Former manager Ned Yost picks the players he’d put on a Royals Mt. Rushmore
In his decade as the Royals manager, Ned Yost saw a wave of talent come to Kansas City and help the franchise win its first World Series in 30 years.
On the “Loud Outs” program on MLB Network Radio, Yost was asked to pick his Mt. Rushmore of Royals players, and it’s notable that none of the players Yost managed made the cut.
That may seem odd to some, but it would be hard to argue with the players he picked: George Brett, Frank White, Paul Splittorff and Mike Sweeney.
Yost explained his decision.
George Brett
Brett, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame after collecting 3,154 career hits, three batting titles and a World Series ring, is “everyone’s no-brainer,” Yost said.
”He’s the face of the organization, has been and will be. You know, there’s a reason they signed George to a lifetime contract and the reason was he’s not only a Hall of Famer but he’s a Royal and he definitely is the first one up on the list for me. Fantastic, fantastic guy, still around, goes to spring training every year with the team and is invested with the young players.”
Paul Splittorff
He is in the Royals’ Hall of Fame after pitching for Kansas City from 1970-84.
“I wanted a pitcher in there,” Yost said. “So I went back and I looked and Paul Splittorff was the all-time leader and wins with 166. He was the all-time leader in games started for 392 and the all-time leader in innings pitched. I mean, what more can you ask for? We had some great pitching guys that could fit on this list, but I think if I had to choose right now Splitt would be on there.”
Frank White
White’s No. 20 has been retired by the Royals, and Yost said it was an easy decision to pick a player who spent 18 seasons in Kansas City.
“Eight Gold Gloves, five-time All-Star you know, he’s second on the all-time list of games played, at-bats and hits, probably behind George and all of those situations,” Yost said.
Mike Sweeney
Another member of the Royals Hall of Fame, Sweeney played during some lean years from 1995-2007.
“Mike Sweeney was a five-time All-Star,” Yost said. “He was second all-time in the Royals in home runs, slugging percentage, a batting average at .299. He was ranked in the top-10 in games played, hits, walks, doubles, runs, RBIs. And he’s a lot like George. He was a fan favorite. He put his time in, was there for many years and was just very successful. He was a very community-minded person and for me, when you think of the Royals, Mike Sweeney always pops up in my head, too.”
Here is the clip.
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
