Fifty years ago this week, the Royals participated in the 1968 expansion draft with their fellow new franchises, the Seattle Pilots (you now know them as the Milwaukee Brewers), San Diego Padres, and Montreal Expos (and you now know them as the Washington Nationals). While many players on expansion teams are quickly forgotten, Kansas City managed to snag a few names I think most Royals fans would recognize even now. One of them was even a future Hall of Famer, although he never played for the Royals. Several other players were later traded for some of the really big names in team history, although for the most part the Royals got the best of both worlds from those guys: good performance in Kansas City, then dealt for even better talent. All in all, the 1968 expansion draft was the springboard for the Royals’ excellent showing in the 1970s.

The American League portion of the draft proceeded on October 15 in Boston (the two National League teams picked their players the day before). Seattle won the coin toss for the first pick, but elected to give the Royals first choice so they would have the second and third overall picks. The Royals used that first selection on pitcher Roger Nelson of the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore had made a calculated risk, feeling that the Royals and Pilots would look for catchers early on and therefore Nelson, who had been injured for some of the 1968 season but was definitely pencilled into the 1969 rotation, could be left unprotected and then added to the protected list after the first round of the draft. But the Royals instead had drafted a pitcher who would post a 3.31 ERA in 193 1/3 innings in 1969, and a 2.08 ERA in 173 1/3 innings in 1972.

“I couldn’t believe Baltimore would let me go in the draft. I was told when the season ended that I would be the number four starter. I was working when I was drafted. A friend told me about it. Although I was surprised, I’m very happy to be with the Royals.”—Nelson, quoted by Joe McGuff, The Sporting News, February 15, 1969

As a footnote, that first pick could have involved a much bigger name than Nelson: Mickey Mantle. The great Yankee was at the end of his career following the 1968 season, although he hadn’t officially retired when the existing teams had to submit their lists of protected players a mere 48 hours after the World Series ended. Mantle had hit just .237 in 1968, but he still smacked 18 home runs and walked 106 times. His slugging percentage of .398 doesn’t sound that great to modern ears, but keep in mind the league average was .339. And of course, he was probably the most famous baseball player in America at the time.

The Yankees didn’t want to protect Mantle without knowing if he would play in 1969. They even went to American League president Joe Cronin for help, and Cronin persuaded Seattle and Kansas City that it would be just terrible for the game of baseball if Mantle ever played in anything but pinstripes. The two new teams were willing to go along with it until other teams heard about the Yankees basically getting an extra protected player spot. On top of that, the league changed the draft rules, saying players serving in the military were also protected. This really helped the Yankees, who had left a prospect named Bobby Murcer unprotected while he was in the service. Kansas City had been very interested in selecting Murcer, who was eventually Mantle’s replacement in center field and had a very nice career. When the rules changed, the Royals started making noise about drafting Mantle, with manager Joe Gordon saying they would be “foolish” not to take him if they could. Mantle had played in Kansas City when the Yankees’ top farm team was located there, and now the Royals were possibly interested in bringing him back to KC as the face of the franchise. Charlie Metro, then the Royals’ director of player procurement, would later say that owner Ewing Kauffman wanted to pick Mantle with the team’s first pick and offer him a two-year, $200,000 deal. But Mantle, or someone claiming to be Mantle, sent the Royals and Pilots a telegram saying, “If you draft me I will not report and in all probability will retire.” Eventually Kauffman decided not to risk it, despite Metro’s pleading even on the day of the draft, and neither team selected Mantle. It may not have mattered, as Mantle retired during spring training 1969 anyway, but for a while it looked like one of the all-time greats would be an original Royal.

Anyway, Kansas City’s second pick (and fourth overall) was third baseman Joe Foy from the Boston Red Sox. Foy had an interesting reaction, blasting Boston manager Dick Williams:

“(He’s) a two-faced sneak. He takes pleasure in hurting people. He thinks that will make them better ballplayers. Well, I’ve got news for him. I expect to be a much better player with a new club.”—Foy, quoted by Larry Claflin, The Sporting News, October 26, 1968

Foy was true to his word, hitting .262/.354/.370 for the 1969 Royals after hitting .225/.336/.326 for Boston. But his place in Royals history is really as the main piece in a trade with the Mets following the 1969 season. In return, the Royals received Amos Otis. Foy struggled with alcoholism (in fact, a drunk driving arrest in 1968 helped convince the Red Sox they could live without him) and was out of baseball by 1972, while Otis would become one of the best players in Royals history.

The Royals’ draft strategy was obviously to concentrate on pitching, as five of their first eight picks were hurlers. But they went away from that to select first baseman Mike Fiore from Baltimore with their ninth pick and outfielder/first baseman Bob Oliver with their 10^th. Fiore had one really good season in the majors—the 1969 one, when he hit .274/.420/.428 in 426 plate appearances. He was traded early in the 1970 season but not before giving the Royals 3.1 WARP in 132 games. Meanwhile, Oliver would be the team’s first slugger, hitting 13 home runs in 1969 and then 27 in 1970, which was the franchise record until John Mayberry broke it in 1975. Oliver was traded early in the 1972 season, but he was worth 2.9 WARP in 422 games for Kansas City.

The next two picks were used on players who maybe aren’t as well-known, but they did have an impact. Pitcher Bill Butler (not to be confused with ol’ Country Breakfast Billy Butler) led the 1969 staff in strikeouts. And outfielder Steve Whitaker never played a game for the Royals—he would be traded to Seattle the following spring for Lou Piniella. Whitaker was done as a major-leaguer in 1970, while Piniella would be the 1969 Rookie of the Year and Kansas City’s first star.

With the lucky 13^th pick, the Royals selected Wally Bunker, another Baltimore pitcher. Bunker would throw the first pitch in Royals history as the starter on Opening Day 1969, and was the team’s best pitcher that year (12-11, 3.23 ERA). Unfortunately, he got hurt the next year and was never the same. They followed that pick with the selection of Paul Schaal, who is mostly famous among Royals fans for being the guy George Brett replaced at third base. But Schaal was no slouch himself, hitting .263/.360/.368 for the Royals before being traded early in the 1974 season. The pick after Schaal was pitcher Dick Drago, who pitched five seasons for Kansas City, never failing to reach 200 innings in any of those seasons. He won 17 games in 1971, and 61 in his Royals career. And then he was dealt to Boston for Marty Pattin (who had been selected by Seattle in this expansion draft), a trade that helped both teams as each player became a fine reliever. With their 16^th pick, Kansas City took outfielder Pat Kelly from Minnesota. Kelly led the 1969 Royals with 40 stolen bases and hit .264/.348/.388 that year. He gave the Royals 3.6 WARP in two seasons before being traded and having a nice run with the Orioles.

After a couple of picks who didn’t amount to much of anything (one was Topeka native and Kansas City Northeast High School graduate Don O’Riley), the Royals shored up their bullpen by choosing Al Fitzmorris from the White Sox and Moe Drabowsky from the Orioles (the Royals wisely mined Baltimore’s roster for pitching; the Orioles had so much pitching depth they could lose four pitchers to expansion and still lead the league in ERA in 1969). After years in the bullpen, Fitzmorris joined the Royals’ rotation in 1974, winning 13 games. He followed that with 16 wins in 1975 and helped the Royals capture their first division title with 15 wins in 1976. Drabowsky was a bit of a departure from the Royals’ strategy of selecting young pitchers; at age 33, he led the 1969 team with 11 saves and also picked up 11 wins in relief before being dealt back to Baltimore in 1970.

The quest to build a bullpen continued after the Royals chose shortstop Jackie Hernandez with their 21^st pick, as the next three picks were all relievers: Mike Hedlund, Tom Burgmeier, and Hoyt Wilhelm. Hedlund and Burgmeier were young, but Wilhelm was 45 years old when the Royals picked him and had broken Cy Young’s record for career pitching appearances during the 1968 season.

