Kevin Appier - Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals

Appier had a strong rookie campaign for the Royals in 1990, going 12-8 and posting the league's fourth-best ERA (2.76), thus earning him Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors. In 1991, he had 13 wins (tied for the team best), and pitched 3 shutouts, two of which were back to back against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. He was the opening day starter in 1992 and posted a 15-8 record with the league's second-best ERA (2.46) for a team that only went 72-90. Highlights of the season included a career-high nine game winning streak and the American League Pitcher of the Month award for the month of July, in which he went 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA. In 1993, Appier posted an 18-8 record with an AL leading 2.56 ERA, set a club record of 33 consecutive scoreless innings, and finished third in Cy Young Award balloting. In 1995, he was selected for his only all-star team, pitching 2 perfect innings for the American League. He reached a career high in strikeouts in 1996 with 207, and won his first of two Roberto Clemente Awards (the other in 1998). Appier suffered through his first sub-.500 season in 1997, despite posting a 3.40 ERA (7th best in AL)

Despite being one of the better pitchers in baseball during this time period, his accomplishments went largely unrecognized due to playing for the Royals, a small market team that was generally not in contention during Appier's tenure. In 1997, under the promise of the team's improvement, he signed a long-term extension. During that off-season, he suffered a fall at his home resulting in a separated clavicle. Though he had recovered from that injury, in March 1998 he needed surgery for an unrelated long-term progressing shoulder ailment, the repair of a torn labrum, causing him to miss nearly the entire 1998 season. In 1999, after losing faith in the Royal's direction, and being eager to play with a contender, he requested to be traded and was dealt to the Athletics in the middle of the season.