Kansas City Royals Countdown: Top 10 Outfielders

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.