Kansas City Royals All Time Starting Rotation

Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

For the past two and a half months, we have looked back at the all time greats at each position in Kansas City Royals history. Over the course of their tenure with the Royals, these players had come to establish themselves among the best players that Kansas City had to offer.

When going through the Royals all time starting pitching list, it was interesting to see how many of those players owed their ranking due to their excellent consistency as opposed to having a truly dominant season or two. Of course, there were pitchers like Bret Saberhagen, who was truly dominant at times during his time in Kansas City, which helped his place on the all time list.

But what about those other pitchers in Kansas City Royals history? What about those pitchers who posted excellent seasons, but did not pitch long enough to be recognized in the career lists? In fact, these excellent seasons may be a better indication of what the Royals all time starting rotation would be.

So, with that in mind, let us go back and look back upon the five greatest seasons in the history of the Kansas City Royals. Since we would be building a hypothetical pitching staff, each player will be used only once if they appear on the Royals top ten list for greatest seasons.

Let us know if there is a pitcher who had a season that you feel would have been good enough to make the list, or if you would choose a different season than the ones listed.

Next: They made the same mistake twice

5. David Cone (1994)

David Cone was just not destined to remain with the Kansas City Royals for any length of time. Originally traded to the New York Mets in the ill-fated move to acquire Ed Hearn, Cone was signed as a free agent following the 1992 season. He lasted two seasons in Kansas City before being sent to the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the start of the 1995 season, as the Royals received two minor leaguers and Chris Stynes. Yup.

During those two full seasons that Cone spent with the Royals in the mid 1990’s, he was the top of the rotation starter that they had hoped for. During those two seasons, Cone was a combined 27-19 with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.182 WHiP, striking out 323 batters in 425.2 innings of work.

His 1994 season, shortened due to the strike, was truly special. That year, Cone posted a 16-5 record with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.072 WHiP, striking out 132 batters against 54 walks. Cone not only made the All-Star game, but also earned his only career Cy Young award and finished ninth in the MVP vote. If the season had not ended due to the strike, Cone would have had a legitimate chance at his second career 20 win season.

David Cone was an excellent pitcher for much of his career, and posted two great seasons with the Kansas City Royals. Slotting in as the fifth starter, he would be a tremendous part of the starting rotation.

Next: The career year

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

3. Kevin Appier (1993)

Kevin Appier was a promising young starter who really began to make his presence felt in the 1992 season. That year, he posted a career best 2.46 ERA with a 15-8 record, taking a step forward from being a good pitching prospect to a legitimately solid piece of a major league rotation.

In 1993, Appier truly arrived. He led the American League with a 2.56 ERA and allowed only eight home runs in his 238.2 innings of work. Overall, he posted an 18-8 record with a 1.106 WHiP, finishing third in the Cy Young vote despite somehow being snubbed for the All-Star team. Coupled with David Cone, he gave the Kansas City Royals an excellent top of the rotation.

Appier would go on to have a solid career in Kansas City, finally making the All-Star team in 1995. However, for as good as he was later in his career, Appier never quite touched that same level as he did in the early 1990’s when he appeared set to lead the Royals rotation throughout the rest of the decade.

Kevin Appier did manage to win a World Series ring with the California/Los Angeles/Anaheim/Glendale/wherever Angels in 2002, and was a part of the Kansas City Royals magical 2003 season when they finished over .500. He had a nice career, but was truly at his best in the early part of the 1990’s.

Next: How was he not an All-Star?

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

2. Bret Saberhagen (1989)

Early in his career, Bret Saberhagen was known for several things, not the least of which was his strange tendency to have mediocre performances in even numbered seasons and dominate in odd numbered years. It truly was bizarre how that trend came about.

In the mid to latter 1980’s, Saberhagen was one of the better pitchers in baseball. He won two Cy Young awards, despite not making the All-Star team in either of those seasons. Saberhagen even appeared in the top ten in the MVP ballot twice and won a Gold Glove award during that time.

For all of the dominating seasons that Saberhagen had, his 1989 season may have been the best of them all. Somehow snubbed from being an All-Star again, Saberhagen proceeded to produce a 23-6 record with a 2.16 ERA and a 0.961 WHiP. He led the American League in wins, ERA, WHiP, complete games (12) and innings pitched (262.1) that season. The only question about that season is how he lost a first place vote in the Cy Young ballot to Dave Stewart.

Bret Saberhagen had some truly stellar seasons for the Kansas City Royals, but his performance in 1989 was the best of his career. Yet, that was only the second greatest season in the history of the Royals.

Next: The breakthrough

Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

1. Zack Greinke (2009)

Prior tot he 2009 season, Zack Greinke was a promising pitcher who tantalized with his potential, but there were questions as to whether or not he would ever be able to put everything together. He had left baseball in 2006 after suffering a mental breakdown, leading him to seek treatment for depression. Just the fact that he was able to come back at all is a testament to his mental toughness and desire.

After posting two solid seasons in 2007 and 2008, everything came together for Greinke in 2009. He dominated from the outset of the season, posting an 8-1 record with a 0.84 ERA in his first ten starts. While he was unable to continue at that same pace, Greinke was one of the few bright spots on the 2009 Kansas City Royals, posting a 16-8 record with a 2.16 ERA and a 1.073 WHiP on a team that won a total of 65 games that year.

Greinke’s performance was enough to earn the Cy Young award by a surprisingly large margin. It had been expected that, despite his dominance, Greinke would be penalized due to his low win total. However, the emergence of Greinke as the Cy Young winner signified a definite shift away from traditional statistics as the only measure of success.

That 2009 season may well be the best in the history of the Kansas City Royals. It was certainly enough to make Zack Greinke the ace of the Royals all time starting rotation.

Next: Kansas City Royals Top Five Relief Pitchers