What constitutes a “former Royal”?

The term “old friend alert” usually applies to players who have taken the field in a major-league game for the Royals. Over a thousand athletes have worn a Kansas City uniform in the big leagues, but is that the only standard for being considered a “former Royal”?

Here are some players who didn’t play in a regular-season game for Kansas City. Should they be considered former Royals?

Players who were in the Royals farm system, but never appeared in a game with them

Thousands of players have been part of the Royals organization, but never appeared in a big league game for them. Many are guys you’ve never heard of. Charles “Pickles” Smith. Lance Jennings. Nick Van Stratten.

Some were high draft picks that busted. Rex Goodson. Juan LeBron. Chris Lubanski.

It includes guys who went on to fame elsewhere, like Cecil Fielder. That’s right, the two-time home run champ became an All-Star with the Tigers, but he began his career as an 18-year-old hitting .322 with 20 home runs in 69 games in Butte, Montana, for the Royals. But the Royals wanted to get veteran outfielder Leon Roberts from the Blue Jays, so they traded the rotund first baseman. In fairness, he didn’t really pan out with the Jays either, and it wasn’t until he returned to MLB after a stint in Japan that he became a star.

Other Royals farmhands who had solid careers elsewhere include Greg Minton, Ken Phelps, Greg Hibbard, Jon Lieber, Fernando Cruz, and Rookie of the Year Wil Myers.

Then there were those MLB veterans that the Royals signed to play in the minors, but who never appeared with the big league squad. Players like Todd Van Poppel, Erik Hanson, Benny Agbayani, Chris Truby, Pat Mahomes, Xavier Nady, Casey Kotchman, Travis Snider, Clay Buchholz, Kyle Lohse, Dallas Keuchel, Bobby Dalbec, and Nick Gordon.

And then there are those players that the Royals signed, but who couldn’t stay healthy enough to ever appear in a game with them. Former 20-game winner Kyle Wright was acquired by the Royals with the hopes he could join the rotation. But he suffered setbacks in his rehab and never appeared in a big league game with the Royals, signing with the Cubs this offseason. Is he an “old friend”?

Players who were in spring training with the Royals but didn’t make the team

Then there are the players that the Royals signed to a deal and invited to spring training, but never made a roster out of camp. Lee Smith announced his retirement in 1997 after 478 career saves. But he kept in shape that winter, and the Royals invited him to spring training the next year. “My wife told me to see about playing some ball. She was about tired of me. She had to cook every day. She said, ‘Go do something with yourself,” joked Smith.

Smith pitched well enough to be considered for the Opening Day roster, but the Royals had some pitchers out of options and asked the future Hall of Famer if he would go to Omaha for 30 days. He passed. “That’s kind of a weak act for somebody with 18 years in the big leagues to be waiting for somebody to screw up,” he reasoned.

Lee Smith pitched for eight different MLB teams in his career, and his bust in Cooperstown has a Cubs cap. But is he a former Royals pitcher?

Players that were acquired, but left the organization before ever playing a game with the Royals

Then there were those players who were Royals only on paper, never to adorn the blue jersey. Hoyt Wilhelm, another Hall of Fame reliever, was selected by the Royals in the expansion draft before their inaugural season. But he was immediately traded to the Angels for Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke. Is he a former Royal?

The Royals signed pitcher Jeff Shaw to a minor league deal after the 1992 season, after he had a decent showing in Triple-A in the Indians organization. But a month later, he was shipped to the Expos in a four-player trade for pitcher Mark Gardner. Five years later, he led the National League in saves and became an All-Star closer. Do we consider him a former Royals pitcher?

So what exactly qualifies someone as a “former Royal”? Is it only players who appeared in a regular-season game for Kansas City? Or does time in the farm system count? Is it anyone that has ever been acquired by the team? Baseball transactions can be messy, and players pass through organizations in all sorts of ways. So where do you draw the line? Who counts as a former Royal?