Kansas City Royals: All-Time Leaders in Runs Batted In

ROYALS ALL-TIME LEADERS IN RBI: NUMBER 7 – BILLY BUTLER (628)

ROYALS DESIGNATED HITTER FROM 2007-2014

One of the first Royals drafted to begin “The Process” was Billy Butler, who the KC Royals selected 14th overall in the 2004 MLB Draft. Butler made his MLB debut in 2007 and became a fan favorite amongst Royals fans shortly after.

During his Royals tenure, Butler slashed .295/.359/.449 with 628 RBIs and 127 home runs. Butler was a true designated hitter when he was in Kansas City, though at times, it did appear that playing first base helped with his offensive production (see the 2014 season for an example of that).

One of the best moments of Butler’s career actually stemmed from a negative. After making the 2012 All-Star Game, which was being hosted in Kansas City that year, Robinson Cano did not pick Butler to be a part of his team for the Home Run Derby. The people of Kansas City let Cano how they felt about that decision, booing him throughout his entire turn and cheering whenever he made an out.

Two years later, the Royals made it to the postseason, and Butler got to take part in his first World Series. While it stunk that the Royals would win the World Series without Butler in 2015, at least he made it to one with the team that drafted him.

Butler and his “Rally Sauce” moved onto Oakland after the 2014 season wrapped up and didn’t make it through his three-year deal there. He finished off his career with the Yankees and is no longer in Major League Baseball. Despite that, he’s seventh all-time in RBIs for the Kansas City Royals.