Kansas City Royals All-Time Worst 25 Man Roster

Nov 3, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view as Kansas City Royals fans and players celebrate the World Series championship at Union Station. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Designated Hitter – Pat Tabler

Pat Tabler made quite a name for himself during his time with the Indians. Although his overall numbers were fairly solid, Tabler became known for his uncanny ability to produce with the bases loaded. Nicknamed Mr. Clutch, Tabler had a career .489 batting average with the bases loaded in his career, to go along with eleven walks and nine sacrifice flies.

During his time with the Royals, Tabler was not quite the same player with the bat, but he was not particularly awful either. He produced a reasonable .279/.339/.347 batting line, hitting 42 doubles. Never a power threat, Tabler had four home runs during his two and a half seasons with the Royals.

The reason why Tabler would be the designated hitter on this team is his brutal defense. In his time in Kansas City, Tabler cost the Royals 27 runs overall, posting a -22 mark in left field. According to Fangraphs, Tabler’s defense was rated as -47.3, better than only nine other players in team history. However, each of those nine players outperformed Tabler with the bat.

Pat Tabler had an uncanny ability to drive in runs when the bases were loaded. Unfortunately, that did not help in the field.

Next, we turn to the pitching staff.

Next: At least they got something for him