“I consider it an honor that Kansas City would draft me. I also was a little bit surprised that anybody would take a chance on me at my age.”—Wilhelm, quoted by Paul Cox, The Sporting News, November 9, 1968

But the knuckleball specialist, who would make the Hall of Fame and retire as the only man to pitch in 1,000 games in the majors (although that mark has fallen, he is still sixth on the all-time list), would never pitch for the Royals. Two months after the expansion draft, he was traded to California for Ed Kirkpatrick and Dennis Paepke. It was a good trade for the Royals, as Kirkpatrick hit 56 home runs over the next five years while playing every position except pitcher and shortstop.

The Royals had five more picks, but only one of them was a major contributor to the team. That was catcher Fran Healy, who would be traded away after the 1970 season, then traded back to Kansas City after the 1972 season. From 1973-1975, he hit .260/.338/.377 in 290 games before being traded to the Yankees for Larry Gura, who of course was a big part of the Royals’ run of division titles in the late 1970s.

So, how did the Royals do? After the draft, general manager Cedric Tallis was optimistic, to say the least.

“The scouts told me that we had the better selections.”—Tallis, quoted by Larry Claflin, The Sporting News, October 26, 1968.

“I can’t think of anything we’d do differently if we had to do it all over again,”—Tallis, quoted by Joe McGuff, The Sporting News, November 9, 1968

“I still believe we’re going to surprise a lot of people. I think we have a chance to finish as high as third in our division. I feel we did as well as we could possibly hope to do in the expansion draft. I realize Seattle probably feels the same way, but when I look at the arms we have and see what our kids are doing in the Florida Instructional League, I can’t help but feel enthusiastic.”— Tallis—quoted by Joe McGuff, The Sporting News, November 9, 1968

Tallis was not far off on that prediction. The 1969 Royals finished fourth in the six-team AL West, but only two games behind California. They had a better record than their expansion brothers in Seattle, as well as the established White Sox and Indians. The 25 players the Royals drafted who appeared in a Royals uniform in 1969 totalled 16.9 WARP, and if you include Kirkpatrick, Paepke, and Piniella, you can add another 6.4 to that total. Since, in the WARP formula, a team full of replacement players would win just over 50 games, the Royals should have won around 74 games. But they only won 69.

The main problem was depth; the other 11 players the Royals used totalled -2.0 WARP. It makes sense—the Royals were able to select major leaguers in the expansion draft, but had to scrape up most of the other players through the Rule 5 draft, minor trades, or outright purchasing them from other teams. The worst player on the roster was infielder Juan Rios, who had a -1.2 WARP in just 208 plate appearances. He was purchased from the Expos late in spring training; Montreal had chosen him in the Rule 5 draft from the Mets. Rios hit .224/.262/.276. Even by the low offensive standards for middle infielders at the time, that was terrible, and Rios never played in the majors again. Really, the whole middle infield was a problem: second baseman Jerry Adair had -0.9 WARP, and shortstop Jackie Hernandez had -0.3.

The Royals concentrated on pitching, and got a solid rotation out of it. Nelson, Bunker, Butler, Drago, and Jim Rooker combined for 7.5 WARP. Drabowsky (1.6) and Hedlund (0.7) were a good bullpen tandem, but not surprisingly the middle relief was also an issue, as no one else made much of a contribution.

The front office Ewing Kauffman put together, from Tallis on down to the small army of scouts, did a tremendous job in the expansion draft. To this day, the 1969 Royals had the second-best record of any expansion team in their first season. When that was followed up with shrewd trades and good draft picks, the Royals quickly became competitive and then began winning division titles soon after. Although nearly every 1969 Royal was elsewhere by the time that first title was won in 1976, the seeds of that championship were planted in a hotel ballroom in Boston eight years earlier.

Sure, the 2018 Royals have been bad. You don’t lose 104 games and get outscored by almost 200 runs unless you’re terrible. But when I start comparing this team to those other 100-loss teams, it seems to me that this team isn’t on that level.

It’s hard to believe how much the game has changed just since 2006. Strikeouts and high-powered bullpens are up; base hits and scoring are down. So let’s look at how this year’s Royals compare to league-average against those early 2000s teams:

Those 2005-2006 teams really stand out, don’t they? The 2006 team allowed the most runs in franchise history (971), breaking the record of the 2005 team (935). Sure, it was a higher-scoring environment but that’s pretty ridiculous. This year’s team seems to be more on the level of the 2002 and 2004 teams.

Of course, the 2018 Royals did most of their stinking early in the year. As the calendar turned to August, they were 33-73 and had been outscored 582-388 on the season. That’s 5.49 runs allowed per game and 3.66 runs scored per game, and they were a total difference of -1.79 runs per game below the league averages on July 31. Since then, they went 25-31 and scored almost as many runs as they’ve allowed (251-250). As you might imagine, they’d be right at league average over that span. Yes, for two months this Royals team has basically been a .500 team. That should be taken with a grain of salt, because it is only two months and one of them is September, with its expanded rosters and teams possibly trying out younger players for next season. But still.

It’s not impossible for a 100-loss team to have a 25-31 stretch. The 2002 Royals did it. Even the 2005 Royals did it (and then followed that up with a 19-game losing streak). The 2006 team accomplished it, too. I guess the difference here is that this team won’t have the chance to screw up the good feeling with some awful baseball down the stretch. Instead, they played much better late in the season.

Why? One big difference this year is the Royals, unlike many of those past 100-loss seasons, more or less committed to a youth movement after the July 31 trade deadline. According to Baseball Reference, the Royals’ hitters this year have an average age of 28.6 and the pitchers are at 27.6. Those numbers are lower for the hitters than three of the other four 100-loss teams (the only one lower is 2005, at 28.1). The news isn’t quite as good on the pitching side; two of the four had a lower average age. I suspect that will change some next year as the bullpen gets turned over to some of the prospects. But the encouraging thing about the last two months is the Royals have done this with younger players getting lots of playing time. That should make us all cautiously optimistic about next year.

The one area where this team might be worse off than the previous 100-loss teams is the bullpen. Normally, you expect relievers to perform better as a group than the starters, at least in terms of ERA. But this year’s Royals have flipped that, with the starters compiling a 4.92 ERA against the relievers’ 5.09. Those are both bad numbers, of course, but it really shows how a bad bullpen has hurt this year. What’s more, only the 2002 Royals matched this feat in our five-team sample. What’s really sad is that the 2004 and 2005 teams, in that higher-scoring environment, had lower bullpen ERAs than the 2018 Royals. ERA isn’t everything, of course, but I think that helps put in perspective how bad this year’s group of relievers has been. And with the increasing importance of bullpens in this era of baseball, this group was, in my opinion, the biggest problem on a team full of them.

Frankly, I think every bullpen spot ought to be up for grabs going into the offseason. One–count ‘em, one–reliever on the season-ending roster had a positive WARP. That would be Kevin McCarthy, at 0.2. Fixing that bullpen won’t make these Royals a title contender, but it would go a long way toward avoiding the 100-loss mark next season. There are still lots of question marks (mainly, can the guys who played well for two months this year do it for six months next year?), the rotation only has three dependable (but likely mid-rotation types) starters, and the whole outfield situation needs to be sorted out. But perhaps we can see the beginnings of something more. And that hope is what makes this 100-loss team different than any other the Royals have had.

In no particular order, here are 10 good things that have happened to the Royals in 2018:

1. The one-year contracts worked just like they should (mostly). Jon Jay and Mike Moustakas were signed in the early spring for two reasons: provide some reasonably good baseball ability, then get traded for prospects. They held up their end of the bargain (Moose’s WARP as a Royal this year: 2.6, Jay’s: 1.0), and the Royals acquired Elvis Luciano and Gabe Speier for Jay and Jorge Lopez and Brett Phillips for Moustakas. The latter two are in the majors already (and Phillips, thanks to his defense, appears to be at least a useful piece—if he hits, he could be very good). The former two are lottery tickets, probably, but that’s OK since it was highly unlikely Kansas City would receive a top prospect for four months of Jon Jay. For purposes of this point, we’ll ignore that other one-year contracts for Alcides Escobar and Lucas Duda are still on the books. Hey, there’s still a few days to trade those guys!

