoffs are in full swing and the Kansas City Royals missed the mark, finishing the year at 81-81. The team had its ups and downs, but who were the five most pleasant surprises for the Royals?

With the long MLB offseason in effect for the KC Royals (October feels different this year), it’s time to cover all sorts of “Who did this” and “Who did that” topics for your enjoyment.

Last week, I went over the five biggest disappointments for the team in 2016, and none of those likely shocked anyone. This week, we’ll go over something much more optimistic, which involves the surprisingly good players this season.

With all of the injuries that occurred for the Royals, several young players had to step up and help this club win ball games. A few of those guys will appear on this list, but the rest shouldn’t be too crazy for anyone either.

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I think it’s pretty obvious who the most surprising players were. Let’s check out the list!

Most Pleasant Surprises in 2016 – Honorable Mention: Drew Butera

After catching the final out of the World Series last season, Drew Butera was brought back to Kansas City for 2016. It’s a good thing too because Butera ended up having a nice season in a Royals jersey.

One of the biggest arguments for people regarding Salvador Perez is that the Royals rely on him way too much. He caught 1,248.2 innings in 2014 and 1192.1 innings in 2015, both league highs, and that’s not counting the postseason. Holy moly.

This season, the Royals trusted Butera more to go out there and catch well in Salvy’s absence. He started 56 games and showed that when Salvy’s unavailable, the team has a solid backup on board.

Butera did well at the plate too, slashing .285/.328/.480  in 123 at bats. He hit four home runs, ten doubles, and one triple.

While we’re not sure what the future of Butera in Kansas City is, he was definitely a pleasant surprise in 2016.

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