Kansas City Royals Franchise Four Candidates

credit: al.com

Amos Otis

In the early days of the Kansas City Royals franchise, when they were looking for players to help build themselves into a legitimate contender, one of the players they acquired was Amos Otis. Sent by the New York Mets to Kansas City along with Bob Johnson in exchange for Joe Foy, Otis quickly developed into one of the cornerstones for the Royals, making the All-Star team in each of his first four seasons with the team.

A key part of the Royals meteoric rise to contention, Otis was easily one of the greats to put on a Royals uniform. A five time All-Star and three time Gold Glove winner, Otis even finished as high as third in the 1973 MVP ballot. In his 14 years with the Royals, Otis produced a .280/.347/.433 batting line with 193 home runs, 374 doubles and 340 stolen bases.

Those numbers are enough for Amos Otis to rank among the very best in Kansas City Royals history. He ranks third in hits, home runs and RBI, and is second in runs, stolen bases and walks. A slick fielding outfielder as well, his strong arm kept Otis perennially among the league leaders in outfield assists and double plays, to the point where players just stopped running on him.

One of the players in Royals history who deserves to have his number retired, Otis is definitely one of the greatest hitters in Royals history.

Next: A great closer and witticist