KC Royals: Top 5 single season sluggers in team history

While it’s not always like the KC Royals to have a slugger on the team, some players through history have kept their names in the record books.

When thinking of the KC Royals, the first thought might not be of home runs and a high slugging percentage. While the Royals have seen their share of home runs, they typically fall to the back of the line in terms of power hitters that rival the league.

This isn’t typically a huge issue for the team, as they prefer to use speed and defense to win their games, though, this doesn’t always seem to work out for them. Nevertheless, the Royals have some players throughout team history that have put together good seasons of slugging and home runs. Let’s take a look at the top 5.

No. 5: Jorge Soler (2019)

It likely doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Royals fans that Jorge Soler makes it into the top 5. In 2019, he not only broke the team’s single-season homerun record of 38 but also lead the American League in homeruns with 48, holding his slugging at .569. While it was only 1, he did receive an MVP vote for his success during the season as well.

Even better for Soler, he has every chance to make his way higher on the list. He started spring training hot and if he can continue his momentum and show that 2019 wasn’t a fluke, his power-hitting days could be far from over.

No. 4: George Brett (1985)

George Brett is another name that fans can usually expect to hear, but that’s true for almost any stat in Royals team history. In 1985 Brett led the majors in slugging percentage with .585. He launched 30 home runs, 5 triples, and 38 doubles during the season.

1985 was an outstanding season for Brett, seeing him finish second in the MVP race, along with being an All-Star, and winning both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award.

No. 3: Danny Tartabull (1991)

In third we see Danny Tartabull take his place after slugging .593 during the 1991 season. Tartabull smacked in 31 home runs, 3 triples, and 35 doubles over just 132 games and his .593 slugging led the majors. He would have likely added to this list as well had he seen a few more games during the season.

Tartabull’s season was also good enough to see him finish 12th in MVP voting and sent him to the All-Star game.

No. 2: Bob Hamelin (1994)

Bob Hamelin saw decent slugging over his short career, but he never had a season like he had in 1994. Hamelin held a slugging percentage of .599 over 101 games, recording 24 home runs, 25 doubles, and 1 triple. It makes one wonder what he might have done had he seen more games.

Luckily for Bob Hamelin, he put together a good enough season to not only put himself at 2nd on the Royals single-season slugging list, but he also won the Rookie of the Year award.

No. 1: George Brett (1980)

Again, likely no surprise to see George Brett as number 1 on the list. Even more impressive than his 1985 season though, Brett’s slugging percentage topped out at .664, allowing him to lead the majors, along with batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. He knocked in 24 home runs, 33 doubles, and 9 triples.

Brett’s season was good enough for him to attend the All-Star game, he won a Silver Slugger award, and finished first in MVP voting.

Time’s are getting tough with no baseball and little baseball news, but sometimes it’s nice to take a look back at the stats and remember some of the greats that have played in Kansas City.