People think of David Cone as a Yankee. That is really a shame because he had great years with both the Mets and the Kansas City Royals. Probably not the best year of his career, but he won the Cy Young with the Royals in 1994. He went 16-5 with a 2.94 ERA that year for the Royals who had drafted him 13 years earlier. He had 20 win seasons with both the Mets and Yankees but 1994 with Kansas City was his only Cy Young award.
Joakim Soria’s stay in Kansas City was ultimately short but he still had a huge impact on not so great teams. He was the third really dominant closer Kansas City has had and for about three years was a premier closer in the American League. It is sad to see him get injured and move to Texas but I wish him nothing but the best. He made two all-star teams for the Royals (2008, 2010) and amassed 160 saves while in Kansas City with a 2.40 ERA.
Cool Charlie Leibrandt fact: Finished 5th in the AL in Cy Young voting in 1985 (teammate Bret Saberhagen won the Cy Young) He had a career highs in wins (17) and ERA (2.69) in helping the Royals win the World Series.
Cool Larry Gura facts: Gura Finished in the top 10 in AL Cy Young voting 3 out of 4 years (1978, 1980, 1981) and won 10 or more games for 7 straight years for the Royals (1978-1984)
What is the best way to be a Royals fan right now? Concentrate on the great past instead of the dismal present.
This is the list of the 36 Greatest Royals so far in no particular order:
Cool Al Cowens fact: Finished second in the 1977 AL MVP voting and won a gold glove that same year. He had 23 Home Runs, 112 RBI and batted .312 while throwing out 14 runners from the outfield.
Mike Sweeney is a very beloved guy in Royals history. He was one of the “nice guys” in the game and the Kansas City fans embraced him during his years in Kansas City. His career is really one of those “What could’ve been…” stories however. Injuries plagued much of his career keeping him from becoming the superstar he was capable of being.
Sweeney put up what you could argue was the greatest season ever by a Royal at the plate. He batted .333 with 29 home runs and an amazing 144 RBI. He was one of the few players in recent history to were a “C” on his jersey every game representing “Captain.”
He bounced around a couple places after the Royals but never had any more great seasons for anyone else. One of his many injuries relegated him to strictly being a DH, determinately diminishing his value. In spring of 2011 he came back to the Royals to retire in a very cool act. He will always be a rare bright spot in a very dark era for the Kansas City Royals.
Alright, it is a little strange writing an article about how great Zack Greinke was and how he is one of the 36 greatest Royals players of all time. It is weird because he is still pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers. Whatever he does for the Brewers won’t tarnish his up and down career as a Kansas City Royal.
In 2009 he pretty much clinched the status as a Royals great by winning a Cy Young award on a terrible team. He consistently got poor run support and was almost unhittable all season. He posted 16 wins and more importantly a 2.17 ERA. This even came after a season where he almost left baseball and pitched in just 3 games. He then resurrected his career in the Kansas City bullpen and became a dominant starter. He only posted 60 wins in his 7 seasons in Kansas City but still was one of only a couple bright spots for those teams shortly after the turn of the century.
A Hair Off Square 