2. Speaking of trades, the Royals seemed to deal Kelvin Herrera at just the right time. And they got Kelvin Gutierrez, Blake Perkins, and Yohanse Morel for him. Herrera went on the disabled list after posting a 4.50 ERA for the Nationals, just returned to the active roster, and got hurt again Sunday. Meanwhile, Gutierrez has hit .281/.338/.419 for Northwest Arkansas and could be manning third base in Kansas City in the near future. Perkins has a .243/.369/.311 line in Wilmington, but more exciting is that he is, by accounts I’ve seen, playing good defense in center field and is also walking a lot: 46 BBs in 250 plate appearances. And Morel? Well…he’s got an interesting name. He’s also pitched 11 games at the Rookie ball level, so who knows?

3. The Royals didn’t just make trades to supplement the future. They also traded with Cincinnati to get Rule 5 selection Brad Keller and went to the waiver wire to add Rosell Herrera. Keller is just 22 and has shown some promise as a starter (3.69 ERA in 15 starts, covering 83 innings). I don’t think he’s a future ace, but he seems to have a role somewhere on a big league staff. Herrera had a decent start to his Royals career but has slumped recently. Still, he has speed and could be a useful utility player/depth piece. That’s OK, because this year should be all about finding talent in unexpected places and then seeing if it can play in the majors.

4. Whit Merrifield has proven his 2017 season was no fluke, hitting .307/.374/.441 so far this season. That’s nice because it’s always good to have at least one player worth watching in the present, and because he could be a very nice trade chip this winter, should the Royals choose to go that direction. I would hate to see him go, but he turns 30 next January, meaning he is unlikely to be this good when the Royals are ready to contend (even the best-case scenario probably puts this in 2021). And he’s still not arbitration-eligible, meaning he is a good, cheap player. His age means he won’t fetch a top-notch prospect probably, but he could still bring back some valuable younger talent.

5. Adalberto Mondesi looks like a pretty good player. Yes, the four(!) walks in 160 plate appearances is a concern, but the four home runs and 17 stolen bases (with three caught stealing), along with the flashy defense, look promising. The Royals could and should be playing him more often, but the early returns are good.

6. The Royals had lots of draft picks this year: four in the first round, six in the top 100, nine in the top 200. That’s a good way to revitalize a farm system in a hurry. And they are almost certainly going to have the first or second overall pick next year. A couple of this year’s early picks, pitcher Daniel Lynch and center fielder Kyle Isbel, are off to good starts, too—Lynch is 5-0 with a 1.46 ERA at Class A Lexington, and Isbel has a 1.063 OPS for Idaho Falls at the Rookie level. The emphasis the Royals placed on college players in this draft means we should be seeing some of these guys in the majors in two or three years.

Um, let’s see…wow, I just had to decide to find 10 good things, not six, didn’t I? Hmm…ok, here’s one.

7. Players already in the system have had some breakout years. Seuly Matias belted 31 homers for Lexington before suffering a season-ending finger injury over the weekend; he’s still only 19 (he turns 20 on September 4). Khalil Lee got everyone’s attention with an .808 OPS at pitcher-friendly Wilmington in High-A ball. He struggled a bit after a promotion to Northwest Arkansas but had an .842 OPS in the last couple of weeks before he went on the disabled list on August 3. MJ Melendez (.807 OPS at Lexington, and he’s also 19) and Nicky Lopez (.819 OPS at Omaha) have also had nice years. One season after being demoted from Omaha to Northwest Arkansas, Ryan O’Hearn made it to the majors and has already launched six home runs in 69 plate appearances. And his co-first baseman at Omaha, Frank Schwndel, has hit .285/.337/.507 this year. He should be in the big leagues soon.

Uhhh…

8. No one died in the Great Kauffman Stadium Flood of 2018.

9. The Royals got one year closer to having massive contracts for Alex Gordon and Ian Kennedy off the books. Gordon only has one more year on his deal, which is worth $20 million annually (plus a mutual option, which at this point I would hope would not even be a consideration for the front office). Kennedy now has two years left at $16.5 million per year. And hey, Gordon has actually been not terrible this year. Not good, mind you (.239/.320/.349), but not as bad as he was in 2017.

And finally…

10. They probably won’t have a worse record than the 1962 Mets, the standard for futility in the modern era with a 40-120 record. Just three more wins to insure they don’t reach 120 losses. I feel fairly confident they can do it.

Phew! Made it!

Please understand, none of this excuses the results this season. I do believe this team has underachieved. Not that they should have been contenders, but they shouldn’t be losing 115 games, either. I think most people and projection systems had them between 90-100 losses, meaning this is on pace to be a 15-20 game underachievement. On the whole, this year is unacceptable. But just because it’s unacceptable doesn’t mean everything is awful.

I was hardly alone in this. The rest of the Royals blogosphere was already way ahead of me. I figured Moore might deserve the rest of the season, but once the Royals, 48-46 at the All-Star Break and 6.5 games out of the AL Central lead, failed to make the postseason, there could be no more excuses. Eight years in and no playoff berths? Trading a key asset like Wil Myers for James Shields only to end up an also-ran? Those seemed like fireable offenses to me.

Had I been smart enough to actually write, “Hey, let’s let this season play out before we call for Moore’s job,” I could claim to be a genius. Instead, I kept it to myself. So no genius claims here.

You know what happened next: the team caught fire, rolled through the postseason until running into that one Giants pitcher, then came back the next year and won it all. They couldn’t follow that up with more postseason play, but they can at least claim they were in contention as September began in both 2016 and 2017 (three and 4.5 games out of a playoff spot, respectively, which isn’t an outstanding chance but is certainly possible).

You’d think that would buy Moore a little goodwill. And for the most part, I think it has. But I’ve seen and heard some grumbling that the Royals might be better off parting ways with the general manager. Nationally-known writers are saying he was merely lucky, while more local writers seem to think he’s clueless now.

Before I get into my defense of Dayton Moore, let me say that this is most likely a pointless argument. I have a hard time imagining the Royals firing him, unless this season is followed by several more just like it. All that matters is what the Glass family thinks, and while they usually play things close to the vest, there is no indication they are considering anything of the sort that I know about (not that I have highly-placed sources or anything, but I certainly don’t see any evidence of this).

So let’s try defending Dayton.

First, let’s keep in mind that this rebuild is less than a year old. You might subscribe to the theory that it wouldn’t have to be if he had traded away players like Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas at the trade deadline in 2016 or 2017. And sure, they would have received talented players in return (although if you’re questioning Moore already, why would you assume he would make good trades for those players?). But who wants to be a fan of a team that a) sells off good players just months after a World Series title, and b) does so when they are two games out of first in the division (which is where they were at last year’s trade deadline)? After almost three decades of futility, Dayton Moore was supposed to tear up the team that finally broke through, just for a chance the team might be good in 2020? No, people—probably many of the same ones most upset today—would have been furious. It’s almost like you can’t win in this situation. So, in my mind, you might as well try to make the playoffs.

No, this rebuild began last November. Patience is needed. Maybe not eight years’ worth, but I think a little patience isn’t too much to ask. It is true, and fair to point out, that Moore is not on a streak of great decisions, although some of the ones he’s made since that World Series title at least seemed defensible at the time.

And for some reason, there seems to be some consternation over Moore actually having the temerity to (gasp!) say the Royals are not tanking and would like to win more games.

