Royals Time Machine: All-Time Defensive Team

The Royals are now in their 48th season since the franchise was founded in 1969. Here is my pick for all-time best defense lineup at all nine positions.

The Kansas City Royals teams that won the last two American League pennants are known for their defensive prowess. Both teams possessed three gold glove winners, and their ability to snag balls that appeared destined to land for key hits has demoralized opponents and thrilled fans.

The following list are the guys I’d pick if I could jump into the Hot Tub Time Machine and assemble a KC Royals team from players who have fielded their position better than anyone else in Royals history.

Note: while I will lean on modern defensive metrics and defensive awards in this analysis, I will also consider my own personal eye test as well as considering how the particular strengths of each player would work in combination with other members of the team.

Next: CATCHER

CATCHER: SALVADOR PEREZ

This one is actually pretty easy. Yes, Darrell Porter and Jim Sundberg were good receivers for the Kansas City Royals who played on winning teams. Sundberg, in particular, did an outstanding job in 1985 nursing a young pitching staff through the club’s first World Series win.

But, Salvador Perez is the only catcher in KC Royals history to ever win multiple Gold Gloves, with three times in a row between 2013-15. The only other Royals catcher to win the award was 40-year-old Bob Boone in 1989. To me, that makes Salvador Perez the clear choice as best defensive catcher in club history.

KC Kingdom

Want some more fun facts? Perez tied the club record for runners picked off base by a catcher in a single year in 1/3 of a season in 2011. Yeah, Darrell Porter threw out a higher percentage of base runners attempting to steal against him. Yet, Porter also played in an era where teams ran more aggressively and didn’t consider giving up outs as damaging as they do today.

Thus, teams are much more selective in their attempted steals.

When you consider the whole package: ability to throw out baserunners, game calling ability, handling pitchers, pitch framing, and agility behind the plate, Salvador Perez is the best in Kansas City Royals history.

What’s scary is Salvador Perez is only 26 years old. He’s under contract with the KC Royals through the 2021 season. He could very easily rack up another half-dozen or so Gold Gloves before he’s through.

Salvador Perez might be considered among the best defensive catchers of all-time before he finishes his career. Perez is that good.

Next: First Base

FIRST BASE: ERIC HOSMER

Eric Hosmer is the only Kansas City Royals first baseman to ever win a Gold Glove as a member of the team. Like teammate Salvador Perez, Hosmer has won the award three times.

first base is a position that advanced metrics don’t quantify well

Again, like Salvador Perez, Hosmer is only 26. However, he’s only under contract with the KC Royals through the 2017 season and could very well leave as a free-agent. Even so, Hosmer could easily finish his Kansas City career with five Gold Gloves at first base.

The funny thing is that advanced metrics don’t see Hosmer as a defensive whiz. In fact, Ultimate Zone Rating and Fangraphs.com’s DEF metric both view him as a below average first baseman (notice the overall negative advanced fielding numbers for his career).

However, first base is a position that the advanced metrics don’t quantify well since they mostly measure how many balls a player can field. For every position but first base and catcher, that might be the the most important skill.

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First sackers, on the other hand, earn their bones with their ability to snag errant throws from infielders. That’s where a first baseman can really save runs. A good one can enable his infielders to attempt more difficult plays knowing that their first baseman has them covered if they can get the throw close to the bag—even if they bury it in the dirt.

Eric Hosmer, however, is not the only defensive standout at first base in club history. John Mayberry and Wally Joyner both had deft hands around the bag for the Kansas City Royals, but neither one earned the recognition from their peers that Hosmer has in the last three seasons.

So far, both members of the all-time KC Royals defensive team play on the current incarnation. I guess that tells you the defending World Champions play some mean defense.

Next: Second Base

SECOND BASE: FRANK WHITE

Here, again, we can look at the career hardware and have an easy decision. Kansas City Royals legend Frank White had his number retired by the club, and it wasn’t for his bat. White made his bones in major-league baseball with the leather, earning a club record eight Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess at second base.

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For younger KC Royals fans who don’t remember his career, White was a Kansas City kid that came from the Royals Academy, an early 70’s attempt to teach baseball to gifted athletes who had excelled in other sports.

Frank White was the prize product of the Royals Academy, which was shut down before the end of the decade. He enjoyed an 18-year-career major league career, all in a Kansas City Royals uniform. He even helped build Kauffman Stadium as a part-time construction worker before making his debut there in the Stadium’s opening season in 1973 as a 22-year-old rookie.

White won six consecutive Gold Gloves with the KC Royals between 1978 and 1982, then snagged two more awards in 1986 and 87.

