Kansas City Royals Top Five Third Basemen

credit: kansascity.com

4. Paul Schaal (1969-1974, 8.9 WAR)

Paul Schaal holds several interesting places in Kansas City Royals history. First, he was one of the Royals original third baseman, along with Joe Foy, being selected with the 27th overall pick in the 1969 Expansion Draft. Secondly, he was the third baseman who would up being replaced by George Brett. So, Schaal definitely has a place in the history of the Royals.

Yet, he was more than just a trivia question. While Schaal was never an All-Star or an award winning player, he was a solid player who could be plugged in at either second or short without embarrassing himself.  Even though he is rated as having cost the Royals 30 runs at third, he still had enough versatility to play second and short relatively well.

Offensively, Paul Schaal was a solid, steady contributor, displaying a solid batting eye and an ability to get on base. During his time with the Royals, Schaal posted a .263/.360/.368 batting line, hitting 32 home runs and 84 doubles. While Schaal was absolutely not a power threat, he walked 300 times in 2340 plate appearances, while striking out only 226 times. If only that batting eye could be passed on to some of the current Royals players…..

Schaal was absolutely not a superstar by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a solid enough third baseman and utility player for the Royals.

Next: It is no joke that he is ranked here