Kansas City Royals: Best Pitchers of All-Time in Wins Above Replacement

ALL-TIME LEADERS IN WAR FOR PITCHERS – NUMBER 7: CHARLIE LEIBRANDT

Royals Pitcher from 1984-1989 (WAR – 23.0)

Charlie Leibrandt had some of his best major league seasons as a Royal and his 23.0 WAR is proof of that for sure. He joined the Royals in 1984 and went on to be one of their best pitchers during his time in Kansas City.

Although Leibrandt’s career postseason numbers weren’t the most impressive, he did a nice job for the Royals during the run in 1985, especially in the World Series. He dazzled in two starts against the Cardinals, throwing 16.1 innings with a 2.76 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, and ten strikeouts.

While Leibrandt would go 0-1 in the World Series, the end result was all that mattered and that was the Royals winning the whole thing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Without Charlie Leibrandt, it’s unlikely that the Royals pull through and win their first title.

The 1985 regular season was one of Leibrandt’s best, as he had a season ERA of 2.69 after 33 starts and in 237.2 innings thrown. He had 108 strikeouts that year. That performance helped propel the Royals to the postseason.

Leibrandt spent six seasons as a Royal, but he was an important piece on their team during his time there. His 23.0 WAR shows just how vital he was to the Kansas City Royals and his 1985 World Series performances are some of the best in Royals history.