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

The Kansas City Royals have employed plenty of great players over the years. Here’s the second part of our countdown of the franchise’s top 50 players.

A total of 858 Major League players have worn the Kansas City Royals uniform. With the franchise getting set to celebrate its 50th season, we have counted down the top 50 players in Royals history from 50 to 31. Now, we have reached the top 30. These are some of the best players ever to have played for the franchise. Although, they couldn’t quite crack our top 10.

To see part 1 of this countdown, which counted from 50-31, click here.

No. 30) Charlie Leibrandt, starting pitcher, 1984-89

Charlie Leibrandt spent six seasons with the Kansas City Royals during their great run in the 1980s. He finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting during the team’s championship season in 1985, providing 237 2/3 innings to the tune of a 2.69 ERA. A workhorse, Leibrandt tossed at least 230 innings in four of his six years in Kansas City.

No. 29) Bo Jackson, outfielder, 1986-90

Bo Jackson is one of the most recognized players in Kansas City Royals history. The athletic freak is the only person to ever be named an All-Star in both baseball and football. Jackson was every bit as skilled as he was electrifying to watch, which led to his immense popularity. He crushed over 100 home runs in his time with the Royals. He would surely be higher on this list if injuries hadn’t cut his career far too short.

No. 28) Joakim Soria, relief pitcher, 2007-11 and 2016-present

The Kansas City Royals found a gem in the Rule 5 Draft in 2006 when they selected Joakim Soria from the San Diego Padres. By the end of his first season with the Royals, Jack had already taken over the closer’s role. He made his first of two All-Star teams the following year. Soria even managed to garner Cy Young and MVP votes for a 67-95 Royals team in 2010. While his second run with the team hasn’t had nearly as many highs, Soria still figures to be a useful setup man 12 seasons after his debut.

No. 27) Johnny Damon, outfielder, 1995-2000

Although he played during a very dark time in Royals history, Johnny Damon was a part of a historically good outfield in Kansas City along with Carlos Beltran and Jermaine Dye. He had the rare combination of speed and power that made him a dangerous hitter in any situation. Damon’s best year with the Kansas City Royals also happened to be his last. He slashed .327/.382/.495 with 68 extra-base hits and a league-leading 46 steals before being traded to Oakland.

Damon makes his first — and possibly his only — appearance on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot.

No. 26) Steve Busby, starting pitcher, 1972-80

Steve Busby‘s claim to fame with the Kansas City Royals is throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history on April 27, 1973, against the Detroit Tigers. He accomplished that feat as a 23-year-old rookie. One year later, he became the first and only player to ever throw a no-no in his first two major league seasons. His second came against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 19, 1974. Busby ended his fine Royals career with 70 wins in eight seasons.

No. 25) Wade Davis, starting pitcher/relief pitcher, 2013-16

When the James Shields/Wil Myers trade was announced in the 2012-13 offseason, Wade Davis was more or less an afterthought in the deal. Nothing more than a solid starter who had the potential to be a middle of the rotation pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. Then Luke Hochevar got injured.

The team chose to put Davis in the bullpen to take Hoch’s place and unearthed a gem. Since 2014, there’s almost no argument that Davis has been the best relief pitcher in baseball. The Cyborg was a key cog in the HDH bullpens from 2014-16 and got the final out for the Royals in their magical World Series run in 2015. Davis may have been the most unhittable pitcher in franchise history.

No. 24) Danny Tartabull, outfielder, 1987-91

There haven’t been too many players like Danny Tartabull in recent Kansas City Royals history. A big bopper, Tartabull also knew how to take walks and hit for a fairly high average. His worst on-base percentage as a Royal came at .341 in 1990. He led the league in slugging a year later with a .593 mark. He was an All-Star that same season. Tartabull was one of the most feared hitters during his time in Kansas City.

No. 23) Greg Holland, relief pitcher, 2010-15

It’s fitting that the man who anchored the great Kansas City bullpens appears highest on this list. Greg Holland was a monster during his time in a Royals uniform. In his first four full seasons, he only had an ERA higher than 2.00 one time. Holland had back-to-back All-Star appearances in 2013-14. In those same years, he finished ninth in Cy Young voting twice and 15th and 16th in MVP voting, respectively.

