Kansas City Royals all-time top 50 players: No. 30 to No. 11

No. 22) John Mayberry, first baseman, 1972-77

The Kansas City Royals had the great benefit of employing John Mayberry during his prime seasons. The big first baseman delivered even bigger seasons for the Royals. He crushed over 100 home runs for Kansas City and drew walks with ease, leading the league in base on balls twice. Mayberry received All-Star or MVP considerations every year as a Royal except for his last, peaking with a runner-up MVP result in 1975. If Mayberry’s stint with the team had been 10 years later, it’s likely that he would be much higher on this list.

No. 21) Zack Greinke, starting pitcher, 2004-10

Zack Greinke‘s story with the Kansas City Royals is certainly among the best. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2004. Following that promising campaign, he decided to step away from baseball for a while. The Royals gave him everything he needed, and Greinke came back to dominate.

His Cy Young award season in 2009 was absolutely dominant and was one of the first signs the Royals were about to start contending again. However, his greatest legacy with the team is surely when he was traded in 2010 to the Milwaukee Brewers for a package that included Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar.