As you are probably aware, 2018 marks the 50th season of Royals baseball. The team started the anniversary festivities with a fan vote on the top 50 players, with the results being revealed one per day leading up to Opening Day. So far I can’t quibble too much with the results. First I thought I […]
Tag: U.L.’s Toothpick
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Year Of The Card–Tony Solaita, 1975
Admittedly, Tony Solaita is one of the more obscure players in Royals history. His career in Kansas City ended more than 40 years ago, he wasn’t a starter, and he didn’t play on one of the division-winning teams of the late 1970s. (Well, he was on the 1976 team for a few weeks.) Yet I […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: What If…The Royals Didn’t Fire Whitey Herzog?
It may have been one of the most short-sighted decisions in Royals history. After a disappointing 1979 season, the Royals fired manager Whitey Herzog, who had led the Royals to the playoffs the previous three years. Sure, there were off-field circumstances behind the move – Herzog had publicly criticized general manager Joe Burke and owner […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Year Of The Card–Jose Offerman, 1998
It is perhaps the best tricky trivia question about Royals’ history: which player has the highest career batting average in franchise history (minimum 1,000 at-bats)? Most people, unsuspecting, would guess George Brett. Someone expecting an unusual answer might throw out Hal McRae or Mike Sweeney or someone like that. Most people probably don’t know the […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Year Of The Card–Ed Kirkpatrick, 1972
A breed of player you don’t see much anymore is the catcher who also plays some corner infield and corner outfield spots. With today’s emphasis on having plenty of relief pitchers, I wonder if teams will try to find some catchers athletic enough to handle playing elsewhere. Such versatility could be useful, especially for a […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: What If…The Royals Had Switched Leagues?
Twenty years ago this summer, the Royals had a chance to move to the National League. The addition of expansion teams in Arizona and Tampa Bay meant one league needed 16 teams, as interleague play was so new no one knew if it would have staying power, and as we see today, two 15-team leagues […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Year Of The Card–Dick Drago, 1970
When the Royals participated in the 1968 expansion draft, their emphasis was on pitching. Five of their first seven picks were pitchers, and their starting rotation for the 1969 season came entirely from that expansion draft. As expansion teams go, it wasn’t a bad rotation; all five starters had a positive WARP and the team […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Best And Worst Drafts In Royals History
It’s a cliché, but it’s true: for a small-market team like the Royals, the amateur draft is the lifeblood of the franchise. The opportunity to get young talent at a greatly reduced cost is vital to any organization, especially one that rarely has the wherewithal to buy top free agents. Of course, the draft isn’t […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: What If…The Royals Faced Boston In The 1978 ALCS?
The 1978 ALCS is probably the least-remembered of the four playoff matchups the Royals had with the Yankees in the 1976-1980 period. That’s probably because it lacked an indelible image like Yankee fans mobbing Chris Chambliss (and keeping him from touching home plate—that game ain’t over!) after his walk-off home run in 1976 Game Five, […]
U.L.’s Toothpick: The Royals Have Been Great at Drafting Football Players
The NFL draft starts tonight, so let’s get going with your Chiefs draft preview… Ha! Just kidding, of course. But why would a Royals blog bring up the NFL draft? Because the Royals, in their history, have managed to draft several players who turned down baseball and went on to successful football careers. And also […]