Kansas City Royals Top Five Third Basemen

credit: ljworld.com

3. Joe Randa (1995-1996, 1999-2004, 13.1 WAR)

For some reason, it has always seemed to me as though Joe Randa was underappreciated during his time with the Royals. Perhaps this is due to his appearing during the “Trust Years,” where anything of value was sent away. This even included Randa at one point, as he was traded for Jay Bell and Jeff King before being reacquired prior to the 1999 season. Yet, The Joker, as he was known, was another solid third baseman for the Royals.

While Randa was never an All-Star, he did have several solid seasons for the Kansas City Royals. His 1999 season was particularly solid, as Randa posted a .314/.363/.473 batting line with 16 home runs and 36 doubles, while leading the American League in putouts, assists and double plays as a third baseman.

Overall for the Royals, Joe Randa produced a .288/.340/.428 batting line with 86 home runs and 223 doubles. While that batting line was only good enough for an OPS+ of 95, Randa was a solid defensive player, saving 12 runs at third while being able to play second on occasion if needed.

He may not have been a star, but Randa was a solid third baseman, and was actually the third best in Kansas City Royals history.

Next: The expected heir to the crown