Kansas City Royals Countdown: Top 10 Outfielders

The Kansas City Royals have had some outstanding outfielders over the years. Here’s a countdown of the top 10 in franchise history. Some of these will definitely surprise you; others surely won’t.

The Kansas City Royals franchise has seen its ups and downs since sprouting up in the Midwest in 1969. Over the past 49 seasons, the Royals have won two World Series titles (1985 and 2015) with an additional two appearances (1980 and 2014).

One of the similarities between the recent success and that of the late-1970s and early-to-mid-1980s has been great outfielders. Looking back over the top 10 outfielders in Kansas City Royals history, you will find five World Series rings.

Looking back over the top 10 outfielders in Kansas City Royals history, you will find five World Series rings.

It’s a testament to management knowing one of the keys to winning at Kauffman Stadium (or then-Royals Stadium) is being able to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. Many members of our top-10 list are known as much for their speed and defensive abilities as they are any offensive prowess.

We compiled our list based on Baseball Reference’s WAR statistic. Only the wins above replacement accumulated during a player’s time in Kansas City has been included. Now, that obviously can skew things towards players who spent more of their time with the Royals. But that’s the trade-off for having an unbiased selection process.

We’ll begin our look at the top Kansas City Royals outfielders of all-time with some who—for one reason or another—just missed the cut.

Honorable Mention

With a list based solely on a statistic—even one as all-encompassing as WAR—there are bound to be some great players left out. Some players suffered injuries that derailed promising careers; others got traded before getting to play in their prime for the Kansas City Royals.

Here are some of the best Royals outfielders who didn’t quite crack the top-10.

Al Cowens (1974-79, 12.1 WAR)

Cowens began his career in Kansas City and put together one of the greatest individual seasons in Royals history in 1977. In his age 25 season, Cowens finished second in the MVP race and won a Gold Glove. That season Cowens, who sits 11th in career WAR among Kansas City Royals outfielders, had 189 hits (32 doubles, 14 triples and 23 home runs), 112 RBI and a triple-slash line of .312/.361/.525.

Ed Kirkpatrick (1969-73, 9.3 WAR)

One of the original Royals, Kirkpatrick played a lot of catcher during his career. However, he also spent a good chunk of time in the outfield of old Municipal Stadium. According to the Los Angeles Times, the man known as “Spanky” was involved in a serious car accident not long after finishing his playing career. The accident left him with partial paralysis until his death in 2010 at the age of 66.

Jermaine Dye (1997-2001, 8.9 WAR)

Dye joined the Kansas City Royals after a solid rookie season in Atlanta. Around the turn of the century, he teamed with Carlos Beltran and Johnny Damon to form one of the most exciting young outfields in baseball. Dye was traded to Oakland in 2001 after finishing the previous two season with 27 home runs and 119 RBI and 33 home runs and 118 RBI, respectively.

Bo Jackson (1986-90, 7.0 WAR)

One of the greatest athletes in history, Jackson famously had his multi-sport career cut short by a hip injury suffered while playing football for the Oakland Raiders. Before his injury—and subsequent baseball comeback attempt, Jackson made a name for himself as an outfielder for the Kansas City Royals. In 1989, the Heisman Trophy winner earned All-Star Game MVP honors after leading off the game with a massive home run.

Now, on to the top-10 list.

10. Danny Tartabull (1987-91, 12.7 WAR)

Although, Danny Tartabull has most recently been in the news for a July arrest. He remains the only Kansas City Royals player to ever hit 30-plus home runs in a single season on two different occasions. Tartabull also tallied three 100-RBI seasons during his five years in Kansas City.

After finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, Tartabull left Seattle for Kansas City. His first season with the Royals went better than anyone could have hoped. Tartabull finished the 1987 season with 34 home runs and 101 RBI. He also hit .309 while receiving a few MVP votes.

His home run numbers fell off the following season, as he hit just 26, but his RBI numbers stayed consistent (102). Tartabull labored through a pair of difficult seasons in 1989 and 1990—playing just 221 total games between the two campaigns.

