1979 Kansas City Royals season
Encyclopedia
The 1979 Kansas City Royals
season was a season in American baseball
. It involved the Royals finishing second in the American League West
with a record of 85 wins and 77 losses.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
season was a season in American baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. It involved the Royals finishing second in the American League West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
with a record of 85 wins and 77 losses.
Offseason
- January 9, 1979: Mike BieleckiMike BieleckiMichael Joseph Bielecki was a professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1984–1997.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
was drafted by the Royals in the 6th round of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft1979 Major League Baseball DraftThe 1979 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 5-7, 1979, via conference call.-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :...
, but did not sign. - February 26, 1979: Eduardo RodríguezEduardo Rodríguez (baseball)Eduardo Rodríguez Reyes [Volanta] was a professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball from through for the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals , mostly as a relief pitcher. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lb., Rodríguez batted and threw right-handed...
was purchased by the Royals from the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Notable transactions
- April 3, 1979: Doug BirdDoug BirdJames Douglas Bird was a Major League Baseball pitcher from to . Bird was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft's secondary phase....
was traded by the Royals to the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
for Todd CruzTodd CruzTodd Ruben Cruz was an American Major League Baseball player who spent all or part of six seasons in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles, from 1978 to 1984...
. - April 27, 1979: George ThroopGeorge Throop (baseball)George Lynford Throop is a former professional baseball pitcher. Throop pitched in parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball between and ....
was traded by the Royals to the Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
for a player to be named later. The Astros completed the deal by sending Keith Drumright to the Royals on October 26. - June 5, 1979: 1979 Major League Baseball Draft1979 Major League Baseball DraftThe 1979 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 5-7, 1979, via conference call.-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :...
- Atlee HammakerAtlee HammakerCharlton Atlee Hammaker is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played the majority of his career for the San Francisco Giants from 1982 to 1990. He also played for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and Chicago White Sox...
was drafted by the Royals in the 1st round (21st pick). - Dan MarinoDan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
was drafted by the Royals in the 4th round (99th pick overall). - John ElwayJohn ElwayJohn Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
was drafted by the Royals in the 18th round (463rd pick overall).
- Atlee Hammaker
Roster
| 1979 Kansas City Royals | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 127 | 467 | 124 | .266 | 10 | 48 | |
| 3B | 154 | 645 | 212 | .329 | 23 | 107 | |
| SS | 106 | 306 | 77 | .252 | 1 | 37 | |
| LF | 154 | 588 | 185 | .315 | 6 | 49 | |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 268 | 68 | .254 | 2 | 25 | |
| 44 | 146 | 39 | .267 | 1 | 20 | |
| 55 | 118 | 24 | .203 | 2 | 15 | |
| 58 | 116 | 31 | .267 | 4 | 10 | |
| 31 | 40 | 12 | .300 | 1 | 2 | |
| 5 | 5 | 3 | .600 | 0 | 0 |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | 233.2 | 13 | 12 | 4.47 | 85 | |
| 34 | 181.2 | 9 | 10 | 5.65 | 103 | |
| 10 | 69.2 | 4 | 4 | 3.75 | 30 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 94.1 | 6 | 6 | 3.63 | 45 | |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4.84 | 26 | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.59 | 3 | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 4 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 4 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |