Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Kansas City Royals will induct Alex Gordon into their franchise Hall of Fame.

Gordon will become the 31st member of the Hall and the event will take place on June 13 when the Royals host the Athletics on June 13.

Gordon was selected by the Royals with the second overall pick in 2005, and needed only two years to make it to the Majors.  Originally a Third Baseman, Gordon moved to Leftfield, and would become a three-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner.  Gordon played a large part of Kansas City’s 2015 World Series Championship.

He compiled 1,643 Hits with 190 Home Runs with the Royals.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Alex Gordon for his impending honor.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Kansas City Royals.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Royals made a triumphant return to the playoffs, winning their Wild Card Series over Baltimore before falling to the New York Yankees in four games.  The season yielded one new entrant and one elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a huge change based on the new algorithm.

1. George Brett

2. Amos Otis

3. Bret Saberhagen

4. Willie Wilson

5. Kevin Appier

You can find the entire list here.

Under the new algorithm, Amos Otis moved from #5 to #2; a showcase to how tight everyone from 2 to 5 already were.

Multi-time All-Star Catcher Salvador Perez went up one spot to #6.

The new entrant is Bobby Witt Jr., who debuts at #31.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Following the 2015 World Series Championship win, the Kansas City Royals went immediately into rebuilding mode.  They would need a star to get them back to the playoffs, and they found him in Bobby Witt Jr..

Witt was taken second overall in 2019 from the University of Oklahoma and in 2021 he was named by Baseball America as the Minor League Player of the Year.  The following season, he cracked the Royals roster and was fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, but was still finding his way in the Majors.  The year after, Witt had a 30-30 year, led the AL in Tripled (11) and Power-Speed# (37.2).

Building on that breakout 2023 season, Witt exploded with not only his second 30-30 year (making him the first Shortstop to do so in back-to-back years), won the Batting Title (.332), led the AL in Hits (211), and won the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove.  Finishing second in MVP voting, Witt’s efforts propelled the Royals to their first post season in years.

Entering 2025, Witt is one of the top stars in baseball and has the making of a top five all-time Kansas City Royal.

Lorenzo Cain started his Major League career with the Milwaukee Brewers, but it only lasted for 46 games as he was traded after the 2010 season to the Kansas City Royals. In Kansas City, Cain played mostly in the minors during his first two years, but he entered the 2013 season as the Royals' starting center fielder. Although it was not a great start for Cain as a starter, with 100 hits and losing his starting role to Jarrod Dyson, he came back strong in 2014 with 142 hits and a batting average of .301. That year, Kansas City made it to the World Series, with Cain winning the ALCS batting .533 with eight hits in a sweep over Baltimore.

Cain's best season came in 2015 when the Royals won the World Series Championship. The speedy outfielder was an All-Star for the first time and was third in MVP voting. Cain hit 16 home runs, his personal best, and batted .307 with a career-best .838 OPS. He continued to have good years, batting .300 in 2017 with 175 hits and was an All-Star in 2018 in his first season back in Milwaukee. Cain played a few more years and accumulated 1,220 hits over his career.

Greg Holland was one of the best relief pitchers in the 2010s and played a crucial role in the success of the Kansas City Royals during that time.

Holland was drafted by the Royals in 2007 and made his debut for the team in 2010. The following year, he proved himself with an impressive performance, posting a 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of less than one (0.933) over 60 innings. After another strong season in 2012 (2.96 ERA), Holland became the Royals' ninth-inning specialist.

From 2013 to 2014, Holland was one of the top closers in the league, finishing ninth in Cy Young voting both years with ERAs under 1.5 and WHIPs under one. He was named the 2013 American League Pitcher of the Year by the Sporting News, and in 2014, he helped the Royals reach the World Series. During the playoffs, Holland had seven saves and allowed only one run in ten innings.

Though not as dominant in 2015, Holland remained effective until he suffered a torn UCL injury. Despite his absence, the Royals went on to win the World Series that year. Holland missed the entire 2016 season to recover from his injury. When he was ready to return, he became a free agent and signed with the Colorado Rockies, where he won the AL Comeback Player of the Year award and his first Saves Title (41). He was also selected to the All-Star team for the third time.

However, Holland was unable to recapture his earlier success and spent the next five years moving from team to team, playing for St. Louis, Washington, Arizona, a second stint with the Royals, and Texas. In total, he amassed 220 saves.