In 1991, Tartabull rebounded to make his only All-Star Game appearance. He put up 31 home runs and exactly 100 RBI. Tartabull even led the league in slugging at .593. He finished 12th in MVP voting before joining the New York Yankees in the offseason.

His 124 home runs and .290 batting average rank in the top-10 all-time in Kansas City Royals history. He leads the franchise in career slugging percentage (.518) and OPS (.894).

9. Jarrod Dyson (2010-16, 12.8 WAR)

There are some surprising names on this list, but Jarrod Dyson has to be the most shocking. Nothing against Dyson, but it’s hard to believe someone who has never played more than 120 games in a season can vault into our top-10.

Dyson is clearly boosted by his 7.2 defensive WAR, which ranks eighth in franchise history. A member of the Kansas City Royals since the organization drafted him in 2006, Dyson landed in Seattle during the offseason in a trade for Nate Karns.

Never known for his ability at the plate, Dyson is a career .258 hitter. Remarkably—but maybe not surprisingly—he had more stolen bases than RBI in every season he played in Kansas City. Four times he stole 30-plus bases. He also has four career postseason steals.

With a better throwing arm than he was often given credit for, Dyson had 36 outfield assists in his seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals. In that same time frame, he made just 21 errors. He also had one of the best catches in franchise history:

Dyson will be remembered fondly for scoring the winning run in the Game 5 of the 2015 World Series. After a single by Salvador Perez, a pinch-running Dyson swiped second base. He moved to third on a groundout and came home on Christian Colon‘s single. The run helped send the Kansas City Royals to their second World Series title.

7. David DeJesus (2003-10, 18.0 WAR)

There’s something to be said for players who are able to stand out on truly terrible teams. David DeJesus managed to do that during his time with the Kansas City Royals.

DeJesus played in 12 games in 2003, but his rookie season—during which he finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting—came during a 104-loss 2004 season. During his time in Kansas City, DeJesus suffered through three 100-plus loss seasons and three other 90-plus defeat campaigns. The team’s best record during a full season of his came in 2009 when the Royals went 75-87.

Even with the organization struggling, DeJesus managed to put together respectable numbers. He put together five consecutive seasons with at least 56 RBI. Not bad for a player who generally hit first in the order. His speed was not at the level of most players on this list—putting up double-digit steals just twice.

One of DeJesus’ biggest struggles was staying on the field. In his time in Kansas City, he only played over 145 games once. That came during the 2007 season when he played 157 games.

Arguably, DeJesus’ best season came in 2008. He slashed .307/.366/.452 with 12 home runs and 73 RBI. DeJesus also stole a career-high 11 bases that year while pounding out 159 hits.

DeJesus’ place on this list goes to show that enough above-average seasons will eventually earn a player a decent career WAR. It’s still an amazing feat for him to finish in the top-10 among Kansas City Royals outfielders.

6. Carlos Beltran (1998-2004, 24.7 WAR)

We told you Beltran would make an appearance eventually. The former Rookie of the Year checks in at No. 6 on this list after putting together five-and-a-half solid season with the Kansas City Royals.

After featuring in just 14 games in 1998, Beltran put together a sensational rookie campaign in 1999. He won the Rookie of the Year award easily over Seattle’s Freddy Garcia and others, picking up all but two first-place votes.

Beltran blasted 27 home runs and drove in 108 runs. His triple-slash line was a stellar .293/.337/.454. The switch-hitter scored 112 runs and even stole 27 bases while playing 156 games.

He won the Rookie of the Year award easily over Seattle’s Freddy Garcia and others, picking up all but two first-place votes.

His numbers fell off considerably while only featuring in 98 games in 2000. However, Beltran bounced back to drive in 100 runs in each of his remaining seasons with the Kansas City Royals. He plated 101, 105 and 100 over his last three full seasons with the team.

During the 2004 season, the Royals traded Beltran to the Astros. That season he wound up with a combined 38 home runs—a career-high—and 104 RBI. Of those, 15 home runs and 51 RBI came in just 69 games with the Royals. Beltran also set his career high in stolen bases in 2004 with a combined 42—14 in Kansas City and 28 in Houston.