Frank White earned a club record eight Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess at second base

Frank White was one of the best defensive second-basemen of his era, and probably one of the best in the history of the game. He easily gets the nod as the second-sacker for the Kansas City Royals all-time defensive team.

The only real competition for the job comes from Mark Grudzielanek, who played three years in a Kansas City uniform from 2006-08. Though in his late thirties when he came to the KC Royals organization as a free-agent, he won his only career Gold Glove with the team in 2007 (age 37).

Though a steady second baseman, Grudzielanek wasn’t in the same defensive universe as Frank White.

Next: Shortstop

SHORTSTOP: FRED PATEK

Here we have our first tough decision. The KC Royals have had a number of good defensive shortstops in their history, including Tony Pena, Jr., Buddy Biancalana, Greg Gagne, U.L. Washington, Jay Bell, David Howard, and Rey Sanchez. The only shortstop to ever win a Gold Glove in a Kansas City Royals uniform is the current occupant Alcides Escobar.

Instead, I decided to choose 70’s player Fred Patek to my all-time defensive team.

Again, this wasn’t an easy decision, made more difficult by the lack of advanced metrics back in Patek’s day. Yes, I could make the easy choice and go with the hardware. Yet, it’s the advanced metrics that give me pause.

The eye test will tell you that Alcides Escobar is a terrific defensive shortstop, and I certainly wouldn’t feel bad about picking him for my all-time KC Royals defensive team. But, Tony Pena Jr. compiled a 14.8  Ultimate Zone Rating (a counting stat) in only 2,081.2 innings compared to a 14.6 UZR for Escobar in 7,113.2 innings.

If we attempt to use a modern metric that can be applied to old-time players, Patek leads all Kansas City Royals shortstops with a 90.7 DEF (fangraphs) rating. But, DEF is a counting stat. Still, Patek has a 90.7 DEF in 1245 games, while Escobar has a mere 51.2 DEF in 806 games.

If you want to use dWAR (baseball-reference), Patek is also the career leader for KC Royals shortstops at 13.3 career dWAR. He has the best single season dWAR for any shortstop in club history with 3.2 dWAR in 1972. Yet, if you’re going to use dWAR, then you have to consider Rey Sanchez who compiled the best three-year run of any Kansas City Royals shortstop with 7.9 dWAR between 1999-01.

In the end, I noted that Fred Patek was named to three AL all-star teams (more than any other KC Royals shortstop). With a career .633 OPS and a high-water mark of .688, Patek wasn’t getting those nods for his bat.

That’s why Freddie Patek is my all-time Kansas City Royals defensive team shortstop.

Next: Third Base

THIRD BASE: GEORGE BRETT

C’mon, George Brett has a statue in Kauffman Stadium. He’s the franchise model that every KC Royals player aspires to emulate.

There was no way I was leaving Brett off this Kansas City Royals all-time defensive team, even if he’s famous for his bat and not his glove.

That’s not to say George Brett doesn’t belong here. Brett was an outstanding defensive player who could really pick the ball at third base. His defensive reputation took serious dings early in his career due to some critical throwing errors in KC Royals playoff games against the Yankees, but he knew his way around the hot corner.

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Brett had the misfortune of running into the tail end of third base defensive legend Brooks Robinson‘s career, and the prime of Buddy Bell‘s career in the AL, and Mike Schmidt‘s run of 10 Gold Gloves at third base in the NL. Consequently, Brett never won the recognition his defense deserved.

Brett DID win a single Gold Glove with the KC Royals in 1985, but that was after he was past his defensive prime. He probably should have won in 1977, but that year the award went to New York Yankees third sacker Graig Nettles (who famously kicked George Brett in Game 5 of the ALCS).

I did consider current third baseman Mike Moustakas, who can fling the leather though he may never win any hardware with Manny Machado at the hot corner in the AL. Joe Randa and Gary Gaetti could also make some plays around the third base bag for the Kansas City Royals. None of them were better than George Brett.

Next: Right Field

RIGHT FIELD: LORENZO CAIN

Here I decided to take some poetic license in the interest of putting the best nine gloves on the field.

Yes, Lorenzo Cain is primarily a center fielder with the Kansas City Royals. But, he frequently moved to right in 2013 and 2014 when Jarrod Dyson came into the game as a defensive substitution. In fact, the 77 games Cain moved to right in 2014 probably cost him the 2014 Gold Glove in center field.

However, Cain made a name for himself in the 2014 playoffs by running down ball after ball in center field for the KC Royals. Many pundits started calling him “Super-Cain” and marveled that the Kansas City Royals outfield of Cain, Alex Gordon, and Jarrod Dyson might be among the best defensive units in major-league history.

