Royal Representation

With the playoffs in full swing and down to the four final teams, we are forced to watch from the sidelines or reluctantly pay attention to the Chiefs. I thought that a fun activity for a bitter Royals fan would be to look at the former Royals who are still playing for a World Series Ring. After all, that’s one of Royal Fan’s favorite pastimes – criticizing the club for sending guys to better teams. Here is this year’s crop of former boys in blue still chasing the dream:

Texas Rangers-Esteban German
-German spent 3 years in KC (2006-2008), primarily as a utility man. He played a total of 316 games in a Royals uniform. Overall: .280/.363/.394. German had his best year in 2006, when he hit .326 and had an OBP of .422.
-Played for Texas before coming over to the Royals in a trade in December of 2005.
-He was released by the Royals in March 2009.
-2011: he’s spent most of the last 3 years in AAA, and earnined a September call-up. He has been used primarily as a utility man & late inning defensive replacement in 11 games. He has not yet appeared in the playoffs this year.

Texas Rangers-Matt Treanor
-It seems like he was just here – that’s because he was. Treanor spent most of 2011 in KC, appearing in 65 games and splitting the catching duties. Hit .226/.351/.306. His season took a turn on July 30th, when he had a collision at home plate with the Indians’ Matt LaPorta (Treanor held onto the ball). He went on DL w/ a concussion & did not play another game in a Royals uniform.
-Treanor was drafted by the Royals back in 1994
-Played for the Rangers in 2010 before coming to KC
-His contract was purchased by the Rangers on August 31, 2011.
-2011: In Texas, Treanor appeared in 12 games – went 0-10 with 4 Ks. He has not appeared in the postseason.

Texas Rangers-Endy Chavez
-You probably don’t remember, but Chavez played for the Royals in 2001. He actually made his major league debut against the Rangers on May 29th, 2001. The outfielder appeared in 29 games, hitting .208/.238/.234, before being sent down to the minors in July.
-He was selected off waivers by the Tigers in December, 2001.
-2011: As a fourth outfielder, Chavez played in 83 games, hitting .301/.323/.426. He has not yet played in the 2011 postseason.

Detroit Tigers-Wilson Betemit
-Betemit played for the Royals in 2010 & half of 2011. He appeared in 141 total games during that span, hitting .290/.362/.468. 57 of those games this were this season, playing most of them at 3B before some guy named Moustakas showed up.
-He was traded to the Tigers for a couple of minor leaguers on July 20, 2011.
-2011: With the Tigers, he appeared in 40 games – sharing time at 3B with Brandon Inge and hit .292/.346/.525. He’s played in three of the Tigers’ postseason games this year, and is 0-8 with 4 Ks.

St. Louis Cardinals-Octavio Dotel
-Dotel has played for 12 different teams in his major league career and played for KC during the first part of 2007. He made 24 appearances that year, going 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA. Dotel compiled 11 saves in 14 opportunities, quickly becoming a quality bullpen option for a contender and earning his way out of Kansas City.
-On July 31, 2007, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for…wait for it…Kyle Davies. Yikes.
-Dotel was actually a part of the 3 team trade with the A’s and Astros that brought Mark Teahen, Mike Wood, and John Buck to KC. Unfortunately, you remember that trade sent Carlos Beltran to the Astros. Dotel ended up with the A’s (for one year).
-This is his fourth time in the postseason, last was in 2008 with the White Sox.
-2011: Dotel split time this season between Toronto and St. Louis. Since coming to the Cardinals, he was 5-4 with a 3.50 ERA & has held opposing batters to a .185 average. He has 62 Ks in 54 IP. This postseason, he’s made 3 appearances & picked up a win in game 2 vs. the Phillies when the Cardinals took the lead during his 1 1/3 Innings on the mound.

Milwaukee Brewers-Yuniesky Betancourt
-Betancourt played with KC & was the team’s error-prone shortstop during the 2nd part of 2009 & all of 2010. He started 151 games in ’10, hitting .259/.288/.405, & hit a career high 16 HR.
-On December 19, 2010, he was part of one of the biggest trades in recent Royals history. Along with Zack Greinke (see below) and cash, he went to the Milwaukee Brewers. In return, the Royals received Jake Odorizzi , Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress.
-2011: he has been the Brew Crew’s everyday shortstop, playing in 152 games & hitting .252/.271/.281. During the postseason, he played all 5 games against the Diamondbacks, going 5-18 (.278), driving in 1 run, and made an error in game 2’s win.

Milwaukee Brewers-Zack Greinke
-Everyone knows about this one. With this year’s pitching woes, this is definitely the toughest one for Royals fans. Greinke got what he wanted, got off of a losing team, and now finds himself in the ALCS. After being drafted by the Royals in 2002, Greinke played 7 years in KC & had the epitome of an up and down career. From battling depression & walking away from the game to winning the AL Cy Young award in 2009. During the 7 years, he lost more games than he should have due to lack of offensive support. He was 60-67 with a 3.82 ERA in 210 games. His K/BB ration over that span was 931/280.
-2011: Greinke was 16-6 with a 3.83 ERA. He struggled at times, but led the NL with 10.5 Ks per 9 innings. He started game 2 against the Diamondbacks, throwing 5 innings & getting roughed up for 8 hits, 4 ER, and 3 HR. On a positive note, he struck out 7 & walked none. He’s slated to start Game 1 of the NLCS against the Cardinals.
*note- Greinke is 5-3 in 9 appearances all-time against St. Louis.

So there you go. No real impact players other than Greinke, maybe Betancourt. Just a bunch of guys who improved their situation – for this year anyway. No matter how it shakes out, at least one former Royal will be wearing a World Series ring at the end of the season.

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.