The subsequent offseason, Beltran signed with the New York Mets. He spent several successful years in the Big Apple before another midseason trade—this time to San Francisco in 2011. Since then, he’s spent time with the Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers. Prior to the 2017 season, the now-40-year-old signed with the Astros.

No matter where he goes, Kansas City will always be the place Beltran got his likely Hall-of-Fame career off to a flying start.

5. Lorenzo Cain (2011-present, 25.2 WAR)

His time in Kansas City might be coming to an end. Even if it is, Lorenzo Cain will go down as one of the top outfielders in Royals history. If he does stick around, Cain could climb even higher on this list.

After a fairly quiet rookie season in Milwaukee, a trade sent Cain to Kansas City. The big name in the trade was Zack Greinke who left the Royals for the Brewers. However, Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar were among four players—the others being Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi—sent to Kansas City.

In 2014, Cain landed MVP honors from the American League Championship Series. Escobar took home the ALCS MVP award the next year. Suffice it to say, the trade worked out pretty well.

After his breakout 2014 season, Cain put together a stellar 2015 campaign. He slashed .307/.361/.477 while scoring 101 runs. His 16 home runs and 72 RBI that season set career-highs, as did his 28 steals. It earned him his only All-Star nod and a third-place finish in MVP voting.

Since then, Cain has suffered through some leg issues. Even still, he has remained a wonderful defensive player, who somehow doesn’t have a Gold Glove to his name.

During the Kansas City Royals’ consecutive runs to the World Series, Cain proved integral to the team. His career postseason numbers include a .295 batting average, 19 RBI and eight stolen bases. Cain only has one postseason home run, but he has had multiple hits and multiple runs scored in every series. That includes the 2014 Wild Card game when he went 2 for 6 with two runs, two RBI and a steal.

If 2017 proves to be his final season with the Kansas City Royals, Cain can head elsewhere knowing he leaves quite the legacy behind.

4. Hal McRae (1973-87, 27.7 WAR)

One of the longest tenured Royals in history, Hal McRae spent 15 seasons in Kansas City. His run with the Boys in Blue included every franchise playoff appearance until the 2014 team broke through.

McRae, who went on to manage the Royals, had several impressive seasons with the club. In 1975 and 1976, he made consecutive All-Star appearances. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 1976 after leading the league in on-base percentage with a whopping .407 and a .868 OPS.

In 1976, he finished fourth in MVP voting after leading the league in on-base percentage with a whopping .407 and a .868 OPS.

His next season, in many ways, was arguably better. His on-base percentage came back down to earth, but he led the league with 54 doubles. McRae also hit 21 home runs and had 92 RBI—an increase of 13 home runs and 19 RBI over the previous year.

Towards the end of his career, McRae began exclusively playing as a designated hitter. His best season ever came in his age-36 campaign in 1982. McRae won his only Silver Slugger award, made his third and final All-Star Game and again finished fourth in MVP voting. He had 46 doubles, 27 home runs and 133 RBI. His doubles and RBI total led the league, while his homers and RBI were career-highs.

Even at the age of 39, McRae still made a major impact on the Kansas City Royals in 1985. He had 14 home runs and 70 RBI, although his average dipped to .259. McRae only had three plate appearances in the World Series that year. However, he hit .444 (with Cincinnati in 1972) and .375 (with Kansas City in 1980) in his other two World Series.

He coached the Kansas City Royals for two full seasons and parts of two others. McRae also coached Tampa Bay for parts of two seasons. In total, his managerial record is 399-473, but he went 286-277 with the Royals.

3. Alex Gordon (2007-present, 33.2 WAR)

When Alex Gordon was drafted second overall out of Nebraska, many thought he would easily become a top-10 Royals third baseman. His ability to basically start his career over from scratch and turn into one of the best outfielders in Kansas City Royals history is nothing short of miraculous.

Since becoming the club’s regular left fielder in 2011, Gordon strung together five outstanding seasons. During that time frame, he won four Gold Gloves, made three All-Star teams and received votes twice in the MVP race.

