Replacing a KC Royals Legend: George Brett Edition

Baseball legends never truly die, but they do eventually get old and retire. Or sometimes they simply lose a step on defense and move across the diamond. The latter case was true for the KC Royals in 1987, when the greatest Royal of them all, George Brett, made the transition from the hot corner to first base.

George Brett's move was the end of an era for the KC Royals at third base

The 1986 season was frustrating in an all around sense for the Royals. Following their wonderful championship run in 1985, they fell to 76-86 and third place in the American League West. Of course, they had bigger problems than baseball. Manager Dick Howser was diagnosed with brain cancer shortly after the All-Star Game and, after his failed attempt to return during spring training the following year, it became clear that Kansas City's 1987 season provided an opportunity for the club to recalibrate. That included tinkering with the face of the franchise himself, Brett.

But let's be clear about one key thing: nothing was wrong with Brett's bat. He played seven more seasons before retiring in 1993, and he wasn't just going through the motions. In addition to reaching the coveted and prestigious 3000-hit milestone in 1992, he won his third batting title in 1990, making him the only player in major league history to win the batting title in three different decades.

But the Royals front office wasn't stupid. The club knew Father Time was undefeated and their franchise player wasn't getting any younger. Brett turned 34 early in the '87 season. If the Royals could slow his inevitable decline in the field and reduce the wear and tear on their best hitter's body simply by moving him from third base to first , the decision was a no-brainer.

Only one question remained. Who was going to fill his shoes at third?

Kevin Seitzer steps into the Kansas City whirlwind

Kevin Seitzer didn't come to The Show with an excess of fanfare. Sites like Kings of Kauffman didn't exist in 1987, and few fans obsessed over up-and-coming prospects back then. The resources simply were not available, and those few people with an eye glued to the Royals' farm system were far more interested in another prospect, Bo Jackson.

An 11th-round draft pick in 1983, Seitzer wasn't featured by network television stations interrupting regular programming to bring audiences his minor league at-bats like they did Jackson's, but both men made their big league debuts as September call-ups in 1986. With less than 30 games apiece under their belts, both were expected to make major contributions the following season.

Oddly enough, given that Jackson might have been the most famous athlete on the planet, Seitzer was arguably under more pressure. Although Jackson was expected to experience growing pains after rocketing to the majors, fans expected any hiccups would be overshadowed by his mind-blowing highlights. Seitzer, on the other hand, was pushing a legend out of his position.

This was far more traumatic to me than when Brett's eventual retirement. By then, I was older and Brett's career felt like it had reached a natural end. But in 1987, I was eight years old and furious. Brett was essentially Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle tied up in one to me, and third base was his position. I played third base in Little League because of him. Who was this no-name rookie stealing his spot?

Like I said, I was eight, and my position might have lacked nuance, but I think most of the Royal fanbase was in general agreement with me. It was up to Seitzer to win us over.

Foundational piece or flash in the pan?

Seitzer followed up his rookie year with a strong sophomore season, but the Royals fell short of expectations in 1988, finishing 84-77 and in third place in the AL West. Hardly terrible, but not the breakthrough they were hoping for — that came in 1989. Sort of.

Following the championship run in 1985, 1989 was Kansas City's best season until their back-to-back World Series runs in 2014-2015. Brett did typical Brett things, and Jackson took a huge leap forward, posting the best season of his all-too-short career. He appeared to be on the verge of becoming a true baseball superstar, not just a human highlight reel, and fellow outfielders Tartabull and Jim Eisenreich continued their upward trajectories.

Ironically, Seitzer proved to be the weakest cog in the machine. This isn't to say he played poorly. His 1989 was solid, despite a noticeable drop in power: .281/.387/.337, four homers, 48 RBIs, 17 doubles, and a .723 OPS. Combined with Bret Saberhagen's second Cy Young Award and solid performances on the pitching side from Mark Gubicza and Tom Gordon, the Royals finished with a 92-70 record.

Unfortunately, that was only good enough for a second place finish in the AL West. The Oakland A's were in the midst of reaching the World Series in three consecutive seasons — they won it all in 1989 — and they finished seven games ahead of Kansas City. There were no Wild Cards in 1989, so the Royals spent October at home.

The succession plan falls apart for the KC Royals

It felt like this core would have more opportunities to contend, but 1989 turned out to be its high-water mark. Brett continued to perform at a high level, gradually transitioning into the DH role, but Jackson suffered a career-altering injury in a 1990 NFL playoff game. The Royals let him go and as miraculous as his return with the White Sox in 1993 was, he was never the same player again. Tartabull and Saberhagen left after the 1991 season, and Eisenreich was gone the year after.

Seitzer's numbers continued to decline, and the Royals released him after a 1991 season in which he played in only 85 games and hit one home run with 25 RBIs.He had a bit of a career renaissance in Milwaukee from 1993-96, earning his second All-Star bid in 1995, but he wasn't quite finished with the Royals yet.

Seitzer returned to Kansas City as the team's hitting coach from 2009-12, but was fired primarily because the Royals failed to hit with enough power during his tenure. None of his successors have really managed to get the Royals to tap into their power with any consistency — although, to be fair, they did win a World Series without an abundance of pop — but Seitzer found his groove in the same role with the Atlanta Braves. He won a ring with Atlanta in 2021, and the Braves set records for offensive proficiency under his tutelage this season.

Much like his playing days, Seitzer had the ability, but it never quite came together for him in Kansas City. But hey, even on a team composed of royalty, no one ever said it was easy replacing The King.

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