One Shot At Glory: The Royals’ One-Time All Stars, Part 2 – History

Here is the second part of our series on the Royals who made the All-Star team just once in their Kansas City careers. You can catch up on part one here. This part will cover the 1990s and 2000s, which were obviously not some of the greatest times in team history. Still, there are plenty of good players here, and probably a couple of surprises.

After the Royals acquired Tartabull in a good trade with Seattle following the 1986 season (sending pitcher Scott Bankhead and outfielder Mike Kingery to the Mariners), the new right fielder had solid seasons in 1987-89. But he was always kind of overshadowed by George Brett and Bo Jackson. Tartabull was a bit miffed he didn’t join Bo Jackson on the 1989 team, and he had a good case. Then he suffered through an injury-plagued 1990 season. But in 1991, he got off to a good start, hitting .292/.329/.466 through May. Then he bashed nine home runs in June, along with a .368/.421/.736 line for the month. And still, as the time grew near to pick the reserves, there was a question of whether he would make the team. But Oakland manager Tony LaRussa did select the outfielder for the team; it probably helped that Tartabull went 6-for12 with two doubles and a home run in a series in Oakland at the end of June.

“Overall, I’m grateful, privileged, and honored–all three. I’m grateful because they left off a lot of deserving guys.”–Tartabull, quoted by Dick Kaegel, The Kansas City Star, July 5, 1991

When NL manager Lou Piniella (featured in part one of this series!) chose Atlanta’s Tom Glavine as his starting pitcher, LaRussa decided to use the right-handed Tartabull as his DH. So the Royals’ lone representative was in the starting lineup. It didn’t work out, though. Glavine struck out Tartabull to end the first inning, and the Royal lined out to third to end the third inning. When his turn to bat came around again, it was the sixth inning and time to get some reserves in the game, so Harold Baines pinch-hit for him.

Tartabull left the Royals for the New York Yankees as a free agent after the 1991 season, and despite hitting 81 home runs over the next 3 ½ seasons, he never made an All-Star team again. But he did get to be on a couple of episodes of Seinfeld, so there’s that.

Most of you know that Cone, after a cup of coffee with the Royals in 1986, was traded away in possibly the worst deal in Royals history after the season. After a so-so 1987 season with the New York Mets, he blossomed in 1988, winning 20 games. He made the All-Star team that year and again in 1992 for the Mets before a midseason trade sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays. After helping them to a World Series title, Cone returned to his hometown as a free agent after the 1993 season, as Royals owner Ewing Kauffman opened his checkbook to correct the team’s earlier mistake. Kansas City didn’t win a title while Cone was back in town, but it was hardly his fault. In 1993, Cone went 11-14 despite a 3.33 ERA, thanks to a criminal lack of run support; his 7.2 bWAR total tells you he was outstanding. It was more of the same in 1994, but with better luck, as he finished 16-5 with a 2.93 ERA before the strike ended the season in August. That was good for a Cy Young Award. But first, Cone would make the All-Star team for his only time as a Royal. On the day the All-Star pitchers were announced, Cone pitched the Royals to a win over his former Blue Jays teammates, giving Toronto manager Cito Gaston a tough decision on his starter for the All-Star Game.

“I’d welcome the opportunity, no doubt about it. To be on that mound to start a game in a Royals uniform would be tremendous…It’d be a dream come true.”–Cone, quoted by Dick Kaegel, The Kansas City Star, July 4, 1994

But it wasn’t to be. Gaston selected his own pitcher, Jimmy Key, because he would be pitching with full rest, as opposed to Cone on three days’ rest. Cone followed Key on the mound, allowing three runs in the third inning but recovering to pitch a scoreless fourth. Of course, in those pre-interleague play days, many of the NL hitters had seen him when he was a Met, so perhaps they had an advantage.

The Royals traded Cone away again before the 1995 season began, mostly as a cost-cutting move. He would be an All-Star twice more, but those were both with the New York Yankees.

The vastly underrated Appier, the Royals’ first-round pick in the 1987 draft, was 15-8 with a 2.46 ERA in 1992. But he pitched on the Sunday before the All-Star break and was left off the team. In 1993, he led the league in bWAR and captured the ERA title (2.56) while winning 18 games. But again, he pitched that final game before the break. No selection. He was not nearly as effective in 1994, so wasn’t really considered as an option. But in 1995, manager Bob Boone juggled his rotation to allow Appier to pitch the Friday before the All-Star Game. It worked! At 11-3 with a 2.30 ERA, Appier was at last an All-Star.

“I wish I could have made them all, but it feels very good to at least make this one. Hopefully, it’s the first of many.”–Appier, quoted by Mike DeArmond, The Kansas City Star, July 3, 1995

Like Cone the year before, Appier was considered for the start by AL manager Buck Showalter, who ultimately chose Randy Johnson. Also like Cone, Appier was the second man on the mound for the AL. Unlike Cone, Appier was outstanding. He retired all six hitters he faced, with five groundouts and a strikeout. Six of the NL’s best hitters couldn’t even get the ball out of the infield, and the last two batters he faced were some guys named Tony Gwynn and Barry Bonds.