His strikeout numbers have always been high, but Gordon has countered that with decent power numbers. He led the league with 51 doubles in 2012—a year after hitting 45 two-baggers. His career home runs and doubles each place him fifth in Kansas City Royals history.

Gordon’s postseason numbers are a little uneven. He has hit just .222 in 31 career playoff games. However, he has three home runs and 17 RBI in those contests. One of those homers ranks among the biggest in franchise history. It came in the ninth inning of Game 1 in the 2015 World Series with the Kansas City Royals trailing by a run:

The rest, as they say, is history. His heroics, as well as his overall play the previous five years, saw Gordon earn a huge contract that offseason. The massive four-year, $72 million deal seemed a bargain to most at the time, but Gordon has failed to live up to it.

His past two seasons have seen Gordon hit well below his career average. The power numbers have dropped significantly, as well. As this is being written, Gordon is in the midst of a solid September and hopefully can carry that momentum into 2018.

2. Willie Wilson (1976-90, 42.2 WAR)

There are several records George Brett holds in the Kansas City Royals history book. Many of them will likely never be broken. Willie Wilson has his fair share, too. Some of them are hard to even fathom in today’s game.

His 1980 season is one of the best a Kansas City Royals player has ever put together. He led the league in plate appearance (745), at-bats (705), runs (133), hits (230) and triples (15). A year after leading the league with 83 steals, he regressed to all of 79 stolen bases. Wilson even recorded a joint-career-high in RBI with 49.

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That campaign earned him his only Gold Glove and his first of two Silver Slugger awards. Wilson also finished fourth in MVP voting, although he might have finished even higher if his teammate Brett hadn’t taken home the award. Surprisingly, Wilson did not make the All-Star team that season.

Among his many single-season records that might never be broken, Wilson had 21 triples in 1985. (He has four of the top-five seasons with the most triples in franchise history.) He also holds the record for singles in a season with 184 during that 1980 season. To put that number in perspective, it’s equal to the number of total hits Brett accumulated in 1985.

While his batting average started to decline after peaking at a league-best .332 in 1982—Wilson’s first of two straight All-Star Game nods, his speed on the base-paths didn’t drop much. At the age of 31, Wilson posted 15 triples and 59 stolen bases.

Needless to say, he lived up to being a first-round draft pick. One could argue Wilson is the greatest outfielder in Kansas City Royals history, but the formula we used places him just behind one of his former teammates.

1. Amos Otis (1970-83 44.6 WAR)

While a case can clearly be made for others to be the objective best outfielder in Kansas City Royals history, it’s hard to argue with Amos Otis earning the title. Among Royals outfielders, he ranks first all-time in games played, runs scored, hits, total bases and home runs.

Obviously, playing the most games in franchise history—save for Brett and Frank White—makes it easier to pile up numbers. However, it still takes substantial talent to remain as productive as Otis was during his career.

He earned trips to the All-Star Game in each of his first four seasons with the Royals. Otis earned the fourth most votes in the 1978 MVP race at the age of 31. Along with his five All-Star appearances, Otis earned three Gold Glove awards.

Otis posted 25-plus doubles in eight of his first 10 seasons in Kansas City. His 52 stolen bases led the league in 1971. He even exceeded 75 RBI seven times in his career. Arguably his two best seasons were 1972 and 1978. In both years, he hit right around .300 with 20-plus homers and 90-plus RBI.

Otis saw his defense fall off a bit towards the end of his career, but his offense didn’t fade much. His offensive WAR actually has him miles ahead of Wilson (48.8 to 31.9). However, Wilson’s defensive superiority significantly closed the gap.

One could argue his humanitarian effort during a torrential rainstorm in 1977, for which he was recently honored, is enough to justify Otis’ place atop this list.

Next: Top Royals First Basemen of All-Time

Whether you think Otis or Wilson—or maybe even someone else—is the best outfielder in Kansas City Royals history, there’s no denying the position has produced some of the franchise’s all-time greats.