Starting his Major League career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, Escobar became a starting infielder in 2010. He had his best years after he was traded to Kansas City in 2011. While Escobar did not have a power game, hitting only 58 home runs in 1,552 games, he was known for his exceptional fielding and base running abilities. He recorded at least 20 stolen bases seven times, with a total of 253 SB. Escobar also had three seasons where he broke 1.5 in Defensive bWAR. His best year was in 2015 when he was an All-Star, won the Gold Glove, and played a pivotal role in the Royal World Series win that year. Escobar won the ALCS MVP, batting .478 with 5 RBIs, and he hit an inside-the-park home run in the World Series.

Over the course of his career, he had 1,486 hits.

Joakim Soria began his career in the Mexican League before being selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Kansas City Royals from the San Diego Padres organization. This turned out to be a wise investment for KC as Soria finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2007, with 17 Saves. Over the next three seasons, Soria established himself as one of the best closers in baseball, earning All-Star Game selections in 2008 and 2010 and recording 105 Saves. Although he finished tenth for the Cy Young in 2010, he was arguably better in his first All-Star year, with 42 Saves, a 1.60 ERA and a WHIP of 0.861. However, Soria's performance slumped in 2011 (28 Saves, 4.03 ERA, 1.276 WHIP), and he missed the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn UCL. Although he made a comeback, he was never the same as before.

Over the next nine seasons, Soria played for nine different teams (Texas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Kansas City again, Chicago (AL), Milwaukee, Oakland, Arizona, and Toronto), all out of the bullpen where he was sometimes again the closer. During this period, he had 69 Saves and a total of 229. While Soria never regained his past glory in Kansas City, he was good enough to find work for nearly a decade after.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is important to us that the

Kansas City Royals will induct Bo Jackson into their franchise Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will take place on June 29.

The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn was a two-sport athlete, playing both baseball and football. With the Royals, Jackson was an All-Star in 1989 and compiled 109 Home Runs, 460 Hits, and a .250 Batting Average.

Jackson’s overall potential was derailed by injury, but there was no question that he sold tickets and was an enigmatic superstar in Kansas City’s baseball history.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Bo Jackson for this impending honor.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2023 revision of our top 50 Kansas City Royals.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in Major League Baseball.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Royals had a bad year, and there were no new entrants into the Top 50.  There was one small elevation.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. George Brett

2. Bret Saberhagen

3. Willie Wilson

4. Kevin Appier

5. Amos Otis

You can find the entire list here.

Catcher, Salvador Perez, moved up one spot to #7.

Pitcher, Zack Greinke, who was with Kansas City last year, failed to move up from #13.

We thank you for your continued support for our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top Kansas City Royals.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Royals were unable to make the playoffs, but there were some shifts in the top 50.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. George Brett

2. Bret Saberhagen

3. Willie Wilson

4. Kevin Appier

5. Amos Otis

You can find the entire list here.

Catcher, Salvador Perez, moved up from #10 to #8.

Pitcher, Zack Greinke, moved up one spot to #13.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is important to us that the Kansas City Royals have announced that Ned Yost has been elected to their Hall of Fame.

Yost becomes the 27^th inductee to the Royals Hall and it will become official on September 2, during their home game against Boston.

Previously managing the Milwaukee Brewers, Yost took over as the Royals skipper in 2010, and four years later, would helm Kansas City to the Pennant.  The next year the Royals won it all, and he is the only Royal Manager to have won consecutive pennants.  Yost is also the team’s all-time leader in wins (746).

Yost retired in 2019, and was eligible for the franchise Hall of Fame for the first time this year.  He received 88.2% of the vote, more than the 75% required.

To be eligible for the Royals Hall of Fame alumni must have been active with the ballclub for at least three seasons and accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300 innings pitched, or managed the equivalent of three full seasons.  They also have to be retired for three years.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Ned Yost for this impending honor.

At the University of Nebraska, Alex Gordon was considered by all of the experts not just to be the best Cornhusker on the diamond but the best baseball player in all of the NCAA.  The winner of the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award, unsurprisingly, was Kansas City’s first pick (second overall) 2005 Amateur Draft.

A three-time All-Star, Alex Gordon led the American League in Doubles in 2012 and has had a pair of 20 Home Run seasons and another four where he exceeded 15.  Gordon has not always had the best Batting Average, but he did bat .303 in 2011.  Realistically it was Gordon's defense that has given him his greatest value to Kansas City.

Gordon played multiple positions in the field for KC, but it was at Leftfield where he truly shone.  He captured seven Gold Gloves, a Platinum Glove, and three Wilson Defensive Awards.

