Former Kansas City Royals players better appreciate their place in Kansas City, because they won’t be taking up residence in Cooperstown any time soon.

Former Cincinnati Red Barry Larkin joined George Brett in Cooperstown on Monday, and the only former Royal receiving any votes will drop off from lack of support.

Juan Gonzalez just eluded the ax last year, but he couldn’t keep his Hall of Fame hopes alive for another vote. “Juan Gone” netted just 23 votes in Monday’s vote, needing 29 to stay on the ballot, and will be long gone next time votes are cast.

No Royals fans will shed any tears for Gonzalez. He, more than anyone, symbolized the gut-wrenching plummet the team took in 2004 after contending from wire to wire in 2003. In fact, few will even notice as he slides into obscurity.

But the disinterest he received from voters is just one more reminder of the Hall’s disinterest in Royals players. In fact, Gonzalez is the only former Royal to remain on the ballot beyond his initial year of eligibility since 1996. That’s when Vada Pinson made his last appearance on the ballot.

It’s likely to stay that way for a long time. Only Jeff Conine and Reggie Sanders come up for consideration next year, and neither has much of a chance.

I would think, based on Sanders’ combination of 300 homers and 300 steals might pique some interest from voters, enough possibly to get the requisite 5% to stay on the ballot at least. But it’s safe to bet he won’t be joining Brett in the Hall.

If you think Brett is the only Royal in Cooperstown, you’re wrong. Technically.

The first man who wore the Royal blue to enter the Hall was Harmon Killebrew, who suited up for KC in his final season – 1975. In 1984 he earned 83% of the vote in his 3^rd time on the ballot. (75% is required for enshrinement.)

Second came Gaylord Perry, the quirky, ageless wonder who pitched in KC in 1983 and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. In his 3^rd time to be on the ballot, Perry earned 77% of the vote that year.

The third Royal to be enshrined in Cooperstown was Orlando Cepeda, who made the last stop of his career in Kansas City in 1974. Cepeda’s name dropped off the regular ballot in 1994 when he fell just 1.5% shy of regular election. But he was voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 1999, the same year Brett was voted in via the regular process.

Brett, of course, is the only player whose bust and all other regalia represents his career with the Royals. Brett cruised into the Hall with 98.2% of the votes in his first year of eligibility – just 9 voters left him off their ballots.

A large number of players’ names show up on the ballot each year, and most of them garner at least a few votes. As stated before, those who do not get at least 5% are left off all future ballots. As much as we Royals fans love Frank White, Willie Wilson and others, the boys in blue have barely caused a ripple of interest by Hall of Fame Voters.

Pinson, an outfielder who spent his best years in Cincinnati, and wound up his career in KC in 1974 and 1975, came the closest. Support for Pinson topped out in 1988 when he secured 15.7% of the votes cast.

The next best finish by a former Royal was in 1993 when Vida Blue garnered 8.7% of the votes cast. Blue was a key member of the pitching staffs of the 1982 and 1983 Royals teams.

Sadly, and somewhat amazingly, no other Royal beyond Pinson, Blue and Gonzalez has ever received the requisite 5% to remain on the ballot past their first year of eligibility.

The highest finishes by those players who really made their name while wearing the Royals uniform are as follows:

David Cone – 3.9% in 2001
Dan Quisenberry – 3.8% in 1996
Frank White – 3.8% in 1996
Willie McGee – 2.3% in 2006
Willie Wilson – 2% in 2000

Good luck to Conine and Sanders. We Royals fans won’t be holding our collective breath, not hoping you’ll make it to Cooperstown. Not even hoping your name will make it on a second ballot. We’ll be more focused on Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon, hoping there’s a Hall of Famer somewhere in our future.

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.

Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.

In this article, we take a look at Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin
Larkin is a candidate that not only spent his entire 19 year career with one franchise, it was also the franchise that drafted him as an amateur. As a first round, fourth overall pick, Larkin joined the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1985. He made his Major League debut the following year and retired from the game in 2004, making this his third appearance on the Cooperstown ballot.

Why He Should Get In
Larkin was a trendsetter at his position, an offensive weapon at short stop while still maintaining his defensive focus. Overshadowed on the defensive side by the flamboyant Cardinal shortstop Ozzie Smith, Larkin was the player that quietly put together a great career in Cincinnati. Larkin would appear in 12 All Star games, win an impressive nine silver slugger awards, post a Most Valuable Player award in 1995, and win three Gold Glove awards of his own. An all around player, Larkin finished his career with 2340 hits, 379 stolen bases, 198 home runs and 960 runs batted in.

Why He Should Not Get In
His numbers fall a little short, though they are respectable for a short stop from his era. He was overshadowed frequently by Ozzie Smith, but when Ozzie hung up his spikes, Larkin immediately took over. Voters may not like that he was the second best player at his position for most of his career, even though he was truly the better player at some things and the second best at others.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.

