But then if you think about it and assume between 40 and 50 players per year (some years less, very few more), that’s about 1,800 individual seasons in the franchise’s history. Then take into account that those rosters include players who were here multiple seasons and it actually makes a little sense.

Along with Gordon. I assume he’ll start Thursday night? I’ve heard nothing else about any other rookie getting called up.

LHP Lenny DiNardo

Great? The Greatest? Best of all-time? None of these terms have ever been used to describe left-handed journeyman Lenny DiNardo. And yet, on September 10, 2009, he could finally call himself a Kansas City Royal.

For five innings, the valiant southpaw held the first place Tigers in check, yielding just two runs in an afternoon game. While his bullpen would forsake him, as his velocity had years before, Lenny left knowing he had finally made it to KC.

Royals debuts by year
1969 – 39
1970 – 12
1971 – 11
1972 – 9
1973 – 15
1974 – 10
1975 – 8
1976 – 10
1977 – 10
1978 – 11
1979 – 10
1980 – 13
1981 – 12
1982 – 20
1983 – 10
1984 – 14
1985 – 7
1986 – 14
1987 – 17
1988 – 16
1989 – 10
1990 – 21
1991 – 20
1992 – 22
1993 – 17
1994 – 4
1995 – 28
1996 – 16
1997 – 27
1998 – 21
1999 – 22
2000 – 20
2001 – 20
2002 – 20
2003 – 26
2004 – 34
2005 – 18
2006 – 30
2007 – 20
2008 – 18
2009 – 18
That’s a total of 700.
For a list of every player in order of debut, start on this page and click the next year to see the next year’s debuts:
KCRoyalsHistory.com — 1969 Royals Debuts