The Kansas City Royals

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 5th in the American League

American League

The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...

 Central with a record of 58 wins and 104 losses. It was one of the most disappointing seasons in Royals' history. The team had been picked by many sporting magazines to win the AL Central following their third place finish in 2003. Tony Pena, then the Royals manager, guaranteed a Central division crown during an early season slump. He did not even finish the season with the club. He resigned and Buddy Bell

Buddy Bell

David Gus "Buddy" Bell is a former third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. After an 18-year career with four teams, most notably the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, he managed the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals for three seasons each...

 was soon named manager.

Injuries of veteran acquisitions did the Royals in. Catcher Benito Santiago

Benito Santiago

Benito Santiago Rivera is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played for twenty seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to , most notably for the San Diego Padres...

 and outfielder Juan González both played very few games for the boys in blue. Mike Sweeney

Mike Sweeney

Michael John "Mike" Sweeney is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, originally as a catcher and then moving to first base. Sweeney has also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Philadelphia...

 was also injured during the campaign.

Offseason

• January 6, 2004: Juan Gonzalez signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals.
• January 16, 2004: Doug Linton was signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals.

Transactions

• July 30, 2004: Justin Huber was traded by the New York Mets to the Kansas City Royals for Jose Bautista.

Roster

2004 Kansas City Royals
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager Coaches (pitching) (third base) (hitting) (bullpen) (bench) (first base)

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

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

Starting pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Relief pitchers

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO

Farm system