Kansas City Royals: Top Second Basemen In Franchise History
By Joel Wagler
Three Seasons – 2006-2008. 2B. KC. Mark Grudzielanek. 5. player. 7
Best second baseman in Kansas City Royals history: 5. Mark Grudzielanek
There are players in the major leagues that you just don’t appreciate exactly how good of a player they are until they come to your team. Mark Grudzielanek was just a player. He combined grit and hard-nosed play with a talented bat and glove.
It was a shame the Royals were so terrible during Grud’s time in Kansas City. He deserved better than winding down his career on such crappy teams.
Despite spending only three seasons with the Kansas City Royals, he accumulated the fourth-most plate appearances of any second baseman in team history. He was a productive hitter for Kansas City.
His batting average is the third highest in team history, regardless of position, for players with more than 1,000 plate appearances. He was also a very good defender, accumulating a 19.7 UZR in his years with the team. He won a Gold Glove as a Royal in 2006.
Grudzielanek was a fun player to watch, and it would have been nice if he could have been in a Royals uniform more than those three brief seasons.
Despite coming to Kansas City near the end of his career, and despite the teams he played on here, he still was good enough to come in as the fifth-best second baseman in Royals history.