I respect Moore for trying to win. If you care about baseball, I think you should, too. I don’t think it’s good for the sport to have 12 teams trying to win the World Series and 18 teams trying for the #1 draft pick. People act like the #1 spot is the only place you can get a great player, despite seeing the Royals win a World Series with one overall number one pick on the roster: reliever Luke Hochevar. Yes, Hosmer, Moustakas, and Alex Gordon were all top five picks. Cain was a 17th-round pick. Jarrod Dyson was famously picked in the 50th round. Ben Zobrist was a third-round selection, as was Danny Duffy.

And again, if you are already questioning Moore, why would you expect him to do a good job with these potential top selections? In this case, I might agree with you a little more. Part of the Royals’ problem right now is the bad job they did in the early rounds of the 2011 and 2012 drafts—it is arguably the difference between the four- or five-year window they had and a 2000s-Twins decade or so of contention. I give them a break on 2013 and 2014 because they dealt Sean Manaea for Zobrist and Brandon Finnegan contributed to a World Series team before being traded for Johnny Cueto. The 2018 Royals would be better with Manaea, but they’d still be bad and we might not have that sweet World Series flag flying over Kauffman Stadium. I’ll take the way things are, thank you.

None of this is to say that Dayton Moore is infallible or that he deserves a lifetime contract. But I do think he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Let’s not forget that the farm system looked barren just a few months ago. It’s not great now, but they have added talent at the lower levels through this year’s draft (taking advantage of those picks they got from not trading Hosmer or Cain), plus players like Khalil Lee and Seuly Matias have had breakout years. The low minors look pretty good now. Then he added some players who were already in the majors or close to it (Rosell Herrera, Brian Goodwin, Brett Phillips). Those guys were at one time all considered good prospects. The shine had come off them a bit, but apparently smarter baseball people than me thought they had some potential at one point. They were all acquired fairly cheaply and that is precisely what the Royals should be doing at the major-league level now: finding cheap assets with ability and a few years of team control remaining.

And, of course, Dayton Moore did build a championship team once before. Maybe there was some luck involved (news flash: luck is involved in nearly every World Series’ winner’s postseason) but it still happened. Maybe he didn’t build that team the way you—or I—would have done it, but he did. If I’ve learned anything from the Dayton Moore regime, it’s to be cautious when doubting him. Let’s see how it plays out.

That’s a bold claim, you might respond. I answer with the Game Score stat.

You’re familiar with Game Score, yes? Devised by Bill James, it is a stat to determine a starting pitcher’s effectiveness in a single game. While it is somewhat of a “quick and dirty” method, in general it works to give us a good idea of just how well a pitcher did in any game. The formula is simple: start with 50 points, add one point for each out, one point for each strikeout, and two points for each inning completed after the fourth. Then subtract one point for each walk, two points for each hit, two points for each unearned run, and four points for each earned run. A Game Score of 100 is exceptional, a Game Score of 90 is terrific, and the proverbial “quality start” is probably going to be between 50-60 points.

In Royals history, the highest Game Score ever is a 98, achieved by Dick Drago in 1972. It was a much different time: Drago worked 11 innings before allowing a run in the 12th. Unfortunately, that cost him the game, as the Royals lost 1-0. The second-highest Game Score in team history is a game most of you will recall: Danny Duffy striking out 16 Tampa Bay hitters in 2016 for a 95.

Next on the list is a 93 by Appier in 1995. That was pretty dominant: he shut out California on three hits and struck out 13 hitters. Roger Nelson also got a 93 in a 1972 game against Boston, striking out nine and allowing one hit. But those 1972 games were played without the designated hitter—that rule came into effect in 1973.

There are two 92 Game Scores on the list, one by Bret Saberhagen in 1987 and Jim Colborn’s no-hitter in 1977 (if you’re wondering, Saberhagen’s 1991 no-hitter comes in at 90—he only had five strikeouts and walked two batters).

And then there’s the game in question here: a Game Score of 91 for Appier on July 27, 1993. Fun fact: Appier actually had two Game Scores of 91 as a Royal. And he lost both times by a 1-0 score. The first one was a 10-inning loss to Cleveland in 1992, but he only had four strikeouts. It’s the second one of those games that we should examine more closely.

July 27 was a typical Kansas City summer day, with a forecast of 91 degrees and a slight chance of rain. That was a welcome break from the rain that had been falling in the area—and really, all of the Midwest—most of the spring and summer. Many parts of Kansas City and the surrounding areas, especially Parkville, were either flooded already or desperately piling up sandbags to limit potential flooding. Meanwhile, the Royals were trying to keep pace with Chicago in the AL West race, along with their opponents in this game, the Texas Rangers. An earlier rainout had been rescheduled as part of a July 26 doubleheader between the two teams; the Royals won both games to move to 1.5 games behind the White Sox, while Texas sat four games back of Chicago. This was now a rare five-game series, and with one of their aces on the mound, the Royals had a chance to open up more room between themselves and the Rangers.

Appier began the game with a groundout, then struck out the next two hitters. He collected two more strikeouts in the second, sandwiched around a lineout to third baseman Phil Hiatt. Then he got two more strikeouts in the third, accompanied by another groundout. That was nine up, nine down, six strikeouts, and no balls out of the infield so far.

It was apparent Appier could do something special on this night. But would the Royals ever score?

That was always a question when Appier was on the mound, it seemed like. In 1990, the Royals scored two or fewer runs in eight of his 24 starts. In 1991, they scored two or fewer runs in nine of his 31 starts. And in 1992, they scored two or fewer runs in 14 of his 30 starts, which is probably where the notion that the Royals never scored for Appier comes from. In 1993, it was back to a more reasonable nine of 34 starts. Of course, this particular Royals team would finish last in the AL in runs scored in 1993, so it was a fair question.

Anyway, Rangers starter and Royals nemesis Kenny Rogers was working out of trouble. Kansas City had a great scoring chance in the second, when Gary Gaetti led off with a double that missed clearing the wall by perhaps a foot. Kevin McReynolds singled with one out, but Gaetti stopped at third. Hiatt struck out and Jose Lind grounded out, ending the inning.

The Royals collected two-out singles in both the fourth and fifth innings, but nothing came of them. Meanwhile, Appier had retired 15 straight hitters, with a fly ball to short center to end the fifth the only ball hit out of the infield. Eight of those 15 hitters had struck out.

Appier continued to dominate as the sixth inning began, striking out Doug Strange for the first out. But Dan Peltier drew a walk, ending the perfect game. Trying to get something started, Peltier took off for second on the first pitch to the next hitter. Catcher Mike Macfarlane fired a strike to second to cut down Peltier, one of four times he would be caught stealing that year without ever being successful. Appier kept the no-hitter going by getting Mario Diaz for the final out.

The Rangers could only manage two groundouts to start the seventh. Rafael Palmeiro stepped to the plate, took one pitch for ball one, and then threw a slider to Palmeiro…

“I was not trying to hit the ball out of the park. I was just trying to hit it somewhere.”—Palmeiro, quoted by the Associated Press, July 28, 1993

It was not a long home run, but it was still a home run. The ball landed in the Royals’ bullpen in right field and Texas had a 1-0 lead.

“The guy gave up one hit, you can’t say any pitch he threw was a mistake. He was hitting my glove all night. I didn’t have to move it.”—Macfarlane, quoted by Jonathan Rand, Kansas City Star, July 28, 1993

Now the pressure was on the Royals’ offense. Gaetti started the seventh with a single, and McReynolds singled with one out to move Gaetti to second. Hiatt hit a line drive headed for right field, but Strange made a leaping catch, then threw to second to double off Gaetti. The scoring threat was over and it was on to the eighth inning.

Appier again set the Rangers down in order in the eighth. The Royals got a two-out single by Greg Gagne in the bottom of the eighth, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

In the ninth, Appier got three quick outs, striking out Manny Lee for the second out of the inning and his 11^th K of the night. As he walked off the mound after the third out, the crowd of 22,415 rose for a standing ovation.

