Kansas City Royals Top Five Right Fielders

Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

5. Pat Kelly (1969-1970, 3.2 WAR)

Pat Kelly is sort of on this list by default. He ranks tenth all time amongst Royals that played in right and had over 1000 at bats, but most of those players spent the majority of their time at another position. So, Kelly, despite only two seasons with the Kansas City Royals, finds his way onto the top ten list.

That is not to say that Kelly was awful for the Royals. He was certainly a solid player, posting a .249/.347/.350 batting line with 14 home runs and 74 stolen bases. Kelly drew 125 walks, using his speed to generate offense for the expansion Royals. Although that batting line may seem mediocre, Kelly posted a 95 OPS+, and was just about league average at a time when offense was rather lacking in baseball.

Defensively, Pat Kelly was able to truly make his mark. In 1970, Kelly ranked in the top five amongst right fielders in assists, range factor, runs saved, fielding percentage and double plays. Even back in the early days, the Kansas City Royals showed that speed and defense were prerequisites to playing time.

He may not have been the best player with the name, but he was the first Pat Kelly. And among Royals who were primarily right fielders, he was the fifth best.

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