Kansas City Royals All-Time Worst 25 Man Roster

Aug 13, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A member of the Kansas City Royals Blue Crew entertains the crowd against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. The Angels won the game 7-6. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Shortstop – Yuniesky Betancourt

Prior to the recent success that the Kansas City Royals had, Dayton Moore continually asked the fanbase to trust in The Process. It was easy to sell hope and the idea of a strong farm system early on, but as the team continued to struggle, patience began to wear thin. When Dan Cortes, who had been a top prospect, was traded to the Mariners for Yuniesky Betancourt, Royals fans had a target for their frustration.

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Betancourt, while he hit for some power, seemingly did not do anything else that was remotely useful. He was terrible defensively, costing the Royals eleven runs in a season and a half, while being unable to get on base or make consistent contact. Finally, he was sent away with Zach Greinke in a trade that altered the future of the franchise.

Then, a year later, Moore brought Betancourt back as a free agent. Fortunately, he realized his mistake, as Betancourt was released in August, but he had already furthered his place in the annuls of the worst players ever to put on a Royals uniform. Overall, Betancourt hit 27 home runs, but produced a .248/.276/.395 batting line while costing the Royals a total of 22 runs defensively between his play at short and second.

Fortunately, the days of Yuniesky Betancourt playing for the Royals are in the past. The present and future at shortstop are far brighter than they had been five years ago.

Next: An attitude problem without the production