But it was not the first of many appearances for Appier; rather, it was the only one of his career. Injuries took some of his effectiveness, and while he had some good seasons left, he was not quite as dominant. The Royals dealt him to Oakland at the trade deadline in 1999, although he would briefly pitch for KC in 2003 and 2004 to wrap up his career.

Palmer is kind of perfect for this sort of article. Acquired from the Texas Rangers just ahead of the trade deadline in 1997, Palmer brought the power-hitting ability the Royals always seem to struggle to find. He hit nine home runs over the final two months of that season, a total that placed him fourth on the team for the year. Seriously. Since two of the players who finished ahead of him (Chili Davis and Jay Bell) were free agents, Kansas City was depending on Palmer to keep that up.

He certainly did, hitting 16 home runs with a .288/.334/.523 line through the end of June. That was tied with Jeff King for the team lead, but Palmer got the nod. Although he had bashed 33 home runs in 1993 and 38 in 1996, it was his first selection. And he almost had to miss the game, as he was hit by a pitch on the elbow the day after his selection was announced.

“I was pretty worried. The way it looked a couple of days after it happened, I didn’t know if I had a chance to play in the All-Star Game.”–Palmer, quoted by Joe Posnanski, The Kansas City Star, July 6, 1998

But play he did, although his one at-bat, as a pinch–hitter in the eighth inning, resulted in a double play. Palmer had a good second half of the season, though, making a run at Steve Balboni’s single-season franchise record of 36 home runs. Palmer ended up just short at 34. A free agent after the season, he signed with Detroit. Although he hit 38 home runs for the Tigers in 1999, he didn’t make the All-Star team, and 1998 ended up as his only appearance.

I don’t know if the Royals had the best young outfield in baseball in 1999 and 2000, but they had to be pretty close. With 25-year-olds Johnny Damon and Dye flanking the 22-year-old Carlos Beltran in 1999, the future looked bright for Kansas City. But Dye was hardly an overnight success. Acquired from the Atlanta Braves just before the 1997 season started, Dye struggled for two years before he unlocked his ability in 1999, with an All-Star worthy .294/.354/.526 line. He wasn’t selected that season, but would not be denied in 2000. In fact, he was voted in as a starter, the Royals’ first since Tartabull was the DH in 1991.

“Fans relate more to the way you play on the field and how you give 100 percent than the big-name players. Finally, players on this team are getting noticed. Kansas City is finally being out on the map.”–Dye, quoted by Steve Rock. The Kansas City Star, July 5, 2000

To make the moment a little sweeter for Dye, the game was played in Atlanta. Dye hit a fly ball in the second. He began the fourth with a walk and came around to score on a Derek Jeter single. He finished his evening with a strikeout against Glavine, who apparently had it in for Kansas City right fielders in the Midsummer Classic.

And like another player on this list (Cone), Dye would also be dealt away in a horrific trade, going to Colorado at the 2001 trade deadline for Neifi Perez (the Rockies immediately traded Dye to Oakland for three players). Despite some strong years with the A’s and then the Chicago White Sox, Dye would not be an All-Star again until 2006.

When the Royals got out to their surprising hot start in 2003, MacDougal was one of the biggest beneficiaries. He had appeared in a total of nine major-league games before 2003, and by the end of April, he had 10 saves. That will get you on the All-Star radar. Although his pace slowed down some, he still had 20 saves by the end of June, including an incredible stretch of five straight games with one (there was an off-day in there, but still…). And that got him on the team. For once, the Royals had more than the one required representative, as Mike Sweeney (who was usually the lone Royal selected in those days) joined him in Chicago. Royals manager Tony Pena notified MacDougal before the Royals’ game against Detroit, and MacDougal celebrated later by nailing down his 24th save of the year to tie for the AL lead.

“When I first got down to the bullpen and we were talking about it like, man, now the pressure is really on. And the guys are like, no–no pressure. (Jason) Grimsley’s like, ‘There’s no pressure You do what you need to do. You’ll be fine.’”–MacDougal, quoted by Dick Kaegel, The Kansas City Star, July 7, 2003

This was the first All-Star Game after the infamous tie in 2002 when both sides ran out of pitchers, so maybe AL manager Mike Scioscia was worried about making sure he had enough guys in reserve. Whatever the reason, MacDougal did not get to pitch. So his most notable moment was getting booed by the White Sox fans in pregame introductions. Which was kind of cool, since it meant for once in that era that the Royals were taken seriously by other teams’ fans.

MacDougal pitched in the majors into the 2012 season, but never was selected for an All-Star Game again. Still, for a guy who once suffered a fractured skull after being hit in the head by a flying bat, making it once was pretty cool.