“It was nice what they did, showing their appreciation. I was uncomfortable coming out when we were behind like that. But I recognized what they were doing.”—Appier, quoted by Rand

The Royals had one more chance. Gaetti singled with two outs in the ninth, and the Rangers turned to closer Tom Henke. Pinch-hitter Wally Joyner grounded out and it was official: Appier had struck out 11, allowed one hit, and lost.

“It’s hard to say if it’s the best game I’ve ever thrown because we lost. I felt in control the whole night. It was frustrating for all of us to lose.”—Appier, quoted by Jeffrey Flanagan, Kansas City Star, July 28, 1993

Appier had been very efficient, throwing just 108 pitches. He had faced one batter over the minimum, and lowered his season ERA to 2.92 in the process.

“I do recognize I threw a good game. It wasn’t good enough. I’m bummed for that.”—Appier, quoted by Rand.

“I’ve seen some great performances over the years by some great pitchers, including Doc Gooden, and that’s right at the top. Any time you can strike out 11 and do it economically you just hope he can find some solace and feel good about it tonight, then carry it over to his next start.”—Royals pitcher David Cone, quoted by Rand

Appier actually got bombed in his next outing, allowing seven runs—five earned—in just two innings. But he finished at least seven innings in 10 of his 11 remaining starts, finishing the year with an 18-8 record and leading the league with a 2.56 ERA. He finished third in the Cy Young voting.

Given the strength of the Texas lineup, which featured Julio Franco (2,586 major league hits), Juan Gonzalez (434 career home runs), and Palmeiro (3,020 major league hits), I’d argue that this outing was more impressive than Duffy’s 16-strikeout one. And just think, had Palmeiro’s home run just bounced off the wall and the Rangers remained scoreless, Appier’s Game Score would have been 95, tied with Duffy for second-best in team history.

Then again, if Appier had pitched a one-hit shutout and won, I wonder if we would even remember this game. Something about pitching so well and still losing, giving one’s absolute best and not getting rewarded, seems to strike a chord with people. It’s unfortunate, but maybe it’s good that it helps us remember this game, which does get my vote as the most dominant pitching performance in Royals history.

Sure, we survived this kind of nonsense before—looking at you, 2004-2006 Royals—but coming off a five-year period that featured a World Series title, an American League pennant, and three years of contention, this is tough to take.

It would be a little easier to take if we could see steps being taken for the future. By that, I mean seeing the building blocks for the next good Royals team. For the most part, those guys are in distant locales like Lexington and Wilmington. I get that, and there is no good reason to rush any of those players. However, the Royals have committed two major sins so far this year at the big-league level: they are bad at baseball, and as an entertainment concern, well…they’re kind of boring.

Yes, boring: the offense is 14th in the league in home runs, eighth in stolen bases (but with only 38, they average one every other game), and 13th in on-base percentage. They do put the ball in play (fewest strikeouts!) but seldom successfully, as evidenced by their .239 team batting average, good for 11th in the AL. And let’s not forget the second-most double plays in the league—at 75, they are averaging nearly one per game.

On the pitching side, despite working in spacious Kauffman Stadium, the Royals have allowed the most home runs in the league (well, at least that’s exciting for other teams). They have picked up the fewest strikeouts. And they have issued the fourth-most walks in the league, a deadly combination when you give up all those home runs. You might think, “Well, at least the ball is in play a lot,” but when you look up the Royals’ defensive efficiency on the Baseball Prospectus site and realize it is the second-worst in the league (thanks, Baltimore!), you realize that’s not good news. In recent years, you got excited when a Royals opponent put the ball in play, because there was an excellent chance one of the defenders would make a highlight-reel catch. By and large, that’s not happening this year. In fact, by that standard, they’re not even making catches an average team would make.

So yeah, boring. None of this is news if you’ve spent much time watching the Royals this year. But I had to make my case.

Now, how do the Royals solve this? Like I said, they don’t have a raft of top prospects to call up from Omaha. That’s not going to change even when they trade off assets before July 31; if Kelvin Herrera didn’t bring back major-league ready talent, Lucas Duda is unlikely to do so (no offense to Duda). Maybe Mike Moustakas will, but I wouldn’t count on it. Still, there are a few personnel moves the Royals could make that would at least make following the team a little more interesting, even if they do nothing to stop the losing. Thinking about the future and trying to figure out which players might stick in the majors is about the only way Royals fans are going to be entertained the rest of this season.

The Royals actually did a couple of these things over the last week, bringing Adalberto Mondesi and Rosell Herrera to the majors. They also made the right call by keeping Hunter Dozier in the majors when Duda came off the disabled list, dispatching Paulo Orlando to Omaha. Applause for both of those moves. On the other hand, they sent Scott Barlow and Ramon Torres down, and those are probably mistakes.

See, there is a lot of veteran dead weight on this team. Some of it, due to massive contracts, is probably unmovable. Of course, here I refer to Ian Kennedy and the $16 million he is owed this year. Oh, and the $16.5 million he’ll get next year. And the year after that. Sigh.

Anyway, there are lots of other options to clear off the roster. Players like Abraham Almonte, Drew Butera, Ryan Goins, Justin Grimm, Jason Hammel, and Brandon Maurer (along with the aforementioned Orlando) offer little upside. Alcides Escobar really doesn’t, either, but I can’t imagine the Royals cutting him loose, so let’s not worry about that for now. The good news is the Royals have very little money or development time invested in these players. Trade ‘em for lottery tickets, or just release ‘em.

Because there are actually some options at Omaha to replace these players. Relievers Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady have had success there, and Barlow pitched decently in limited time in Kansas City. We’ve seen a little of Cam Gallagher at the major-league level and he seems like a passable backup catcher. Frank Schwindel and Ryan O’Hearn might deserve a look in the majors. Torres probably won’t ever hit in the majors…but I’d rather find out about him than watch Goins not hit in the majors.

Then there’s the Mondesi/Escobar situation. Most of the players I just mentioned probably aren’t part of the next good Royals team, but this is the time to find out. But with all the hype he’s had, it would be nice if Mondesi turned out to be part of that team. Let the kid play shortstop as often as possible. I actually approve of the Royals trying Escobar at some other positions if it means Mondesi plays more frequently. Escobar chasing down fly balls has the potential to be entertaining. At least it’s different. And that’s what the Royals and their fans need now. Because if you can’t be good (and none of these moves will make this team good in the short-term), you can at least be entertaining.

Instead, I found a few cases in Royals history where the team made what turned out to be a good decision, only to not reap the benefits. In these cases, the Royals picked a high school player who decided to go to college instead of signing. To me, those are more interesting scenarios. And sure, maybe these players wouldn’t have developed in the Royals’ system. And yes, every team can point to similar situations that might have changed their fortunes. But these are just for fun, and the great thing about these is there are no wrong answers.

Scott Sanderson, 1974 (11th Round)

Sanderson was a high school pitcher in the Chicago suburbs when Kansas City drafted him. He chose to go to Vanderbilt instead. In 1977, Montreal selected Sanderson in the third round, and he was in the majors by the end of the 1978 season. In the six years before he would have been a free agent (and thus the years the Royals would have been assured of his services), he had a 56-47 record and 3.33 ERA in 883 innings. He was a dependable starter, and the only major injury he suffered in those years was a torn thumb ligament in 1983, which he suffered while running the bases (he turned an ankle and fell down, injuring himself by putting his hand out to break his fall). Since that wouldn’t have been a concern in the American League, you could pencil him in for 32 starts as a 1983 Royal in this hypothetical.

I think Sanderson would have helped the Royals win the AL West in 1979. The team had trouble finding reliable starting pitching to round out the Larry Gura/Dennis Leonard/Paul Splittorff trio. Putting Sanderson (who went 9-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 1979) in there would move Rich Gale (9-10, 5.65 ERA) to the fifth spot. Kansas City finished three games behind California, so a rotation upgrade probably would have made the difference.