There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.

Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.

In this article, we take a look at Brad Radke

Brad Radke
Radke’s career was unique in the fact that he spent his entire 12 year career wearing the same uniform. He broke into the majors in 1995 and retired in 2006 as a member of the Minnesota Twins. This is Radke’s first year on the ballot.

Why He Should Get In
Radke does have an All Star appearance (1998) and a top three Cy Young finish (1997) to his credit. However, his league leading stats were in categories such as Losses (2000), Home Runs Allowed (1995, 1996), and Walks Per 9 Innings (2001).

Why He Should Not Get In
Radke is probably looking at his one and only time on the ballot. With less than 150 wins and less than 1500 strikeouts, his career numbers are fan inferior to that of the other immortals in Cooperstown.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

For a self proclaimed non-movie watcher I seem to be making a lot of movie references for these Royals columns. I go to a movie theater about once a year, if that. Despite it’s popularity I do not subscribe to Netflix. If there is not a sporting event on television…I don’t watch television. But to be honest, when I heard about the Melky Cabrera for Jonathon Sanchez trade the phrase Thank you sir, may I have another from the cult classic, Animal House was the first thing that popped into my mind. I guess that says a lot about my mentality.

As others have pointed out this trade is not without it’s risks. What trade isn’t? What I do know is that Dayton Moore took a player in an area where the Royals did not have a need, in exchange for a player where the Royals did have need. Melky’s 2011 production will be missed. But no one is sure that production would make a 2012 appearance anyway. On the surface it’s a good trade. The Royals rotation is improved, and a door is opened for prospect Lorenzo Cain.

Dayton Moore’s track record of trades at the major league level has been suspect. Despite that, as a Royals fan I want to see more of this. I discussed such a trade here during the season. Make no mistake, for the Royals to get a pitcher capable of anchoring a playoff caliber staff they will have to part with some prized prospects. Either that, or sign a big name free agent. That is not likely, nor is this the year to do it.

I would not expect anything major to happen until MLB decides on their new Collective Bargaining Agreement. But it would be nice if the Royals front office made a move that made the offseason go by really, really, really slow. Thank you sir, may I have another. Another good trade, not another offseason. In the mean time I recomend and a spontaneous road trip.

To answer this question one must first complete the question. Enough to win the NL Central? Enough to Win the NL? Enough to win the World Series? And even, enough to win the Wild Card? The answer to all four questions is NO. It is way too little and way too late.

The trade deadline is there to strengthen title contenders and help those out of the pennant race reload. It is not there to make mediocre teams just a bit less mediocre. I am sorry to break it to Cardinal Nation but that is what this team is and that is all that was accomplished with this year’s moves. The deal was big, but big deceptive, not big productive. I liken it to a child moving food all around his plate to give his parents the appearance he is eating.

Edwin Jackson, Corey Patterson, Octavio Dotel, Rafael Furcal and Marc Rzepczynski are all fine players. Fine being used in the loosest sense of the word. The issue is, save Rzepczynski, the rest of this group was best equipped for a pennant run in 2007. John Mozeliak deserves credit for not standing pat. The pressure is on to prove to both Cardinal fans and more importantly Albert Pujols that the team will do whatever is needed to win. A for effort…unfortunately C for results.

The moves made at the trade deadline by Cardinal management were nothing more than attempt to save face and undo poor decisions that were made before a game was played. The moves that should have been made, the real moves. Needed to take place back in January or February. It was then that Cardinal brass made the decision to go for offense over defense. I think everyone can agree that approach has become a horrible failure.

It started out great. A few games were lost here and there but Theriot and others were hitting well and everyone thought it would all balance out in the end. Problem is it did balance out, just the wrong way. Berkman stopped hitting .400 and Theriot is back under .270. Had Furcal’s glove come over in May maybe things would have been different. Had Dotel replaced Franklin by June…who knows. Had there been an actual backup plan in place for inevitable walls that would be hit by Lohse, Westbrook and McClellan. Well, you get the idea, things may have been different.

One had to do no more than watch Monday night’s game or Tuesday’s 5^th inning to see how poor defense and a worn down staff can impact a game and a season. Edwin Jackson is a nice #3 or #4 but that still leaves two SP spots that need attending to. I like the moves for what they are, an upgrade over what they have. But to say the Cardinals are “going all in to win it all now”, as many local scribes have stated is ludicrous.

Is the team better than it was a month ago? Maybe. Were the Cardinals contenders then? No. And I am sorry but these moves did nothing to change that. Patterson will be gone after the season, as will Dotel, Furcal and most likely Jackson. The real question, the real motive behind the trades is this. Are they enough to stop Pujols from leaving?…

These are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Derek is on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze and also writes for the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

It really is a simple formula.

