Kansas City Royals Memorabilia
Right on the border of Kansas and Missouri resides Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals franchise was dormant for nearly three decades until a core group of stars helped bring the passion back to the fan base. A long, trying rebuild finally ended in 2015 as the Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets in the World Series to end a thirty-year title drought. General Manager Dayton Moore can take a lot of the credit for bringing winning baseball back to KC. Moore’s blueprint included the acquisition or drafting of Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon, Yordan Ventura, Mike Moustakas and more key players. This group of star’s autographs were highly coveted after the final out in New York City. Autograph prices nearly doubled for all players on the active playoff roster. The best items signed by Kansas City Royals would be a 2015 World Series Baseball. These balls commemorate the amazing series against the Mets. Throughout the years, Kansas City autograph collectors and fans have collected autographed jerseys, bats, baseballs and photos. A good Royals collection must contain the past and present. It is relatively easy to track down a signature from a member of 2015’s club but to truly honor the tradition of the Royals, a walk down memory lane is in order to boost a collection. Which players should a collector target? Where can they find these exclusive signed Royals memorabilia items? These and more will be answered below.
1985 World Series Memorabilia
Missourians will never forget the “I-70” Series between the hated St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. The Royals ultimately came out on top but it took them seven games to cage the Cardinals. Manager Dick Howser orchestrated through the American League gauntlet with a 91-71 regular season record and a 4-3 series victory over the upstart Toronto Blue Jays. Not every Game 7 of the World Series is created equal, some include pitch-by-pitch, edge of your seat drama but in this Game 7, the Royals cruised to victory, 11-0 in front of a capacity crowd inside Kauffman Stadium. These World Series Champion Royals became immortal in the midwest. The World Series roster included: Lonnie Smith, Willie Wilson, George Brett, Frank White, Jim Sunberg, Steve Balboni, Darryl Motley, Buddy Biancalana and World Series MVP Bret Saberhagen. Autographed memorabilia from any one of these players may not hold strong value over team but if you were lucky enough to get a team signed baseball from this team, that is where the value lies. A combo item signed by George Brett and Bret Saberhagen is a strong piece of sports memorabilia. Those lucky enough to witness both World Series titles would love this World Series Ticket Collection featuring replica tickets from both the 1985 & 2015 World Series.
2015 World Series Memorabilia
The Royals rode the momentum of a great 2014 campaign to qualify for the postseason with a league leading 95-67 record. Dayton Moore pulled the trigger mid-season to acquire All Star Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist to an already first place club. These acquisitions paid off when Cueto got the ball in the postseason and Ben Zobrist continued to come up with clutch hits. The Royals scratched and clawed through the Houston Astros in the ALDS then outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays in six games to advance to their second straight World Series. When November rolled around, the Royals lineup consisted of: Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer, Omar Infante, Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Jarrod Dyson and Lorenzo Cain. The pitching staff for Kansas City was led by Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and anchored by Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera. Ned Yost was on his game for most of the postseason, pulling the right strings when needed and had his Royals running on all cylinders. The Royals closed out the World Series with a remarkable comeback win at Citi Field. The key play in the World Series was the Eric Hosmer slide to tie the game. Christian Colon came off the bench to take the lead then the rest is baseball history. Wade Davis recorded the final out via strikeout. The best memorabilia from the 2015 fall classic would be a team signed Major League Baseball, a photo of Wade Davis getting trampled on the mound or a photograph of Eric Hosmer’s daring dash home.
2017 Kansas City Royals
Catcher Salvador Perez
1st Base Eric Hosmer
2nd Base Whit Merrifield
Shortstop Alcides Escobar
3rd Base Mike Moustakas
Outfielder Alex Gordon
Outfielder Lorenzo Cain
Outfielder Jorge Soler
Designated Hitter Brandon Moss
Starting Pitcher Danny Duffy
Starting Pitcher Ian Kennedy
Starting Pitcher Jason Vargas
Starting Pitcher Jason Hammel
Starting Pitcher Nathan Karns
Closer Kelvin Herrera
Manager Ned Yost
Fans have to be excited about the 2017 Kansas City Royals, a lot of household names in the line-up and a manager who knows how to put the pieces together. Our top autograph recommendations: Eric Hosmer Signed Baseball, Alex Gordon Autographed Jersey and Danny Duffy Signed 8×10 Photo.
Down on the Farm
Kansas City Royals memorabilia collectors are waiting anxiously for top prospects Hunter Dozier, Jorge Bonifacio, Matt Strahm, Kyle Zimmer and Chase Vallot. Prospecting for autographs can be a tricky business venture. Royals fan know this especially after hearing about Top Prospect Bubba Starling for years only to see him fizzle out in the Minor Leagues. KC collectors who bought into the idea of prospecting did well when Dayton Moore’s top talent reached the bigs and ultimately won the World Series.
Facts & Figures
Kaufmann Stadium (1973-Present)
2 World Series Titles (1985 & 2015)
4 American League Pennants (1980, 1985, 2014 & 2015)
Colors: Gold, Powder Blue, Royal Blue & White.
Retired Numbers
#5 George Brett
#10 Dick Howser
#20 Frank White
The best Kansas City Royals Memorabilia can be found at SportsCollectibles.com
Royals Autographed Jerseys
Royals Autographed Baseballs
Royals Autographed Photos
