Kansas City Royals All-Time Worst 25 Man Roster

Nov 3, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A Kansas City Royals fans shows support while waiting on players to arrive for the World Series victory celebration at Union Station. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

First Base – Ken Harvey

When looking over Fangraphs’ WAR rankings for the Kansas City Royals, Ken Harvey is listed as the second worst player ever to put on the Royals uniform (more on the leader there later). Strangely, that was never the impression that he made when I watched him.

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His numbers appear to be decent enough. Before his career was derailed by back injuries, Harvey posted a .274/.322/.411 batting line with 27 home runs. Considering that he had only two full seasons in the majors, and made the All-Star team during one of those, Harvey would seem to be a decent enough player.

However, these statistics were put up towards the end of the steroid era in baseball. Players were routinely hitting for a great deal more power, and as a first baseman, Harvey just was not their equal. Add in his -31.6 offense score and his brutal defense, and his standing as one of the worst players in Royals history is understood.

Ken Harvey may have seemed like a better player based on the eyeball test, but one has to remember the context in which his numbers were produced. While he may have had a chance to be a solid major league player, those back injuries cost Harvey that chance.

Next: This spot has been a true black hole