Royals 2004 Star Series: Benito Santiago


Santiago's time in Kansas City can almost be completely forgotten due to his poor stats with the team. Just two years before joining the Royals, he was an all-star as a member of the Giants. The Royals choice to bring in Santiago at the time didn't seem like a bad idea for a team that was looking for a catcher that could produce at the plate. Unfortunately, the 39-year old couldn't hit to save his life for Kansas City, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a good signing for Kansas City. According to bleacherreport.com: "Santiago hit .300/.324/.467 with 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 79 RBI and 21 steals to win 1987 NL Rookie of the Year honors. Over his first six full MLB seasons, he was a four-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove winner." Based on those stats from his first six seasons in the majors, he showed he belonged in the show, but the Royals just signed him at the tail end of his fantastic playing career. The team did unfortunately overpay for a 39-year old catcher. Even though it was only a two-year deal, Kansas City signed the backstop to a two-year deal worth $4.3 million dollars. Nowadays, the Royals would have most likely signed him to a minor league contract as would many other teams at that point of his career. Santiago only played in 49 games for the Royals due to injuries. During a game against the Phillies, the 39-year-old was hit by a pitch from pitcher Geoff Geary. Following the injury, Santiago told reporters: "It cracked pretty good," Santiago said. "It's a hard thingto go through right now, but there's nothing I can do." The Royals in many ways had the right idea to sign Santiago based on his past track record. The team's catching depth in the minor leagues also caused the organization to sign a veteran backstop. The team's top affiliate catching depth was weak as well, giving the team no other option but to sign a veteran catcher.  Bleacher Report unfortunately gives Santiago a bad rap in an article from 2011, especially not mentioning his hand injury. In the article, Santiago ranked 12th of the 40. The article goes on to say: "However, Santiago would never again approach that .300 mark, and though he would win Gold Glove Awards and hit 30 HR for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996, the potential that Santiago showed in his rookie season was never really seen again, as he ended his career with a .262 batting average." Although the article is accurate, it never mentioned the injury that greatly impacted the remainder of his career. Unfortunately, the injuries he battled during his time with San Francisco before coming to Kansas City, impacted his numbers while in a Royals uniform. Kansas City made the decision to sign him with the hopes he could bounce back from the injuries he had battled from the past few seasons; and his age certainly didn't help his numbers while he was in a Royals uniform. 

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Royals: Remembering a Murder Victim

Image
The Royals over the years have worn patches on their uniforms to remember tragic periods in American history including 9/11 and more. Kansas City in 2007 was stunned after learning that local teenager Kelsey Smith was abducted and murdered. The Royals wore light blue ribbons on their wrists in remembrance of the 18-year old after former manager Buddy Bell spoke to the Smith family.  Many Kansas Cityians remember the Kelsey Smith case well after the story of her abduction hit the local media and national media. On June 2, Smith was shopping at her local Target in Overland Park, KS looking for a picture frame for her boyfriend John Biersmith. While at Target, Smith's killer followed her throughout the store after noticing her at the jewelry counter. While Smith was in the checkout line, her abductor ran to his vehicle to grab his gun and waited for her to leave the store to grab her. The 18-year old was unable to fight off the kidnapper and was forced into her vehicle and
Read more

Tyler Duffey hit or miss signing for Royals

Image
The boys in blue are looking to boost the bullpen through the minor league free agent market, and Kansas City signed a familiar arm, Tyler Duffey, to a minor league pact. Duffey spent time in the Cubs’ organization last season; however, his last big league stint was with the Twins. The 32-year old was a member of the Twins pitching staff for seven seasons before signing with the Cubs last season. Duffey was designated for assignment by Minnesota on August 5 and released just two days later. The righthander, in my opinion, is a type of pitcher that could boost the pen next season. Last season, Duffey spent most of the season in Triple-A. While in Iowa, Duffey appeared in 36 games and threw a total of 45.1 innings. Duffey started two games for Iowa last season. The decision for the Twins to move on from Duffey was difficult for the organization and rightfully so. The organization had plenty to say about Duffey following his departure from the team. Twins manager Rocco Baldell
Read more

A well traveled arm could boost the Royals’ pen

Image
Kansas City will likely be signing many pitchers to minor league deals this offseason. Spring Training this season will be fun to watch as many arms will be competing for a spot in a wide open bullpen. Matt Wisler in my opinion would fit the Royals’ bullpen perfectly, and he would be cheap. Wisler and the Kansas City coaching staff are familiar with each other. The veteran righthander was a member of the Rays’ bullpen in 2021 along with 2022, and he had good numbers. Wisler's time with Tampa Bay came to a surprising end after being designated for assignment in September of 2022. The 31-year old had good numbers while a member of the Rays bullpen staff. He posted an ERA of 2.25 with 35 punchouts in 44 innings pitched. Following the end of Wisler's tenure with the Ray, he signed minor league deals with the Tigers and the Blue Jays. Last season Wisler didn't see time in the big leagues while as a member of the Detroit and Toronto Triple-A affiliates. Wisler's t
Read more