The 9 greatest players in Kansas City Royals history

By Tim Kelly, Audacy Sports

Updated on

The Kansas City Royals selected Zack Greinke with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2002 MLB Draft, a pick before the Milwaukee Brewers selected Prince Fielder.

Greinke had some peaks and valleys on the mound with the Royals, but finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2004. Five years later, Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 2.33 FIP -- both of which were the top marks in the junior circuit -- en route to winning the American League Cy Young Award.

The Royals had gone 83-79 in 2003, the year before Greinke debuted. But during the seven seasons that Greinke pitched for the team the Royals didn't once post a winning record, losing 93 or more games in six of those campaigns.

A baseball renaissance was on its way in Kansas City, just not in time for Greinke to be a part of it. In December of 2010, Greinke requested that the Royals trade him. A few days after his trade request became public, the Royals sent Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt to the Brewers for a pretty impressive return of Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi.

More than a decade later, Greinke is likely in the final few seasons of a career that may very well end with him in Cooperstown. If Greinke is eventually elected to the Hall of Fame, it will be interesting to see if he wears any cap on his plaque. He won his lone Cy Young Award with the Royals and the 210 games (169 starts) that he made in Kansas City are by far the most he's had with any teams. Still, Greinke was excellent in parts of four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his absolute peak as a player may have come during the three seasons that he spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Greinke may very well end up with a blank cap in the Hall of Fame, like recent inductees Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina.

Had Greinke spent his entire career in Kansas City, he likely would have been No. 2 on this list. But the 3.82 ERA and 3.59 FIP that Greinke posted during his time in Kansas City made him one of the first names off this list, along with the likes of the aforementioned Cain, Frank White, Eric Hosmer, Hal McRae, Mike Moustakas, Mark Gubicza and John Mayberry.

With such an impressive list of names left off of our countdown, it gives you an idea of how exclusive our countdown of the nine greatest players in Royals history is:

Mike Sweeney is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

9. Mike Sweeney (1995-2007)

Best Season as a Royal: 2000 - .333/.407/.523 with 29 home runs, 144 RBIs, 71 walks, .930 OPS, 131 OPS+ and 3.3 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .299/.369/.492 with 197 home runs, 837 RBIs, 484 walks, 1,398 hits, .861 OPS, 120 OPS+ and 20.2 fWAR

Sweeney never got to play in the postseason with the Royals, but was a five-time All-Star during his 13 seasons in Kansas City. Sweeney's 197 home runs are third in franchise history, and he finds himself in the top six among all Royals in terms of career batting average (.299), slugging percentage (.492), OPS (.861), doubles (297), home runs (197), RBIs (837), walks (484) and extra-base hits (499).

Carlos Beltran is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

8. Carlos Beltrán (1998-2004)

Best Season as a Royal: 2003 - .307/.389/.522 with 26 home runs, 100 RBIs, 72 walks, .911 OPS, 132 OPS+ and 6.9 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .287/.352/.483 with 123 home runs, 516 RBIs, 316 walks, 899 hits, .835 OPS, 111 OPS+ and 25.0 fWAR

Beltrán already cracked our countdown of the nine greatest New York Mets, and finds himself on the Royals list as well. A second-round pick in the 1995 MLB Draft, Beltrán was the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year and probably deserved more than just the one All-Star Game appearance he made during parts of seven seasons in Kansas City. As a Royal, Beltrán drove in over 100 runs on four occasions, and set a franchise record with an 87.70% stolen base percentage. Beltrán will become eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot in 2023, and if elected, it will be interesting to see whether he goes in as a Royal, a Met or with a blank cap.

Kevin Appier is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT)

7. Kevin Appier (1989-1999; 2003-2004)

Best Season as a Royal: 1993 - 18-8 with a 2.56 ERA, 179 ERA+, 2.90 FIP, 1.106 WHIP, 186 strikeouts, five complete games and a 6.8 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: 115-92 with a 3.49 ERA, 130 ERA+, 3.49 FIP, 1.250 WHIP, 1,458 strikeouts, 32 complete games and 41.9 fWAR

One of the most underrated pitchers of the 1990s, Appier's 42.9 fWAR between 1990 and 1999 was the seventh best mark among all pitchers, and ahead of future Hall of Famers Tom Glavine, Pedro Martínez and Mike Mussina. Appier won the American League ERA title in 1993 with a 2.56 ERA, and finished third in AL Cy Young voting, behind Jack McDowell and Randy Johnson. An All-Star in 1995, Appier is the Royals' all-time leader in fWAR among pitchers (41.9) and strikeouts (1,458).

Alex Gordon is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

6. Alex Gordon (2007-2020)

Best Season as a Royal: 2011 - .303/.376/.502 23 home runs, 87 RBIs, 67 walks, .879 OPS, 140 OPS+ and a 6.6 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .257/.338/.410 with 190 home runs, 749 RBIs, 684 walks, 1,643 hits, .748 OPS, 102 OPS+ and 32.4 fWAR

A failed third baseman, Gordon became one of the greatest defensive left fielders that the sport has ever seen. An eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Gordon also captured the Platinum Glove Award as the American League's top overall defender in both the 2014 and 2020 seasons. Gordon was hardly a slouch at the plate either, as he retired after a 14-year career spent exclusively with the Royals in the top five in fWAR among position players (32.4), doubles (357), home runs (190), walks (684) and total bases (2,622).