Gordon retired after the 2020 season, and while COVID-19 rendered his swansong less than impactful, he was still the heart of the team throughout the 2010s.  We don't think that Gordon will make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but you can't have a top twenty list of the best Royals of all time without Gordon on it.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our pre-2022 revision of our top 50 Kansas City Royals.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

The Royals did not make the 2021 Playoffs, nor did anyone crack the top 50, however there was movement among active Royals players.

As always, we present our top five.

1. George Brett

2. Bret Saberhagen

3. Willie Wilson

4. Kevin Appier

5. Amos Otis

You can find the entire list here.

Multi-time All-Star Catcher, Salvador Perez moved up to #10 from #13.

Second Baseman, and two-time All-Star, Whit Merrifield climbed to #24 from #27.

Pitcher, Danny Duffy, moved up one spot to #30, as did fellow hurler, Greg Holland to #33.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

The process continues.

We here are Notinhalloffame.com have plans to create our own set of post-season awards, which we will look back and retroactively present from 1901 on.  That will take a while, but it has never stopped us before!

Our awards are not be league specific.

Now it is time for our 2021 positional awards.

We will be awarding a positional player of the year, but not only that, offer up the runner-up and second runner-up, meaning that we will have First, Second and Third All-MLB players.

Let’s work our way around the diamond and award the best of the best in Baseball!

*Please note that to qualify, a player must appear in that position at least 50% of the time.

Catcher of the Year (First Team All-MLB):  Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals.  5.3 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR, 169 H, 48 HR, 88 R, 121 RBI, 0 SB, .273/.316/.544/.859.

Advanced metrics show that Perez is declining defensively, but this was the best offensive output of his career.  While we were all watching Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero battle for the American League Home Run Title, it was Perez who snuck past Ohtani to tie Guerrero for the win, also while setting a new Home Run record for Catchers with 48 (though only 33 were accumulated as a Catcher).  Nevertheless, Perez earns this honor, while also again being the unquestioned Royals MVP. 

Catcher: Second Team All-MLB:  Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants.  3.5 bWAR, 4.9 fWAR, 120 H, 18 HR, 68 R, 56 RBI, 0 SB, .304/.390/.499/.889.

Posey could have challenged Perez for First Team, but he missed a lot of Games, only appearing in 113 this year.  He went to his eighth All-Star Game this year, and had his first .300 Season since 2017.

Catcher: Third Team All-MLB:  J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies.  3.4 bWAR, 4.4 fWAR, 125 H, 17 HR, 64 R, 73 RBI, 13 SB, .263/.343/.449/.782.

Realmuto made his third All-Star Game this year and second with Philadelphia.   

Frank White played his entire career with the Kansas City Royals (1973-90), and he was generally regarded as one of the best Second Baseman in the American League for most of his playing days.

White first cracked the Royals roster in 1973, and in 1976 he was anointed as Kansas City’s starting Second Baseman.  White dazzled throughout his career with his glove, winning eight Gold Gloves, and he is currently second all-time in Total Zone Runs amongst Second Basemen.  White was not always the most productive hitter, but the five-time All-Star did manage a pair of 20 Home Run Seasons, and had 160 career dingers, though his lifetime On Base Percentage below .300.  Still, this was a man who helped the Royals reach the World Series twice, winning one (1985), and capturing the 1980 ALCS MVP.

White would accumulate 2,006 Hits and is entrenched firmly in the top fifty all-time in Defensive bWAR, and Total Zone Runs.

Amos Otis had his share of drug problems that likely held his career back, but this should not overshadow a very successful Major League career. 

Should Darrell Porter be on this list?  We think so, but a look at his overall statistics might make you feel otherwise.

Historically speaking, we don’t think that we are going out on a limb by stating that Willie Wilson was one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.

Kevin Appier was arguably one of the most underrated Pitchers of the 1990s, and perhaps we can shed some light on a career that feels unknown outside of Kansas City.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present the pre-2021 update of our top 50 Kansas City Royals of all-time.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League. 

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

There are no new additions, but as always, we announce our top five immediately, but out full list can be found here.

1. George Brett

2. Bret Saberhagen

3. Kevin Appier

4. Willie Wilson

5. Amos Otis

While there were no new entries, there were two movements among active Royals.

Multi-time All-Star Catcher, Salvador Perez, rose from #15 to #13.  Second Baseman, Whit Merrifield, climbed from #32 to #27.

We welcome your input and commentsand as always, we thank you for your support.