Kansas City Royals: 20 Best Royals During the Dark Years

Best Kansas City Royals during the dark years: 19. Paul Byrd

ROYALS STARTING PITCHER IN 2001 AND 2002

Injuries and overall poor performance were what brought pitcher Paul Byrd to Kansas City in 2001. Byrd was 30 years old at the time, but the Royals took a chance on him.

He only spent two years in Kansas City and actually fared pretty decently in 2002 with an ERA of 3.90 in 33 starts. He went 12-7 during that time and pitched in 228.1 innings.

According to Max Rieper of Royals Review, Byrd was tenth in the league in wins in 2002. He had a great start to the season, winning his first four starts, but didn’t finish nearly as strong.

The Royals lost 100 games in 2002 and Byrd was one of the few bright spots on the team. He very well could have been traded during the deadline that season, but nothing ever came of it.

That offseason, Byrd became a free agent and signed with the Atlanta Braves. Rieper stated,

"The acquisition of Paul Byrd was probably the best trade in Allard Baird regime. Unfortunately, his failure to trade the pitcher was one of many bungles during his stay that caused the Royals to become perennial 100 game losers."

While it would have been smart for the Royals to have tried to get something out of trading Byrd, perhaps him potentially hinting at signing an extension kept him in Kansas City during that time.

Still, Paul Byrd is one of the best players during the dark ages for the Kansas City Royals.

STATS WHILE WITH THE ROYALS

23-17 Record

3.95 ERA

321.2 innings pitched

1.225 WHIP