In 1980, the Royals won the AL West comfortably, and it’s hard to say one pitcher could make a huge difference in the small sample size of a World Series. Gale did start two of the six games in that Series, but he got lifted early in both. Does Sanderson do better? Possibly.

Sanderson also might have helped the Royals to the 1982 AL West title. Once again, the Royals finished three games behind California, and once again rotation problems hurt them. Dennis Leonard missed two months with an injury, and Bud Black and Dave Frost combined for 28 starts and a 5.17 ERA in them. Meanwhile, Sanderson went 12-12 with a 3.46 ERA in Montreal.

Frank Viola, 1978 (16th Round)

In this case, I feel certain that had the Royals signed their pick, there would be more flags flying at Kauffman Stadium. That’s because after Viola, who hailed from Long Island, turned them down to attend St. John’s University in New York, he was picked by the Twins in 1981. He reached the majors the next season and became a star in 1984, going 18-12 with a 3.21 ERA. From 1984-1988, he won 93 games capping off that stretch with the 1988 Cy Young Award. Now, Viola probably wasn’t enough to get the Royals past Detroit in the 1984 ALCS. And things went south in 1986; one pitcher wasn’t overcoming that. But in 1987, the Royals finished just two games behind…Viola’s Minnesota Twins. The problem with that Royals team was offense, not pitching, but taking Viola away from the Twins and putting him on the Royals would seem to easily be a two-game swing at least. The Twins pulled off upsets of Detroit and St. Louis to win the World Series; with the pitching the Royals would have had in this scenario, they could have done the same thing. Imagine dealing with your Cardinal fan friends, family, co-workers if the Royals had defeated St. Louis twice in the World Series in three years.

Will Clark, 1982 (4th Round)

This one hurts a little. OK, a lot. Losing out on a 11^th or 16^th round pick isn’t that bad. But this one is a double whammy in lost pick value (other notable Royals fourth-round picks: Mike Macfarlane, Bo Jackson, David DeJesus) and the fact Clark could have provided some much-needed offense to the late 1980s Royals teams. Clark was picked out of Jesuit High School in New Orleans but instead went to Mississippi State. The Giants picked him in 1985 and he was in the majors in 1986, finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year vote. The next year he finished fifth in the MVP vote. Add Clark’s .308/.371/508 line in 1987 to that Royals team and they probably finish ahead of the Twins (and if you add Viola to that team…whew). You might wonder where Clark would fit in that lineup. I assume George Brett would have been moved to DH instead of first base (where he played most of 1987 to make room for Kevin Seitzer). Royals DHs hit .215/.289/.411 that year, which includes Brett hitting .288/.370/.600 in 21 games as the DH. In a word, woof.

The 1988 Royals finished a long ways behind Oakland, but in 1989 they finished seven games back of the A’s. Clark was the NL MVP runner-up that year, hitting .333/.407/.546. Meanwhile, Royals DHs hit a pedestrian .250/.315/.386. It’s hard for one player to make up a seven-game difference…but Clark was credited with 8.3 WARP in 1989. It would have been a much closer race, I think it’s safe to say. Clark would not have made a difference in the Royals’ overall fortunes the next few years before he would have become a free agent, but perhaps he could have fetched a nice return in a trade.

Deion Sanders, 1985 (6th Round)

A year before the Royals drafted Bo Jackson, they went with another two-sport star. I suppose they figured Willie Wilson had worked out well, so why not try another exceptionally fast guy? They probably had plenty of scouting opportunities, as Sanders attended high school in Fort Myers, Florida, which was Kansas City’s spring training home at the time. Of course, Sanders decided to go play football at Florida State. Unlike Jackson, Sanders seemed to prefer football, so he only played 100 games in a season once. Despite a slow start, he turned into a decent baseball player. It’s hard to pinpoint a season where he would have made a huge difference—the closest the Royals came to first place in his first six seasons was the strike-shortened 1994 season. But it would have been really interesting to have the two most famous two-sport stars on the same team.

Jon Gray, 2010 (13th Round)

Had Gray signed with the Royals when he was drafted in 2010, he’d likely be a Royal right now. Instead, he went to junior college and then the University of Oklahoma, and then the Rockies drafted him. His first full season in the majors was 2016, when he went 10-10 with a 4.61 ERA, although his underlying numbers were good enough for 2.0 WARP. The 2016 Royals gave Chris Young 14 starts and got -1.4 WARP. They gave Dillon Gee 13 starts and got -0.3 WARP. Put Gray in there instead and you get a net gain of 3.7 WARP. The Royals finished eight games out of a wild-card spot…but they also really faltered down the stretch. Would a relatively young, fresh arm have helped? I think so.

And in 2017, when Gray went 10-4 with a 3.67 ERA, that depth would have been welcome. With Gray on board, maybe the Royals aren’t tempted to trade for Trevor Cahill and Brandon Maurer. That move seemed like a good idea at the time, but their ineffectiveness helped torpedo the Royals’ season. Gray suffered a foot injury last April but was back in the rotation by late June, helping the Rockies make the wild-card game.

Unfortunately, we will never have answers to these scenarios. We can only hope that no one the Royals select in this week’s draft will be “the one that got away” in the future.

The 1984 Royals captured a surprising division title with several young pitchers (Mark Gubicza, Danny Jackson, and Bret Saberhagen leading the way). Frankly, they weren’t that good as a team—an 84-win squad that was outscored on the season. But those pitchers were promising. A veteran catcher might help them become special. Enter Jim Sundberg.

James Howard Sundberg was born on May 18, 1951, in Galesburg, Illinois. After graduating from Galesburg High School, he was drafted by Oakland in the sixth round of the 1969 amateur draft. However, he spurned the A’s and headed off to the University of Iowa. Three years later, Texas drafted him in the eighth round of the draft, but Sundberg decided to stay in school for one more year. The Rangers were undeterred; they picked him again in the 1973 January draft. This time, with no college career left, Sundberg signed with Texas. When he hit .298/.421/.417 at Class AA Pittsfield that year, he was immediately on the radar of Rangers manager Billy Martin. And so it was not a surprise that on Opening Day 1974, Sundberg was behind the plate.

Texas had lost 105 games in 1973, firing Whitey Herzog and hiring Martin in the process. But in 1974, they finished a respectable 84-76, just five games behind Oakland. Sundberg hit .247/.354/.323 and impressed everyone with his defense.

“Frankly, I think we’re going to have one of the best catchers in baseball for years to come. And the other teams in this league know that as well as I do. They respect that arm already. No team is going to take any base-stealing liberties with him.”—Martin, quoted by Randy Galloway in The Sporting News, June 22, 1974

He finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, behind teammate Mike Hargrove, Bucky Dent, and some guy named George Brett. He also made the All-Star team, although he didn’t get to appear in the game.

The next two seasons were offensive struggles for Sundberg, as he hit just .213/.284/283 combined. But the Rangers kept running him out there nearly every day (he caught 155 games in 1975, starting 148 of them). The defense was too good to ignore—he threw out 46% of would-be basestealers in 1975 and became the first AL catcher since the 1940s to have more than 100 assists in a season. He won his first Gold Glove in 1976.

When Sundberg’s offense bounced back in 1977 (a .291/.365/.389 line), he received some MVP votes and another Gold Glove. In 1978, he again finished 15th in the MVP vote, won another Gold Glove, and made the All-Star team again, this time getting to catch three innings. And Sundberg’s glove stayed golden, as he won the award again in 1979, 1980, and 1981. It took Bob Boone moving to the American League to break Sundberg’s six-year streak in 1982.