After leading the team through the 2014 playoffs, he tailed off a bit the next season. It was revealed that he was pitching with a torn UCL since August 2014. It makes his playoff heroics and the 3.83 ERA he managed to put up the following season that much more impressive.

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.

No. 20) Jeff Montgomery, relief pitcher, 1988-99

Jeff Montgomery is yet another all-time great Royals reliever to make this list. Known by many fans today as Joel Goldberg’s broadcast partner, Monty notched 304 saves during his 12-year Royals career. He was a steady presence at the back of the Kansas City bullpen for over a decade.

While his numbers were not quite as flashy as some of the more recent bullpen aces on this list, Montgomery’s longevity puts him ahead of the rest. He did manage to make three All-Star teams and earn MVP votes for his brilliant 1993 campaign. So there was more to him than just consistency.

No. 19) Freddie Patek, shortstop, 1971-79

Despite his small stature, Freddie Patek looms large as one of the slickest shortstops in Kansas City history. The three-time All-Star was something of an Alcides Escobar 2.0. While his triple slash left much to be desired, Patek was a burner on the base-paths, with nearly 400 stolen bases in his career. He also was an elite defensive shortstop, which is where he earned most of his accolades. Patek is not remembered nearly as much as he should be, and that’s a shame considering how much he accomplished with the Royals.

No. 16) Dennis Leonard, starting pitcher, 1974-86

A lifetime Royal, Dennis Leonard was among the best pitchers for Kansas City during the early years of the team. His 1977-78 stretch stands out as the best of his career. Leonard went a combined 41-29 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 124 ERA+ in that time. He also nearly pitched 300 innings each season, which is absolutely unfathomable today. Leonard was the true definition of a workhorse, and that was good enough to get him to 16th on this list.

No. 15) Mike Sweeney, catcher/first baseman/DH, 1995-2007

Mike Sweeney was the face of the franchise just before the dawn started to break. That is truly a shame, because he was such a dangerous hitter in his time. He was also a beloved figure on teams that were severely lacking such players. Between 2000-05 — while Sweeney was getting MVP votes each year for Royals teams in the back corner of the basement — he slashed .312/.383/.522/.904. Those are Hall of Fame caliber numbers.

While he may not have kept it up long enough to make it to Cooperstown, Sweeney will always be one of the most prominent hitters in the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.

No. 14) Lorenzo Cain, outfielder, 2011-present

Since 2011, center field at Kauffman Stadium has been under the watchful eye of Cain. It is a tragedy that he has yet to win a Gold Glove in his career. One could make a highlight tape based just off of his 2014-15 postseason performances alone. As he matured at the major-league level, Cain also turned himself into a valuable No. 3 hitter in the lineup.

He has been able to couple his strong batting averages with smart base-running and a little bit of pop for good measure. The Kansas City Royals would not have won the 2015 title without him, and he deserves all the money that he will get this offseason.

No. 13) Kevin Appier, starting pitcher, 1989-99 and 2003-04

Kevin Appier is another player on this list that would have benefited greatly from playing in a different era of Kansas City Royals baseball. Appier is among the best and most consistent pitchers to play for the franchise. Starting off with a sterling rookie season in 1990, he remained a consistently dominant pitcher through 1997. Appier’s season to remember came in 1993, when he had a 2.56 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 238 2/3 innings of work.

No. 12) Mike Moustakas, third baseman, 2011-present

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When the Kansas City Royals had the “Best Farm System in the History of Ever” back in 2011, there may have been no more hyped player in that group than Mike Moustakas. It took longer than many people expected, but Moose finally unlocked his power and massive potential after a trip to the minors in 2014.

He returned to be a playoff hero that year before learning to slap the ball the opposite way during his breakout 2015 season. Moose may have capped off his Royal career by setting the home run record at 38 this past season.

No. 11) Paul Splittorff, starting pitcher, 1970-84

Coming in just outside the top 10 is Paul Splittorff. The left-hander spent his entire career with the Kansas City Royals. In that time, he managed 166 wins and a 3.81 ERA in over 2,500 innings. Splittorff may have been the first true ace for the Royals organization. His last year in baseball was 1984, one year before the team’s first championship. It’s a shame that he couldn’t stick around one more season to pick up a well-deserved ring.

Next: Nos. 10 to 1

What do you think? Should some of these players have been in the top 10? Were some ranked too high? Let us know your thoughts.