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

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Pitcher Bret Saberhagen #31 pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in game seven of the World Series, October 27, 1985 (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

ALL-TIME LEADERS IN WAR FOR PITCHERS – NUMBER 2: BRET SABERHAGEN

Royals Pitcher from 1984-1991 (WAR – 40.8)

Shockingly, Bret Saberhagen is not number one on this list. He is second, however, and with an impressive WAR of 40.8. Even younger Royals fans know who Bret Saberhagen is and he’ll always be one of the best pitchers in franchise history.

Saberhagen made his MLB debut in 1984 at just 19 years old and would go on to straight up deal on the mound for the Royals. His lowest ERA while pitching in Kansas City was 4.15 and that was in the third year of his pro career.

Saberhagen won two Cy Young Awards during his Royals tenure, once in 1987 and again in 1989. Oddly enough, he didn’t make the All-Star Game in either of those two seasons, but did make it to the 1987 and 1990 All-Star Games.

Saberhagen had 110 wins and 3.21 ERA with 64 complete games in 1,660.1 innings during his Royals career. When it comes to the best pitchers in the organization’s history, Bret Saberhagen is always one of the first to be mentioned, and for good reason.

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