Willie Wilson is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Wikimedia Commons)

5. Willie Wilson (1976-1990)

Best Season as a Royal: 1980 - .326/.357/.421 with three home runs, 49 RBIs, 28 walks, .778 OPS, 113 OPS+ and a 7.0 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .289/.329/.382 with 40 home runs, 509 RBIs, 28 walks, 1,968 hits, .711 OPS, 95 OPS+ and 38.0 fWAR

A two-time All-Star, Wilson spent the first 15 seasons of his career with the Royals, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in stolen bases, with 612. Wilson -- who won the 1982 American League batting title -- is among the top five position players in franchise history in fWAR (35.2), offensive WAR (32.5), defensive WAR (9.5), singles (1,554), triples (133), hits (1,968) and runs scored (1,060).

Salvador Perez is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

4. Salvador Perez (2011-Present)

Best Season as a Royal: 2021 - .273/.316/.544 with 48 home runs, 121 RBIs, 28 walks, .859 OPS, 126 OPS+ and 3.4 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .270/.302/.463 with 200 home runs, 656 RBIs, 162 walks, 1,161 hits, .765 OPS, 104 OPS+ and 15.2 fWAR

One of the best catchers of his era, Perez is a seven-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner. In 2021 -- his age-31 season -- Perez led the American League with 48 home runs and 121 RBIs, with his home run total setting a new single-season mark among all catchers in MLB history. He added that honor to his 2015 World Series MVP, which he won after hitting .364 against the New York Mets. Perez is still playing at a very high level, and with a few more productive seasons, figures to draw serious Hall of Fame consideration once his career is concluded.

Amos Otis is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Malcolm Emmons/USA Today)

3. Amos Otis (1970-1983)

Best Season as a Royal: 1978 - .298/.380/.525 with 22 home runs, 96 RBIs, 66 walks, .905 OPS, 151 OPS+ and a 7.2 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .280/.347/.433 with 193 home runs, 992 RBIs, 739 walks, 1,977 hits, .780 OPS, 118 OPS+ and 42.1 fWAR

A five-time All-Star, Otis led the American League in doubles twice (1970 & 1976) during his 14 years in Kansas City, also pacing the junior circuit with 52 stolen bases in 1971. Otis managed to win three Gold Glove Awards as a Royal, and is in the top four in franchise history in terms of fWAR (42.0), offensive WAR (49.2), hits (1,977), doubles (365), triples (65), home runs (193), total bases (3,051) and runs scored (1,074).

Bret Saberhagen is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

2. Bret Saberhagen (1984-1991)

Best Season as a Royal: 1989 - 23-6 with a 2.16 ERA, 180 ERA+, 2.45 FIP, 0.961 WHIP, 193 strikeouts, 12 complete games and a 7.5 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: 110-78 with a 3.21 ERA, 128 ERA+, 3.10 FIP, 1.134 WHIP, 1,093 strikeouts, 64 complete games and 36.9 fWAR

It took Saberhagen only eight seasons in Kansas City to win two American League Cy Young Awards (1985 & 1989). In addition to capturing his first Cy Young Award in 1985, Saberhagen was also named World Series MVP after pitching two complete games in the Fall Classic. Saberhagen -- who made two All-Star teams with the Royals -- is the franchise's all-time leader in WHIP (1.134).

George Brett is one of the greatest players in Royals history. Photo credit (Malcolm Emmons/USA Today)

1. George Brett (1973-1993)

Best Season as a Royal: 1980 - .390/.454/.664 with 24 home runs, 118 RBIs, 58 walks, 1.118 OPS, 203 OPS+ and a 9.1 fWAR
Career Stats as a Royal: .305/.369/.487 with 317 home runs, 1,596 RBIs, 1,096 walks, 3,154 hits, .857 OPS, 135 OPS+ and 84.6 fWAR

Far and away, Brett is the greatest player in Royals history. Brett made 13 All-Star teams during a 21-year career spent exclusively with the Royals. Brett won three batting titles (1976, 1980 & 1990), three Silver Slugger Awards (1980, 1985 & 1988), a Gold Glove (1985) and an American League MVP (1980), en route to cementing his place as one of the greatest third basemen in MLB history. The Royals retired Brett's No. 5 in 1994, five years before he would become the first player to wear the franchise's cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.

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audio from 92-9 The Game

Ninety Two Point Nine The Game

The 9 greatest players in Kansas City Royals history

9. Mike Sweeney (1995-2007)

8. Carlos Beltrán (1998-2004)

7. Kevin Appier (1989-1999; 2003-2004)

6. Alex Gordon (2007-2020)

5. Willie Wilson (1976-1990)

4. Salvador Perez (2011-Present)

3. Amos Otis (1970-1983)

2. Bret Saberhagen (1984-1991)

1. George Brett (1973-1993)

LATEST in sports

audio from 92-9 The Game

Ninety Two Point Nine The Game

9. Mike Sweeney (1995-2007)

8. Carlos Beltrán (1998-2004)

7. Kevin Appier (1989-1999; 2003-2004)

6. Alex Gordon (2007-2020)

5. Willie Wilson (1976-1990)

4. Salvador Perez (2011-Present)

3. Amos Otis (1970-1983)

2. Bret Saberhagen (1984-1991)

1. George Brett (1973-1993)

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