Up to this point, Sundberg’s career could be summed up as steady. He would play almost 150 games, hit about .275 or .280, play great defense, throw out basestealers at a better-than-league-average clip, and not make waves off the field. He lived in Arlington in the offseason and apparently would have been satisfied to be a Ranger for the rest of his career.

But things started to change in 1982. The Rangers, as usual in those days, were in flux—they would fire manager Don Zimmer and general manager Eddie Robinson during the season. But before that happened, they took pitch-calling responsibilities away from their six-time Gold Glove winner. Sundberg started making noise about a trade. Before the 1983 season, two things happened: the Rangers tried to trade Sundberg to the Dodgers for Orel Hershiser, Dave Stewart, Burt Hooton, and a minor-league outfielder. That trade fell through, but then new Rangers manager Doug Rader publicly said Sundberg didn’t play hard enough, and mentioned that Sundberg’s backup would be given every chance to win the starting job. Later, Rader would intimate that Sundberg wasn’t tough enough and wouldn’t block home plate (meanwhile, Sundberg would miss three games in April 1983 with thigh and elbow bruises after a collision with Toronto’s Willie Upshaw at home plate). Understandably, Sundberg suffered through his worst offensive season in years, hitting just .201/.272/.254.

So it was not a surprise, and probably some relief, when the Rangers came up with a deal with Milwaukee after the 1983 season. Sundberg headed to the Brewers, while the Rangers received a minor-league pitcher and Milwaukee’s backup catcher, a young man named Ned Yost.*

*If you’re keeping track at home, that means Jim Sundberg lost his Gold Glove streak to future Royals manager Bob Boone, was a longtime teammate of future Royals manager Buddy Bell, and traded for future Royals manager Ned Yost. And of course he was a teammate of Hal McRae and John Wathan in Kansas City. He doesn’t seem to have had any connection to Trey Hillman or Tony Muser, though.

Freed from all that drama, Sundberg hit .261/.332/.399 for the Brewers in 1984. And on a team with Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Rollie Fingers, he emerged as Milwaukee’s lone All-Star Game representative.

“The situation last year angered me, and I don’t think I’ve completely gotten over that anger. But I don’t think vindication is the key, the right thing. I think before healing takes place, you’ve got to be able to forgive. So I really look at the All-Star Game as something that eases the pain and makes it easier to forgive.”—Sundberg, quoted by Tom Flaherty, The Sporting News, July 23, 1984

Under the CBA rules at the time, Sundberg had a right to request a trade, or he could become a free agent in March 1985. He wanted to go somewhere he could play full time as he attempted to become the first player to catch 2,000 games in the majors. He asked Milwaukee to trade him at the end of the 1984 season, then began the waiting game. Oddly, the Rangers expressed interest in bringing him back, with Rader going so far as to have lunch with Sundberg and apologize for the way he had treated the veteran catcher. And eventually the Rangers were involved in a Sundberg trade: on January 18, 1985, they joined the Royals, Brewers, and Mets in a four-team deal. Kansas City sent Don Slaught to Texas and Frank Wills to New York. The Royals’ only return was Sundberg. And it was completely worth it.

“We have a staff…which is young and inexperienced. Bringing in an experienced catcher like Sundberg, we believe, will help the young staff tremendously.”—Royals general manager John Schuerholz, quoted by the Associated Press, January 19, 1985

After battling a sore right shoulder in spring training and missing quite a few preseason games, Sundberg started 1985 slowly, hitting just .213/.273/.328 in April. He fared much better in May, hitting .288/.310/.500, including four home runs. From May 12 through May 31, he enjoyed a stretch where he collected hits in 16 of 17 games. He followed that with a decent June showing (.237/.301/.434), salvaged by three home runs, two doubles, and two triples. He struggled in July, hitting .216/.306/.216, but appeared to be turning it around in August. From August 2 to August 17, he hit .323/.417/.548. But then he suffered torn cartilage in his rib cage. Sundberg missed three weeks, returning in early September to find his team in first place by 1.5 games. He would hit .222/.286/.311 the rest of the way, but the Royals still won the division. Sundberg did collect two hits in the October 3 game that gave the Royals a one-game lead with three to play, then one hit the next night as they clinched a tie, and two more hits in the Oct. 5 win that sent KC to the playoffs. He ended the season with a .245/.308/.381 line. That was about the same as Slaught’s .264/.297/.379 line in 1984. Of course, Sundberg was brought in for his defense and ability to handle an inexperienced pitching staff more than for his bat. So how did that work out?

The 1984 Royals allowed 686 runs; they gave up 639 in 1985. In 1984, the league average ERA was 3.99, with the Royals coming in just under that at 3.92. In 1985 the league average ERA climbed to 4.15, but the Royals team ERA dropped to 3.49, second in the league behind Toronto. Kansas City’s home runs allowed dropped from 136 to a league-low 103. They did walk more batters in 1985 (433 to 463) but their strikeout total jumped from 724 to 846. So by practically every statistical measure, adding Sundberg to the team was a success.

But, of course, the 1985 Royals’ story—and Sundberg’s—was not complete just yet. There was a postseason to play.

In his 12th major-league season, Sundberg was finally in the playoffs. Although he hit just .167/.200/.417 in the ALCS against Toronto, he had a couple of highlight moments. In Game Three, with Kansas City facing a 2-0 deficit in the series, he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning of the Royals’ 6-5 win. And in Game Seven, Sundberg came to bat in the sixth inning against Toronto ace Dave Stieb. With the bases loaded and the Royals clinging to a 2-1 lead, Sundberg hit a triple, missing a grand slam by inches. That gave the Royals all the cushion they needed to win and advance to the World Series.

In that Series, Sundberg hit .250/.400/.333, but is mostly remembered for one of the key plays in Royals history. As Kansas City came to bat in the ninth inning of Game Six, they faced a 1-0 deficit. With only three outs left in their season, the pressure was on. You know the start of the inning: Jorge Orta safe on a controversial call at first. Steve Balboni singled, and Sundberg stepped up, looking to bunt. It wasn’t a great bunt, and Orta was forced out at third. After a passed ball, Sundberg wound up at second, representing the winning run. Dane Iorg dumped a single into right field. Pinch-runner Onix Concepcion scored easily to tie the game, and here came Sundberg, chugging around third. As the throw came in from right field, Sundberg dove headfirst into the right-handed batter’s box, reaching his left hand across home plate just before catcher Darrell Porter could tag him. Sundberg leaped to his feet and was mobbed by several teammates while many more Royals surrounded Iorg between first and second base. The celebration lasted all through the night, all through Game Seven, and into the winter.

“I’ve been watching baserunners use headfirst slides to beat my throws for years. So I figured, why not me? I’ve got one more slide left.”—Sundberg, quoted by Paul Attner, The Sporting News, November 4, 1985

Sundberg would play one more season in Kansas City, hitting just .212/.303/.322, although he did set a career high with 12 home runs, and the Royals led the league in ERA. Just days before the 1987 season, the Royals made a trade, acquiring catcher Ed Hearn for pitching prospect David Cone. Although Sundberg thought he would be staying with the Royals, he was wrong. Three days later, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Thad Bosley and pitcher Dave Gumpert. After a year and a half with the Cubs, he was released, then signed once again by Texas. Sundberg played there the remainder of the 1988 season and again in 1989 before retiring, just shy of his goal of 2,000 games as a catcher. He finished with 1,927, which is still good for ninth place all-time.

After his playing days were over, as you might expect from a catcher who was almost impossible to get out of the lineup, Sundberg stayed busy. He worked in the Rangers’ front office, did color commentary on Rangers TV broadcasts, started a company to sell baseball/softball training products, and wrote a book with his wife about sports parenting. He still makes appearances as a motivational speaker and is heavily involved with the Dallas/Fort Worth Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter.

