The Kansas City Royals have been an MLB franchise since 1969.
The Royals have had many all-time greats play for their franchise, but none better than George Brett. In his 21-year career with the team, Brett generated 88.6 bWAR (Baseball Reference’s Wins Above Replacement) and led Kansas City to its first World Series title in 1985.
No player is within 40 bWAR of Brett, which is why he’s comfortably on top of this list of best Royals players of all time. Of note, players on this list were sorted by their bWAR with the Royals.
Best Kansas City Royals Players in Franchise History
| Rank | Player | Position | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Brett | 3B/1B | 88.6 |
| 2 | Kevin Appier | RHP | 47 |
| 3 | Amos Otis | CF | 44.8 |
| 4 | Willie Wilson | OF | 42.4 |
| 5 | Bret Saberhagen | RHP | 40.7 |
George Brett
After getting picked by the Royals in the second round of the 1971 MLB draft, Brett played all 21 seasons of his career with the franchise between 1973 and 1993.
Brett won the MVP award in 1980 to highlight an impressive resume that included 13 All-Star selections, three batting titles, three Silver Slugger awards, and one Gold Glove. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Kevin Appier
Right-handed pitcher Kevin Appier was drafted by Kansas City at No. 9 overall in 1987. He spent 13 seasons of his 16-year MLB career with the Royals. For Kansas City, he posted a 115-92 record with a 3.49 ERA and 1458 strikeouts in 1843 2/3 innings.
Appier won the ERA title in 1993, recording a 2.56 clip on his way to finishing third in the Cy Young race. He earned his lone All-Star selection in 1995.
Amos Otis
As a fifth-round selection in the 1965 draft, centerfielder Amos Otis didn’t play for the Royals until his third MLB campaign in 1970. He earned an All-Star selection in his first season, starting a streak of four straight All-Star nods.
Otis played 14 years with the Royals through 1983, logging a .280 batting average with 992 RBIs, 193 home runs, and 365 doubles. He finished his career with five All-Star selections and three Gold Glove awards.
Willie Wilson
Outfielder Willie Wilson, who was selected No. 18 overall by the Royals in 1974, played for the team that drafted him for 15 of his 19 seasons. He was a member of the 1985 World Series team, which defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
Wilson won the batting title in 1982. He earned a Gold Glove in 1980. In addition, Wilson earned two All-Star nods and two Silver Slugger trophies.
Bret Saberhagen
Right-handed pitcher Bret Saberhagen shattered expectations as a 19th-round draft pick in 1982, spending the first eight seasons of his 16-year career in Kansas City. He earned the World Series MVP trophy in 1985.
Saberhagen spun a 3.21 ERA with a 110-78 record in Kansas City, striking out 1,093 batters in 1,660 1/3 innings of work. He won both of his Cy Young trophies with the Royals, earning the honor in 1985 and 1989. He also won a Gold Glove and the ERA title in 1989.
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