1 – Fans clamor for their team to make a move to improve their chances towards a post-season appearance
2 – The team identifies the player(s) that it can use as bait for a solid trade
3 – The team makes the trade that they feel will give them the best chance to win
4 – Finally the fans get the chance to scream that it was the wrong deal

Last season, the Cardinals identified the opportunity to fill the void in the starting rotation by trading one of their offensive weapons, and a fan favorite, Ryan Ludwick. Jake Westbrook was introduced to the Cardinal faithful and was embraced by many fans, though many screamed that the price was far too high. Since then, Westbrook’s success has been fair while Ryan Ludwick has struggled in San Diego.

Since the trade was completed last season, Jake Westbrook is 13-8 with a 4.33 Earned Run Average. He has struck out 118 batters while walking 66. Meanwhile, Ryan Ludwick has posted a .227 batting average, 17 home runs, and 88 runs batted in over 158 games played.

Surprisingly, it was last year that everyone expected to see Colby Rasmus find his way into another uniform and clubhouse. Colby’s stay in St. Louis seemed to be coming to an end as the manager took his complaints straight to the media and everyone became aware that Rasmus himself had requested a trade. It has been well documented the problems between Rasmus, Tony LaRussa, the coaching staff and the organization.

It would take a full season for the Cardinals and Rasmus to find a reason to part ways. The team would find a trade partner and receive a package that they feel will best benefit them in the future. The months ahead will see the players involved in this deal take drastically different paths with varying degrees of success. Ultimately, the Cardinals decision was based as much on the future as it was 2011.

That is right, in a deal that sent an outfielder that is under team control for another three years to another franchise, the Cardinals management has shown a pure focus on both winning in 2011 and building for the future. You see, the details of this deal go far beyond the players that were involved and remain in the potential at the end of the season.

One swift move is what it took for John Mozeliak to strengthen his bullpen, rotation, and bench while subtracting a sub-par player from the lineup, despite his potential upside down the road. The Cardinals added a strong fifth starter, a veteran swing man reliever, a young reliver with a lot of promise, and moved a strong relief pitcher back to the bullpen from the rotation. It was that single trade that has provided a positive impact on three spots in the bullpen, one spot in the rotation, one spot on the field, and one spot on the bench.

Here is a look at each move and the immediate impact on the team.

Edwin Jackson takes McClellan’s spot in the rotation

Kyle McClellan takes bullpen spot

Octavio Dotel takes P.J. Walter’s spot as inning eater

Marc Rzepczynski takes Trever Miller’s spot

Jon Jay takes Colby Rasmus’ spot

Corey Patterson takes Jon Jay’s spot

That takes care of 2011, but what about the future? That answer is a little more entailed, but equally important. Here is a look at what the Cardinals have ensured for the future.

Corey Patterson is a veteran fourth outfielder that is signed rather cheaply through the remainder of 2011. Should he perform well this season and show that he still has something left in the tank (he turns 32 years old later this season) he may be playing himself into a contract down the road.

Jon Jay is under team control and has his second chance in as many years to prove that he can be a productive, cost controlled part of this team for a long time to come. Should he establish himself as the player that he has been from the bench, the loss of Colby Rasmus is not as impactful as feared.

Marc “Scrabble” Rzepczynski is under team control through 2016 and projects as a possible impact in the bullpen, as a starter, or possibly even as a closer. The young arm should not be overlooked, this young man was the long term focus of this deal.

Dotel has an option on his contract. Should that option be declined and arbitration be offered, he projects as a Type B free agent at the very least. This would yield the Cardinals a draft pick in the 2012 draft.

Jackson is an interesting deal as many people are considering him a “rental” player that will benefit the club for the next few months. He has, however, put together a solid season and many project him as a Type A free agent at the end of the season. The team would receive two draft picks in the event that he signs with another club and would still have the opportunity to keep him in St. Louis should they decide he belongs here.

All things considered, the Cardinals have landed a pitcher that they see being a part of the solution for a long time to come, 1-3 draft picks in 2012, an opportunity to pick up three minor leaguers as the “player to be named later” subscript, and some much needed help for the stretch run of the current season.

The biggest pratfall that the fans will need to be wary of is the buyer’s remorse tag that accompanies a deal of this nature. Deals and trades are made with the future in mind and some players, regardless of their ability, simply do not perform under the tuteladge of some managers. Colby Rasmus was showing signs of being the type of player that would never perform to the height of his ability while inside the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Fans should be prepared for the fact that Colby Rasmus could very well become a successful outfielder that plays at an All Star level in Toronto or elsewhere. The obvious example of this is Chris Perez in Cleveland. Fans should also remember that those players were not having any success here in St. Louis and simply continuing to play under the same management may have never yielded those same results. Should Rasmus go on to become a top-tier outfielder, fans have to ask the question “Could he really have done that here?” and realize the answer is a simple and impactful “no”.

Be careful what you wish for Cardinal nation, you just might get it. In the meantime, you might find out that your team, and the man pulling the strings, may very well be preparing for something beyond the names in the newspaper.