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Hall of Fame Chances of Three Former Royals Players

By David Hill

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Despite their vibrant history, the Royals have only one representative in the Baseball Hall of Fame – George Brett. Well, if one wants to count Harmon Killebrew and his one season in powder blue, or Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda from their short tenures, then the Royals can claim four Hall of Fame players. Considering the Royals have been around for 45 years, that is definitely not a lot.

However, it is that time of year where the Hall of Fame ballot has been announced. Once again, there are former Royals players on the ballot, as a trio of players look to add their names to the annuls of greatness. Those three Royals seeking to be enshrined in Cooperstown are Tom Gordon, Jermaine Dye and Paul Byrd. Do any of them have a chance? Well, let us look at their resumes.

First, Tom Gordon. While he may now be best known for being the love interest/favorite player of the girl in a Stephen King book, Gordon was at one point in time a solid starter for the Royals. He eventually transitioned into the bullpen, where he became a three time All-Star. Overall, Gordon posted a 138-126 record with a 3.96 ERA, a 1.360 WHiP and 158 saves. It was a decent career, but definitely not Hall of Fame worthy.

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    • Next, we turn to Jermaine Dye. Dye, according to the Baseball-Reference Hall of Fame Monitor and Standards, actually has the best case of any of the Royals candidates. Over his fourteen year career, the fearsome slugger produced a .274/.338/.453 batting line with 325 home runs. Althugh he was known for his offense, Dye also won a Gold Glove in 2000 for the Royals, and was perennially among the leaders in outfield assists. While Dye still does not have a chance at the Hall, the solid two way player may garner a vote or two in recognition of a nice career.

    Finally, we look at Paul Byrd, who may be as shocked as I was to see that he was on the ballot. Yes, he had a couple of nice seasons for the Royals, leading the American League in complete games in 2002. Yet, in his career, Byrd was a league average pitcher, posting a 109-96 record with a 4.41 ERA. As much as I enjoyed his old school wind up, that is not worth a Hall of Fame vote.

    Once again, it seems as though the Royals will have four players in the Hall of Fame for at least one more year. While each of these players had a solid career, none of them will be changing that this season.

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