The 24 best players in Kansas City Royals history

 

The best stat to determine a player’s worth is WAR–wins above replacement–an analytical metric that was not available until relatively recently. The formula for WAR differs for position players and pitchers, and I’ll lay it out in layman’s terms. WAR uses every aspect of the game– batting, baserunning, and fielding,

 

 

 

factors in position and ballpark and determines how many wins better than a league average player an individual player might be. Using WAR to help us rank them, let’s look at the top 24 players in the history of the Kansas City Royals franchise.

 

 

 

Third baseman George Brett is easily the best player to ever take the field in a Kansas City Royals uniform. The Glen Dale, WV native spent his entire 21-year career with the Royals and the club’s record books are littered with his name. In 2,707 career games, Brett slashed .305/.369/.487 with 317 home runs, 1,596 RBI, 665 doubles, 137 triples, and 201 stolen bases. He won three batting titles and led the

 

 

 

American League in hits and triples three times each, as well as doubles twice. Brett represented the Royals in an astounding 13 all-star games, won three Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove, and most impressively was the MVP of the AL in 1980. He was the best player and offensive

 

 

leader on Kansas City’s World Series winning team in 1985, and while the Royals don’t retire many numbers, Brett’s number 5 simply could not be worn by another player and the club took it out of circulation in 1994. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.