The KC Royals franchise records that will NEVER be broken

Speaking of Willie Wilson...

Despite getting edged out by Brett for most triples in a Royals uniform, Wilson still has plenty of claims to franchise fame. He may not have the career triples mark, but Wilson led the league in triples five times, and he holds the Royals record for triples in a single season, having racked up an astounding 21 in 1985. Bobby Witt Jr. has the talent to pose a legitimate threat, and he led the league in that category with 11 in 2023. Impressive, but still a large gap to make up, which will be tough to do in the modern game where triples have been minimized.

The same evolution of the game should also protect Wilson's stolen base records. Wilson stole 612 bases in his career (556 as a Royal), good for the 12th all-time, so that mark would be a massive challenge to top in any era, regardless of whether the stolen base is in favor or not. The single-season record, however, definitely does benefit from the current trends of the game.

The record is 83, which Wilson set in 1979. In fact, Wilson has four out of the top five stolen base seasons in Royals history. The lone exception is Tom Goodwin, who stole 66 in 1996, good for third place. Witt stole 49 a year ago, which puts him eleventh on the Royals list. Witt has elite speed and a green light, but that's just not how the game is played now. Only three players across all of MLB have stolen 70 or more bases in a season since 2000. Brice Turang of Milwaukee was one of them last season (73), but even with the larger bases and new rules, it doesn't feel like Wilson's record is in any real danger.