KC Royals: Historical roster of greats who briefly played in Kansas City
By Cullen Jekel
Missed the Cut: Batters
Catcher, Miguel Olivo (Royals, 2008-2009): As you’ll see, catcher is this roster’s weakest position.
First baseman, Vic Power (Athletics, 1955-1958): Six-time All-Star won seven Gold Gloves.
First baseman, Bill Buckner (Royals, 1988-1989): Infamous for a fielding gaffe with the Red Sox, Buckner collected over 2,700 hits, reached the 1981 All-Star Game and won the 1980 National League Batting title while with the Cubs.
Second baseman, Clete Boyer (Athletics, 1955-1957): Boyer, who played high-school baseball in Alba, Missouri, won back-to-back World Series with the Yankees in the early 60’s before winning a Gold Glove with the Braves in 1969.
Second baseman, Mark Grudzielanek (Royals, 2006-2008): He reached the All-Star game in his second season with the Expos before cranking out 54 doubles the very next season.
Third baseman, Terry Pendleton (Royals, 1998): The 1991 NL MVP wrapped up his career in Kansas City.
Third baseman, Sal Bando (Athletics, 1966-1967): Bando played in 58 games with the Kansas City A’s before making four All-Star teams, winning three World Series, and finishing in the top five in MVP voting three times with Oakland.
Shortstop, Jay Bell (Royals, 1997): Alongside Jeff King and Chili Davis, Bell joined the Royals in 1997, injecting some excitement into the franchise. They finished 67-94.
Left fielder, Chuck Knoblauch (Royals, 2002): The four-time All-Star wrapped his career with the Royals after winning four World Series between the Twins (1991) and Yankees (1998-2000).
Left fielder, Vince Coleman (Royals, 1994-1995): Sixth on the all-time list in steals with 752, Coleman swiped 76 of them during his brief stint in Kansas City.
Left fielder, Kirk Gibson (Royals, 1991): Owner of one of the most famous home runs in MLB history, Gibson slashed .237/.341/.403 in 132 games for the Royals.
Left fielder, Rick Monday (Athletics, 1966-1967): The first ever No. 1 draft pick, Monday made two All-Star games during his career and won the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers.
Center fielder, Dave Henderson (Royals, 1994): Part of the Oakland Athletics teams that won three straight American League pennants on the 1989 World Series, Henderson appeared in just 56 games with the Royals before The Strike canceled the rest of the 1994 season.
Center fielder, Jim Landis (Athletics, 1965): With the White Sox, Landis won five consecutive Gold Gloves from 1960-1964.
Right fielder, Hank Bauer (Athletics, 1960-1961): As a member of the Yankees, Bauer made three All-Star teams and won the World Series seven times. He collected a total of 98 hits with the A’s.
Right fielder, Reggie Sanders (Royals, 2006-2007): Sanders played 17 seasons for eight different teams, finishing his solid career with four straight years in Missouri, the last two in Kansas City.
Designated Hitter, Juan Gonzalez (Royals, 2004): The two-time MVP, three-time All-Star, and six-time Silver Slugger appeared in just 33 games for the 2004 Royals, finishing with a .767 OPS.
Designated Hitter, Chili Davis (Royals, 1997): Corked 30 home runs and slugged .509 his sole season in Kansas City. Otherwise made three All-Star teams and won three World Series.
Missed the Cut: Pitchers
Starting pitcher, David Cone (Royals, 1986, 1993-1994): Winner of the Cy Young Award with the Royals in 1994, Cone made five All-Star teams and won the World Series five times, once with Toronto and four times with the Yankees.
Starting pitcher, Mike Boddicker (Royals, 1991-1992): Boddicker went 16-8 with the Orioles in 1983, the year they won the World Series before leading the Majors with 20 wins and capturing the ERA title the following season. He went 13-16 in two seasons in Kansas City.
Starting pitcher, Ervin Santana (Royals, 2013): The two-time All-Star has 149 career wins with a solid 4.32 FIP.
Starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto (Royals, 2015): Cueto, who finished second in Cy Young voting in 2014, had a memorable four-month stint for the World Series squad. He’s made two All-Star teams.
Starting pitcher, Hideo Nomo (Royals, 2008): The 1995 Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers appeared in three games for Kansas City in 2008 after not appearing in the majors since 2005.
Relief pitcher, Mitch Williams (Royals, 1997): Wild Thing gave up one one of the most famous home runs in baseball’s history in 1993 to local Joe Carter. Williams wrapped his career with seven appearances for Kansas City.
Relief pitcher, Nelson Briles (Royals, 1974-1975): Part of two World Series winners (1967 Cardinals, 1971 Pirates), Briles accumulated over 20 WAR throughout his 14-year career.
Relief pitcher, Ken Brett (Royals, 1980-1981): George’s older brother finished his 14-year career in Kansas City, making 30 appearances between his final two seasons. He made the National League All-Star team in 1974 while with Pittsburgh.