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If Lorenzo Cain can be part of the ultimate outfield while playing in right field, I guess it’s good enough for my KC Royals all-time defensive team here on Kings of Kauffman.

Even if he hasn’t won a Gold Glove.

And there’s the rub. Because both Jermaine Dye and Al Cowens HAVE won Gold Gloves as members of the Kansas City Royals while playing right field. In my defense, neither played during the modern era of defensive metrics.

Thus, Jermaine Dye won his 1999 Gold Glove primarily for gunning down 17 runners with outfield assists. But, according to Baseball-reference, BOTH Cowens and Dye had negative dWAR numbers in their Gold Glove seasons (1977 for Cowens, 1999 for Dye).

So, it’s pretty easy for me to pick Lorenzo Super-Cain for this KC Royals all-time team.

Next: Center Field

CENTER FIELD: AMOS OTIS

Here’s a case where hardware speaks. Amos Otis won the first three Gold Gloves in Kansas City Royals history for his prowess in center field in 1971, 1973, and 1974. That’s good enough for me.

Betsided

Yes, his dWAR numbers weren’t particularly impressive with 0.6 dWAR in ’71, -1.3 dWAR in ’73, and 0.6 dWAR in ’74. Then again, I don’t entirely trust these attempts to look back at early 70’s fielding data and try to put it into a modern sabermetric framework.

I know, I’m not entirely being consistent since I gave weight to dWAR numbers in other places in this list. Too bad. If you don’t like it, you can leave me nasty messages down below.

Isn’t that part of the fun of reading a web-site? Who am I to deny my Kings of Kauffman readers such pleasure. Flame away!

Otis has more Gold Gloves than any center fielder in KC Royals history. Willie Wilson won the award in 1980, but he didn’t have a good arm (Otis had 10, 10, and 8 outfield assists in his Gold Glove seasons). Carlos Beltran was a fabulous all-around athlete and a five-tool baseball talent who won three Gold Gloves in his career, but those came after he signed with the New York Mets.

Johnny Damon had range in his youth, paired with a noodle arm. Besides, he moved to left when Beltran arrived in 1999.

I must confess, I came close to tabbing Beltran for this Kansas City Royals honor. I’m sure he’s crying in his soup after hearing about the snub. Oh well. I’m going with A.O.

Deal with it.

Next: Left Field

PITCHER: BRET SABERHAGEN

Yeah, I know. A pitcher isn’t really a defensive player. But, they wear gloves. Sometimes they really can make great plays.

Most importantly, the Gold Glove committee gives them awards for defense. Who am I to argue with authority?

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Thus, I’m again going with the hardware. Only one Kansas City Royals pitcher has ever won a Gold Glove as a member of the team. Hence, Bret Saberhagen gets the nod.

The KC Royals have had a number of athletic pitchers who could field their position. Tom Gordon, Mark Gubicza, and Zack Greinke spring to mind. Greinke has won two consecutive Gold Glove in the National League for the Dodgers, but that doesn’t really count for a Kansas City Royals all-time defensive team.

Even if his uniform sports the same shade of blue.

Seriously, though, Zack is quite the fielder and was a shortstop in high school. He very much could field his position as a member of the KC Royals and I almost put him on the team just because he’s exactly the kind of oddball that makes baseball history fun.

However, Bret Saberhagen also was a shortstop in high school and his rapping Ford truck commercial from 1986 is just as zany as anything Zack Greinke brings to the table. Thus, hardware speaks.

I mean, really, Saberhagen HAS to be on this KC Royals all-time defensive team just so I can image the other guys razzing him about that ad. That thing is truly embarrassing.

Next: Conclusion

CONCLUSION

Below is the Kings of Kauffman Kansas City Royals All-Time Defensive Team:

C   Salvador Perez

1B Eric Hosmer

2B Frank White

SS Fred Patek

3B George Brett

RF Lorenzo Cain

CF Amos Otis

LF Alex Gordon

P  Bret Saberhagen

The position players ended up an even split between the current incarnation and the ’70’s Golden Era team, with pitcher Bret Saberhagen (who was a rookie in 1984) breaking the tie.

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This is a squad that would frustrate hitters and would be a pitcher’s best friend. But, what’s really scary, is that it’s not all that much better than the 2016 KC Royals team. The all-time defensive team only has a significant edge at second base. Every other position is very close. Some could argue that Jarrod Dyson and Alcides Escobar possess more range than their ’70’s counterparts.

I guess that what makes such lists fun.