Kansas City Royals All-Time Worst 25 Man Roster

Apr 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the hat and glove of Kansas City Royals first basemen Eric Hosmer the field prior to a game against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Neifi Perez

During the Kansas City Royals Dark Age, they made quite a few regrettable trades. One of these trades that truly backfired was when the Royals sent Jermaine Dye to the Rockies for Neifi Perez, who would later become one of the more hated figures of that time period.

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It was not as though the Royals could have been swayed by Perez’ youth or fooled by his production in Coors Field. He was already 28 years old at the time of the trade, and had an OPS+ of 69 during his five and a half years with the Rockies. The book on Perez was written – he was a decent fielding shortstop with absolutely nothing to speak of with the bat.

As bad as Perez was with the Rockies, he was even worse during his dismal year and a half with the Royals. He produced a horrendous .238/.265/.303 batting line, worth an OPS+ of 45. Not only could he not hit, but he provided nothing on the basepaths, stealing eleven bases while getting caught 13 times. He simply could not do anything in Kansas City.

Neifi Perez was one of the darkest moments during the horrid years for the Royals. And yet, he was not the worst shortstop the team ever had.

Next: A true Quad-A player