"Batting leadoff, the Shortstop Neifi Perez"

With the All-Star break coming up, it's time to look at some of the more baffling starting lineup decisions during the Dark Ages of Royals Baseball, from 1995 to 2009.

As noted in the headline. Neifi Perez did bat leadoff for the Royals 17 times in 2001 and 2002. But it was another Royals legend who made Neifi look like Barry Bonds. On April 18th and April 19th, Donnie Sadler batted leadoff as Neifi Perez batted second. With these two expert tablesetters leading off for the Royals, the Royals scored 1 run in 18 innings. Donnie Sadler batted leadoff five more times, including a 1 for 4 showing in the game that cost Tony Muser his job and a 2 for 4 in Tony Muser's final game (no idea why they didn't fire his ass after 13-0). Muser also put feared slugger Luis Alicea in the 5-hole in the 13-0 Baltimore game.

Luis Alicea also utilized his finely-toned on-base skills batting leadoff as the DH three times in August 2001. Which surprisingly only made him the 2nd worst Royals DH of 2001 after Dave McCarty.

2001 was a year of transition, as Muser was unsure of what to do without Johnny Damon (Damon batted leadoff 157 times in 2000, Luis Ordaz batted leadoff twice on days that Damon was too busy sacrificing goats to lucifier to play). The 2000 season, with the best hitting and worst pitching in team history, doesn't have a lot to complain about. Aside from Scott Pose starting at DH.

1999 was also a good year, as Tony Muser found it hard to put someone other than Damon or Beltran in the leadoff spot. Although he did bat Scott Pose leadoff multiple times, mainly as the DH. Amazingly, despite the late 1990s teams typically sucking on the field, there weren't as many consistently bizarre lineups. After the time that the Royals traded Vince Coleman, dislodging Vincent Van Blow from the leadoff spot (or as he made it "the out spot"). Oh yeah, Bob Boone batted David Howard leadoff, which can't be justified rationally.

Royals batting orders took a voyage into the land of confusion in the 2000s as Allard Baird stocked the team with random castoffs and Dayton Moore stocked the team with guys who think the strikezone ends at the ankles. Highlights of this area include batting Jose Bautista leadoff during Jose's 7 days with the team before we traded him for some guy named Justin Huber (Bautista batted leadoff during the game that Ken Harvey was plunked by a throw from the outfield). Batting Abraham Nunez the Outfielder third in September can be explained after smoking a bowl. Eli Marrero batted cleanup during the two months of hell. Super Joe McEwing batted leadoff for some reason. Kerry Robinson also batted leadoff because fast dudes who can't hit are the currency of lineups.

This years "most confusing batting order" move will likely involve Trey batting Yuniesky Betancourt 2nd this week. That, or batting Mitch Maier 2nd today.

Royals fans, speak out. What are some of the dumber batting order moves that you've seen in the last 15 years?