Kansas City Royals Player of the Year

Kansas City Royals Player of the Year

The Kansas City Royals Player of the Year has been awarded annually since 1971 and are determined through a vote by members of the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

"It's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as George Brett and Amos Otis. I hope that my legacy will be, if not as strong, then at least in the same ballpark." - Mike Sweeney in the Kansas City Star (Bob Dutton, 11/03/2005)

Kansas City Royals Player of the Year In Chronological Order
Year / Roster	Player of the Year^(Quantity)
1971	Freddie Patek⁽¹⁾
1971	Amos Otis⁽¹⁾
1972	John Mayberry⁽¹⁾
1973	Amos Otis⁽²⁾
1974	Hal McRae⁽¹⁾
1975	George Brett⁽¹⁾
1976	George Brett⁽²⁾
1977	Al Cowens⁽¹⁾
1978	Amos Otis⁽³⁾
1979	George Brett⁽³⁾
1980	George Brett⁽⁴⁾
1981	Willie Wilson⁽¹⁾
1982	Hal McRae⁽²⁾
1983	Frank White⁽¹⁾
1984	Willie Wilson⁽²⁾
1985	George Brett⁽⁵⁾
1986	Frank White⁽²⁾
1987	Danny Tartabull⁽¹⁾
1988	George Brett⁽⁶⁾
1989	Jim Eisenreich⁽¹⁾
1990	George Brett⁽⁷⁾
1991	Danny Tartabull⁽²⁾
1992	George Brett⁽⁸⁾
1993	Greg Gagne⁽¹⁾
1994	Bob Hamelin⁽¹⁾
1995	Gary Gaetti⁽¹⁾
1996	Tom Goodwin⁽¹⁾
1997	Jay Bell⁽¹⁾
1998	Dean Palmer⁽¹⁾
1999	Jermaine Dye⁽¹⁾
2000	Mike Sweeney⁽¹⁾
2001	Carlos Beltran⁽¹⁾
2002	Mike Sweeney⁽²⁾
2003	Carlos Beltran⁽²⁾
2004	David DeJesus⁽¹⁾
2005	Mike Sweeney⁽³⁾
2006	Mark Teahen⁽¹⁾
2007	Mark Grudzielanek⁽¹⁾
2008	Mike Aviles⁽¹⁾
2009	Billy Butler⁽¹⁾
2010	Not Yet Announced^(11-2010)
Year / Roster	Player of the Year^(Quantity)
Kansas City Royals Player of the Year

When Mike Sweeney, the Kansas City Royals team captain, won in 2005 he became only the third player in franchise history to be named the Kansas City Royals Player of the Year three times — George Brett (eight times) & Amos Otis (three times) were the other two.

Why are there no pitchers listed in above? Because the Kansas City Royals have a Kansas City Pitcher of the Year honor which has also been awarded since 1971 and given by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Did you know that Mike Sweeney won in 2005, but was not pleased with his season, "I only played in one-hundred twenty something games. It hurts my heart that I wasn't able to play in more games than I did. For me to help the Kansas City Royals be the best team we can be, I need to be in the lineup one-hundred sixty two games. If it means me DH-ing more, then I'll do it. My heart's desire is that I would be able to play one-hundred sixty-two games at first base, but the last few years I've realized that I'm no longer twenty-four years old. When I get up in the morning, I don't feel like I did ten years ago. I'm trying to do everything possible to take the strain off my lower back. If that means playing at a little lighter weight, then I'll do that. If it means doing more back exercises or less, playing more first base or less, then I'll do that. My emphasis is to help the team by being in the lineup as often as possible."?

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