Championship Royals headline candidates on Royals Hall of Fame ballot

Will all these guys get in?

There are nine candidates for the Royals Hall of Fame in 2025, most of which have ties to the 2014-15 pennant-winning clubs. Carlos Beltrán, Billy Butler, Johnny Damon, Wade Davis, Jarrod Dyson, Alex Gordon, Kelvin Herrera, Joakim Soria, and Yordano Ventura are all up for enshrinement.

Here’s a closer look at the candidates:

Carlos Beltrán

795 games, .287/.352/.483, 24.8 rWAR

Beltrán played for the Royals from 1998 to 2004, winning Rookie of the Year in 1999, becoming the eighth rookie ever to score 100 runs and drive in 100 runs. He won American League Player of the Week three times with the Royals, and won American League Player of the Month in April of 2004. Beltrán finished in the top ten in the league in steals three times with the Royals, and he is eighth among all Royals position players in rWAR. His 164 stolen bases are seventh-most in club history, and he had an amazing 87 percent success rate.

Billy Butler

1,166 games, .295/.359/.449, 12.5 rWAR

Butler was a first-round pick in 2014 and designated hitter for several years, including the pennant-winning season in 2014. He enjoyed his best season in 2012, hitting .313/.373/.510 with a career-high 29 home runs, earning the Silver Slugger Award. He also made his only All-Star Game appearance, in front of hometown fans at Kauffman Stadium. Butler finished in the top ten in the league in doubles three times, and finished sixth in RBI in 2012. He is tenth in club history in games played, eleventh in home runs, eighth in hits, and seventh in doubles. His .295 batting average is tied for fifth-highest in club history for anyone with at least 1,000 plate appearances.

Johnny Damon

803 games, .292/.351/.438, 17.3 rWAR

Damon was a first-round pick in 1992 and was hyped as the face of the franchise. His career started slowly, but before long he established himself as one of the top leadoff hitters in baseball. He led the league in runs with 136, setting the single-season club record. He also led the league with a career-high 46 bases year, and hit .327/.385/.495, earning MVP votes. He is ninth in club history in stolen bases and 12th in runs scored.

Wade Davis

256 games, 3.39 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 6.6 rWAR

Davis was a starter in 2013, his first year with the team after being acquired from the Rays. But a move to the bullpen turned his career around and he became the most dominant reliever in baseball. From 2014 to 2016, he pitched in 185 games and had a minuscule 1.85 ERA, closing out 47 saves. He struck out 33 percent of all hitters he faced over that time, and was a two-time All-Star, earning Cy Young votes in 2014 and 2015, and MVP votes in 2015. He got the final out of the 2015 World Series, clinching the title for the Royals.

Jarrod Dyson

627 games, .257/.319/.350, 11.8 rWAR

Dyson was one of the fastest players in baseball, swiping 184 bases in eight seasons at an 84.7 percent success rate. He finished in the top ten in the league in steals five times and has the fifth-most steals in club history. He finished second in the league in triples in 2016 with eight. He was also known as an exemplary defender in center, and recorded 39 assists from the outfield.

Alex Gordon

1753 games, .257/.338/.410, 34.5 rWAR

Gordon was the #2 overall pick in the 2005 draft and spent his entire 14-year career with the Royals. He was a three-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner in left, winning the Platinum Glove in 2014 and 2020. He is sixth in club history in rWAR, games played, runs scored, hits, and totals bases, fifth in home runs, and third in walks. His iconic home run in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series tied the game to send it into extras in a game the Royals would eventually win on their way to a title.

Kelvin Herrera

442 games, 2.75 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 10.6 rWAR

era is a two-time All-Star, who posted four seasons of at least 70 appearances with an ERA below three. He was part of the vaunted “HDH” bullpen trio with Davis and Greg Holland. He had a minuscule 1.26 ERA in 22 relief appearances in the postseason with 38 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. He is sixth in club history in saves and third in games pitched.

Joakim Soria

427 games, 2.82 ERA, 3.03 FIP

Soria spent two different stints with the Royals, from 2007-11 and from 2016-17. He was originally selected as a Rule 5 draft pick from the Padres and became a two-time All-Star with the Royals, earning Cy Young and MVP votes in 2010. He finished in the top ten in the league in saves four times with the Royals, finishing second in 2010 with 43 saves. He is third all-time in Royals history in saves and fifth in games pitched.

Yordano Ventura

94 games, 3.89 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 7.7 rrWAR

Ventura exploded on the scene in 2014 with a fastball that was regularly clocked at 100 mph. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting with a 3.20 ERA and 14 wins, and turned in a sensational World Series performance in two starts, including seven shutout innings in a must-win Game 6. “Ace” Ventura would be a key part of the championship rotation as well, winning 13 games and leading the team in strikeouts. Ventura tragically died in the winter after the 2016 season in a car collision.

To be eligible for the Royals Hall of Fame, a candidate must have been active with the ballclub for at least three seasons and accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300 innings pitched, and be retired for at least three years.

Fans can vote here with the fan vote counting for three electors. Other electors include members of the Royals Hall of Fame, Royals front office staff, Royals Associates with 15 years or more service, and select media members.