I love lists. I think it goes back to my love for baseball. And for as long as I can remember, my dad and I have come up with lists. Every year in fantasy baseball we break our rosters down into how we'd fill out an actual lineup card. Last year I came up with an "All-Excitement" team, listing the most exciting baseball player at each position. Also, I'm an unabashed smart ass.
That's my backstory. Last week, my dad asked me to list my "All-Royals" team by naming my favorite player or the best player I could think of for each position. So, me being me, I rattled off the following...
"Jason Kendall, Mike Jacobs, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jeff Francoeur, Kyle Davies, Vin Mazzaro, Jonathan Sanchez, Luke Hochevar..."
Then I started thinking about the players I was blurting out and realized they were all acquired by the same man: Dayton Moore.
Yes, I know the history books will read Hochevar was drafted two days before Moore was named Royals GM, but I don't buy it. Agreeing to work for a franchise that won't allow you to run your first draft and ultimately drafts Hochevar without you is inexcusable. However, to know you're going to be hired by a team yet refuse to have any input on the player you will ultimately have to sign and answer for is irresponsible. Either way, Moore looks foolish.
I'll never forget Joe Posnanski breaking down Moore'se ludicrous, glowing quotes after he signed Kendall, illustrating how out of touch with reality Moore seemed to be when it came to the broken down catcher. I sadly couldn't find the article, but I did find this one, which brings up other long-forgotten names. It goes to show how little things have changed under Moore's direction.
Anyway, as a completionist, once I started this list of terrible Moore acquisitions, I set my mind to round it out. So here it is. A 25-man roster of terrible. In parenthesis are the year or even years in which Moore acquired or re-acquired these standouts along with their WAR as Royals.
C Jason Kendall (Dec. 2009; July 2012 — 1.3)
1B Mike Jacobs (Oct. 2008 — -0.7)
2B Chris Getz (Nov. 2009 — 1.5)
3B Josh Fields (Nov. 2009 — 0.2)
SS Yuniesky Betancourt (July 2009; Dec. 2011 — 0.1)
LF Scott Podsednik (Jan. 2010 — 0.7)
CF Rick Ankiel (Jan. 2010 — 0.8)
RF Jeff Francoeur (Dec. 2010 — 1.7)
DH Jose Guillen (Dec. 2007 — -1.6)
C Jason LaRue (Nov. 2006 — -0.3)
1B Ross Gload (Dec. 2006 — -0.9)
UT Jason Bourgeois (March 2012 — -0.5)
UT Miguel Tejada (Dec. 2012 — TBD)
SP Luke Hochevar (June 2006 — 8.9)
SP Kyle Davies (July 2007 — 5.2)
SP Vin Mazzaro (Nov. 2010 — 0.2)
SP Jonathan Sanchez (Nov. 2011 — -0.7)
SP Brandon Duckworth (June 2006 — 1.5)
SP Sidney Ponson (March 2009 — 0.6)
SP Sean O'Sullivan (July 2010 — -0.7)
RP Yasuhiko Yabuta (Nov. 2007 — -0.3)
RP Jeremy Jeffress (Dec. 2010 — 0.0)
RP Doug Waechter (Dec. 2008 — -0.1)
RP Hideo Nomo (Jan. 2008 — -0.3)
RP Kyle Farnsworth (Dec. 2008 — 1.7)
Moore missed being on the hook for Scott Elarton by months but that doesn't excuse him from allowing Elarton to post a -1.7 WAR from 2006 to 2007. He was the one player I was most disappointed I couldn't include.
I left off some other great names such as Ryan Shealy and Kip Wells and I'm certain I missed others, but if this isn't the definitive list of Dayton Moore flunkies, it's damn near close.
Look at that list. Some of the worst players to ever suit up for the Royals. And they were all unleashed on Kansas City by the same man.
Fire Dayton Moore
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