Harvey was an accidental All-Star of sorts, although he certainly earned it in the first half of 2004. After a solid 2003 season, his rookie year, Harvey started 2004 hot, hitting .397 through April. He cooled off in May but another hot streak got his average up to .375 in early June. However, with the Royals suffering through a miserable season, most people assumed that Carlos Beltran would be the team’s representative, especially under voting rules at the time that would allow the players to select eight reserve position players and eight pitchers. But on June 24, the Royals dealt Beltran, headed for free agency after the season, to Houston. Now it was down to Sweeney and Harvey. After the player and fan votes failed to select a Royal (as an odd side note, MLB added Beltran to the AL team, said he couldn’t play in the game, then relented and let him suit up for the NL), AL manager Joe Torre went with Harvey.

“There’s no doubt this is by far the biggest day of my baseball career. To be on the field and acknowledged with the greatest players in the game is unbelievable. I’m almost at a loss for words.”–Harvey, quoted by Bob Dutton, The Kansas City Star, July 5, 2004

Harvey even got the honor of being the first pinch-hitter Torre used, in the third inning. Unfortunately, he struck out against Randy Johnson, hardly the only player to do so.

Also unfortunately, Harvey would suffer a series of injuries after 2004, and would not play in the majors again after a handful of games in 2005.

Well, here it is. Almost any list of worst All-Star selections will include poor Redman, who overall had a decent career. Acquired from Pittsburgh before the 2006 season, Redman was mostly in Kansas City to eat some innings because the Royals were required to play 162 games. And while his overall numbers in the first half weren’t great, he did win all five of his starts in June with a 3.74 ERA, which for the 2006 Royals was just about 1968 Bob Gibson territory. I’m not going to make the case that Redman was worthy of the pick, but he wasn’t a terrible pitcher. However, it probably would have made more sense for AL manager Ozzie Guillen to select second baseman Mark Grudzielanek or outfielder David DeJesus. Grudzielanek was hitting .279/.316/.375 at the end of June, plus was a reasonably well-known name who had not been charged with an error during the first half of the season. DeJesus missed time in the first half of the season but was hitting .294/.389/.471 through June 30. Or even third baseman Mark Teahen: .252/.298/.409 at the end of June. Maybe Guillen meant to choose one of the other Marks and there was a miscommunication?

“I was surprised. They told me during the game. I’m thrilled. I’m just happy the team is playing good baseball. That’s what helped me get the chance to go.”–Redman, quoted by Bob Dutton, The Kansas City Star, July 3, 2006

It’s unfortunate that what could have been a heart-warming story was overshadowed by the pundits and fans mocking the Royals and this selection. Redman’s father had undergone heart surgery on June 5. Redman’s mom had also been diagnosed with breast cancer early in the season. So the selection was a nice moment for Redman, even though he didn’t actually appear in the game. He would be through as a major-leaguer roughly two years later, so this and his 2003 World Series ring were career highlights.

After losing 310 games the previous three seasons, the Royals decided to at least try a little bit to act like a major league franchise. Part of that was signing Meche to a large free-agent contract (five years, $55 million; not a lot by today’s standards but then it was equal to Sweeney’s contract as the largest in franchise history). Some people questioned the move, as Meche was not a star, but it worked right away, as Meche was 5-6 despite a tidy 3.28 ERA through the end of June. He was pitching deep into games and putting together a good season despite the record (and of course, the Royals were still pretty bad).

“I think coming in to a new team, with all the hype about everything about me coming here, I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve done this year.”–Meche, quoted by Sam Mellinger, The Kansas City Star, July 2, 2007

But Meche did not appear in the game, and this was his only All-Star selection. He had one more good season, then began breaking down. Meche famously retired before the 2011 season, walking away from the last $12 million on his contract when he easily could have played out the final year and been paid even if he were injured.

Really! Greinke made six All-Star teams, but only one while he was a Royal. This, of course, was the year when Greinke was probably the best pitcher on the planet, as he went 16-8 (for a 65-win team) with a 2.16 ERA and 10.4 bWAR, a full three wins better than the second-best total of Tim Lincecum. The Cy Young voters were able to overlook the relatively low win total and acknowledge the obvious. Once Greinke started the 2009 season with six wins in six starts and a 0.40 ERA, it was really just a question of whether he would start the All-Star Game, not if he would make it. Either way, with the game in St. Louis, Greinke had one wish.

“Hopefully I get an at-bat. If that’s what it is, that’ll be the number one thing.”–Greinke, quoted by Sam Mellinger, The Kansas City Star, July 6, 2009

Unfortunately, he got neither the start nor the plate appearance. AL manager Joe Maddon chose to go with Toronto’s Roy Halladay for the start. Greinke got to pitch one inning, but at least he got two strikeouts and a popup. He didn’t get to hit, as Carl Crawford batted for him in the top of the fourth. Since this was the era when the All-Star Game decided home-field advantage in the World Series, I guess Maddon thought there was no time for whimsy. By the time Greinke made his next All-Star team, the DH was being used, so I don’t think he ever got that at-bat. He did get to start the 2015 game, though.