Jim Sundberg had a short Royals career, but there is a lasting legacy of his time in Kansas City. You can see it every time you visit Kauffman Stadium and see that 1985 World Series flag on the Hall of Fame building. Quite simply, if Sundberg wasn’t a Royal that year, I don’t believe they win the division, let alone the World Series.

Jim Sundberg’s best games of 1985:
6/28 vs. CAL: Went 4-7 with a double and triple and scored one run in 14-inning 6-5 win.
4/27 @ BOS: Had two doubles and a single, scored two runs and drove in one in 5-4 win.
5/14 @BAL: Cracked three-run home run in 5-2 win.
6/18 vs. MIN: Had two hits, scored two runs, drove in one in 10-1 win.
5/17 @ MIL:  Collected three hits, scored two runs in 3-0 win.

About the card:
Ah, the Traded Set. The bane of my childhood existence. While I didn’t live in a poor household growing up, there wasn’t a lot of extra money for baseball cards. So there was little chance I was going to be able to buy a whole new box of cards at the end of the summer. But now, as an adult with expendable income and an internet connection, I can afford to buy these. What a time to be alive. Anyway, it’s a good thing Topps produced those Traded Sets, or else this card wouldn’t be here, right? I assume this was taken in spring training 1985, but it could be anywhere against any team. Good action shot, though. On the back…a travel agency. How quaint. And it’s nice that Sundberg liked scuba diving and Egyptian Arabian horses, although I presume not at the same time.

Last year, I was very excited to play the new version because the developers had done the hard work of adding the complete history of the Negro Leagues to the game. That was a year after they had added complete historical minor league rosters dating back to 1919. With all of that added detail behind them, this year apparently the focus was on improving gameplay. And they succeeded.

My usual focus when I play OOTP is to serve as general manager. The game allows you to play as GM, or manager, or both (or play in commissioner mode, but it’s more fun to me to control one team). That is the main reason I enjoy the game so much—it is a mental challenge rather than a typical video game which emphasizes your reflexes. But I’ll be honest: I found managing games a little boring in previous versions of OOTP. Making the roster moves and simulating games to see the results meant time flew by in the game—a season could be played out in a few hours. But managing a game, even with the ability to see the result of each at-bat with just one button click, made things drag a bit.

But with the improved gameplay, managing a game is much more entertaining now. The biggest changes this year are much better 3D players and stadiums. This means you can watch miniature but lifelike figures run the bases, make diving catches, and even celebrate on the field after a win (no Salvy Splashes, though. Yet.). And you can watch these “players” do this in beautiful renderings of major-league stadiums. Here’s a shot of Kauffman Stadium:

This all adds a feeling of realism to the game, and makes playing through a game instead of simulating it more fun and intriguing, almost like watching a game. I think part of that is that the developers did a great job of getting the little details right. For example, a runner on a single will round first base before retreating, or a player might make a leaping catch at the wall, or the catcher and infielders will throw the ball around the horn after a strikeout. So it does feel a little bit like you’re seeing a game on TV.

Acting as a manager is also more appealing with the improved in-game manager screen. All the info you could need is right there for you, with several widgets that can show or hide even more info—stuff like weather conditions, out of town scores, defensive positioning, and even a graphic showing a Gameday-style pitch plot for the previous hitter. Speaking of defensive positioning, I don’t remember seeing this many options for infield and outfield shifts before. About all that is missing is pulling an outfielder in to be a fifth infielder.

There are plenty of improvements for the general manager types out there, as well. The in-game AI was improved, and so was the roster management and trade decision-making. Even better, the scouting reports have been revamped and improved to add more detail. For example, here are the reports (which seem pretty accurate to me for Mike Moustakas and prospect Richard Lovelady:

There are a host of other improvements to the overall game experience, too; I’m a big enough nerd to appreciate the ability to change the fonts, but stuff like user voting for year-end awards, tournament modes, and 800 custom team logos for fictional leagues ought to excite just about everyone who is interested in creating their own league or taking over a current or historical team. If you’ve ever wondered if you could do a better job than a general manager or manager, OOTP is the game for you.

And if you need a refresher on the previous entries,
#50-41 are here
#40-31 are here
#30-21 are here
#20-16 are here
#15-11 are here, and
#10-6 are here.

Here are the top five…

5. October 26, 1985: Iorg’s pinch-hit single gives Royals walkoff win

Well, you can’t force a Game Seven without winning Game Six, and then you can’t win a World Series without winning Game Seven. The stage was set for the Royals’ first World Series title in this game, and you might argue they really won the title on this night, even though they needed one more win to make it official. A ninth-inning comeback against a team that had not blown a ninth-inning lead all year was probably enough to capture momentum and cause the Cardinals to doubt themselves a little. But Don Denkinger’s blown call at the start of the ninth inning (even if Jorge Orta later was forced out at third) triggered a Cardinal meltdown that lasted the rest of the inning and carried into Game Seven. St. Louis was still fighting over this game the next night instead of focusing on the task at hand.

4. September 30, 1992: Brett Joins 3,000 Hit Club

Apologies to Gaylord Perry, Harmon Killebrew, and Orlando Cepeda, but let’s be honest: George Brett is the one true Hall of Fame player the Royals have had. This may change when Carlos Beltran makes the Hall, depending on how you feel about someone who only spent a third of his career here, but I do feel fairly certain that Brett will be the only Hall of Fame player who plays his entire career here. Of course, Brett was already going to the Hall, but on this pleasant southern California night, he cemented that fact with four base hits. The last one was the magic number 3,000, and it meant the Royals—and Kansas City—finally had their baseball immortal.

3. September 30, 2014: The Wild-Card Game

Given the setting, this is probably the best game in Royals history. It is certainly the best game in the short history of the wild-card setup, and it should be considered one of the best games in all of postseason history. Twelve innings and almost five hours of tension and elation and…well, every emotion imaginable. After a 29-year wait, Royals fans definitely wanted their return to the playoffs to last more than one game. And it did, thanks to the “keep the line moving” mantra, aggressive base running, and some sterling relief pitching. The Royals would use all those ingredients to make it to the seventh game of the World Series, an outcome that seemed improbable when they came to bat in the eighth inning of this game, trailing 7-3. From that inning on, this team was the toughest one I’ve ever seen, all the way through the 2015 season. The only reason this game is not in the top spot is that it was not for a title.

2. 1985 WS Game 7

1. 2015 WS Game 5

OK, now we get to the nitty-gritty. Why rank 2015’s crowning moment over 1985’s? Really, you could make an argument for either one to claim the top spot. There are some similarities; one was the defining moment of Royals fandom for thousands of Royals fans who had waited since 1969 (or even before that, if they had been A’s fans when they were in Kansas City) for a title, and one was the defining moment for thousands of Royals fans who didn’t remember 1985 but did remember a lot of terrible baseball. But for me the deciding factor was that 1985’s deciding game, even though it was a winner-take-all affair, was almost anti-climactic after the events of Game Six. Much of Game Seven, after the Royals blew the game open in the fifth, was just waiting around for the final out so the celebration could begin. Awesome, yes, but not as entertaining as 2015’s clincher. It is true that the stakes weren’t as high in 2015 Game Five; had the Royals lost, they still had two chances at home to clinch the title. But 2015 Game Five had more memorable moments than 1985 Game Seven, especially if you ignore the Cardinals’ meltdown in the latter game. That 2015 game featured a ninth-inning comeback highlighted by Eric Hosmer’s daring dash for home plate on a grounder to third, and then a five-run explosion in the 12^th to take control of the game. To me, Hosmer’s play alone tips the scales in 2015’s favor.

So there you have it. It was a pleasure compiling and researching this list, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I also hope you enjoyed a memory or two you might have forgotten, or even learned a little something. I would also point out that a lot of these games, especially the postseason ones, are available on YouTube if you want to check them out, although I always wonder how long MLB will let them stay up (I didn’t post them). They can be quite interesting, even if you know ahead of time what’s going to happen.