Do the Kansas City Royals Have a Future Hall of Famer on the Roster?

The Kansas City Royals won the 2015 World Series by playing a team-oriented brand of baseball. This was done out of design and necessity. An emphasis on making contact and putting pressure on the defense worked wonderfully for a roster deep on talent but perhaps lacking a transcendent player.

While the Royals have above-average players at nearly every position, it’s hard to envision any of them winding up in Cooperstown barring some unforeseen and long-term explosion in production.

If so, the Royals become one of a select few teams to gain baseball’s ultimate prize without the help of a Hall of Famer. Of the 95 teams to win the World Series before 1995, the 1984 Detroit Tigers and 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers are the only without a Hall of Fame player on its roster.

Since 1995 there are a few questionable calls. The 1997 Florida Marlins had Gary Sheffield. The 2002 Anaheim Angels had Tim Salmon (who is not getting in). The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies had Chase Utley and Ryan Howard who looked like better bets then than they do now. The 2010 and 2012 San Francisco Giants had Buster Posey and in 2014 added Madison Bumgarner.

All of the aforementioned players have rosier Hall of Fame chances than anyone on this Royals team.

Let’s take a look at the possible candidates before the celebratory champagne dries.

Salvador Perez is arguably the Royal most likely to garner consideration should he maintain his level of play for another decade. His .279/.306/.431 slash line doesn’t jump off the page. His defensive prowess and the fact catchers aren’t typically held to the same standard offensively work to his advantage. The physical demands of the catching position work against him — although a transition to first base or designated hitter is an option in the American League.

Lorenzo Cain, who many consider the Royals’ “best” player is 29 with a .288/.337/.488. He’s also hit just 33 home runs and driven in 216 runs in a six-year career. His numbers will look downright microscopic compared with his peers despite the reality he’s a superb defender with plus speed who can help a ball club win in many different ways.

Eric Hosmer, another slick fielder, boasts a .280/.336/.427 yet, again, lacks the power numbers expected from a corner infielder. He did drive in 93 runs this season and is only 26. A continuation of that output would certainly buoy his odds.

The truth of the matter is that when you go player-by-player on the team sheet, the names of guys a manager would want build up rapidly. The name of a guy one could imagine giving a induction speech in Upstate New York does not.

Wade Davis. Johnny Cueto. Alex Gordon. Greg Holland. Kendrys Morales.

…Still looking …

This revelation shouldn’t bother Royals fans or the organization one bit. No one is going to lament the lack of a Hall of Fame player for one second during the team’s victory parade. Given the choice between a World Series with a team like this or a last-place finish with three future Hall of Famers in the dugout (as is the case with the 2015 Detroit Tigers), the right answer is obvious.

It does, however, challenge the notion that Major League Baseball is a star-driven game. Outsiders tend to lament the sport’s popularity compared to the NBA and the NFL by stating baseball needs more recognizable faces with big personalities. While that is clearly advantageous, perhaps it’s worth re-considering if fans who like baseball for what it is also like it for what it is not. Perhaps there are those who enjoy the fact it functions differently than basketball and football — which have become increasingly individual-oriented.

Put in this context, what the Royals did is even more impressive and affirmation that we truly were watching something unique.

[Image via USA Today Sports]