KC Royals: The Top 5 Kansas City speedsters, Part 2

No. 3: Jarrod Dyson (2010-2016/2021), the KC Royals’ own “Mr. Zoombiya.”

Of course, Jarrod Dyson, “Mr. Zoombiya” himself, makes our Top 5. It would be impossible to not even think of him as a prominent speedster in KC Royals’ history. Dyson’s trademark “That’s what speed do” epitomized his club’s exciting 2014-15 seasons.

Dyson has 179 stolen bases so far in his Royals career, which the club extended when it brought him back before this season started. Being caught only 31 times gives him an 82% success rate, a higher ranking than Amos Otis’ 73%.

Through his limited playing time this year, Dyson has registered a sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second. During his 2015 season, he recorded a 29.5 sprint speed, ranking behind only Paulo Orlando within the KC organization. In an interview with Fox Sports in 2014, Dyson mentioned that he ran a 4.2 40-yard dash in college.

Relying on Baseball Savant, Dyson’s 2021 speed metric alone ranks him in the 90th percentile. Considering he’s had only 49 plate appearance this year, that is quite a remarkable number. He placed in the 97th percentile in 2015.

Dyson’s season-high in stolen bases was 36 in 2014. He also swiped 34 bags in 2013 when he played only 87 games, and 30 in both 2012 and 2016. With a .679 OPS and a .984 fielding percentage, Dyson is a force to be reckoned with not only when he gets on base, but in the outfield as well—just like Amos Otis.

And who could forget Dyson’s steal of third base that helped set up the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning of the 2014 Wild Card game against the Oakland A’s? Fox Sports: MLB sure didn’t:

https://twitter.com/mlbonfox/status/1277049073594445829?lang=en

But for all of Dyson’s speed, there are still two KC Royals who top him.

No. 2: Freddie Patek (1971-79), the short but quick KC Royals shortstop.

Freddie Patek, known affectionately as “The Flea,” may have been the shortest major league player during his career (1968-1981), but he was another example of the KC Royals mantra of run, run, run.

Patek was dealt to Kansas City from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1970, along with Bruce Del Canton and Jerry May, in exchange for Jim Campanis, Jackie Hernandez, and Bob Johnson. Patek was quick to make a splash in his first season with the Royals, when he hit for the cycle in July against future Royal and Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry’s brother Jim. The baseball feat is more proof of Patek’s speed—players generally have to be fast to rack up triples. He also stole 49 bases that year.

During his time with the Royals, Patek consistently stole bases whenever he got on. In fact, he had eight straight seasons of stealing 32 or more bases. In 1977, he led the American League with 53 steals, and nabbed 51 the season before.

He was a three-time All-Star during his KC days, and finished sixth in MVP voting in 1971. Overall, Patek stole 336 bases as a Royal and was caught 108 times, giving him a 68% success rate.

Patek also notched 182 doubles and 41 triples as a Royal; 11 of those triples tied him for the major league lead in 1971.

No. 1: Willie Wilson (1976-1990), the epitome of KC Royals style baseball.

The outfield and speed seemed to be a trend while compiling this list of Kansas City’s top speedsters, so it’s fitting that the greatest center fielder in Kansas City history caps it all off. Willie Wilson is a legend and, while Dyson may claim the nickname, Wilson could well have been the original “Mr. Zoombiya”.

Wilson was the backup and eventual successor to Amos Otis in center field when he first came up to the big leagues. While Otis led the American League with 52 stolen bases in 1971, Wilson blew that out of the water when he led the majors with 83 stolen bases in 1979.

Those 83 steals were the most in the American League since Ty Cobb’s 96 in 1915 with the Tigers. (The “Man of Steal” himself, Oakland’s Ricky Henderson, surpassed Wilson the next year by swiping 100 bags).

Wilson gave baseball a taste of what was to come when he stole 46 bases in 1978, his first full season in the majors. He swiped 46—fifth highest in The Show—in 127 games

Wilson ranks 12th on the all-time big league stolen base leaderboard with 668. And it’s no surprise he’s the Royals’ career leader with 612, a total that far outdistances Otis’ 340. Wilson also led the team in triples five times, including 35 in 1985, the year the club won the first World Series in team history.

The Royals have a rich history of speed. Out of all their players, Willie Wilson ranks as the best Kansas City speedster.