Here are the final seven players on the list of top KC A’s players as ranked by wins above replacement (WAR) as found on Baseball-Reference.com. (Click here for Part I.)

7. Ray Herbert ∙ P ∙ 1955, 1958—61 ∙ 152 GP ∙ 7.5 WAR

Herbert made a living as a serviceable pitcher for 14 years in the majors, including a standout year with the A’s in 1960. The A’s purchased his contract from the Tigers before 1955 and used him sparingly that season before sending him to the minors for ’56 and ’57. He returned to Kansas City in ’58 and had a solid year, then regressed a bit in ’59. Then came the big 1960, in which Herbert started 33 games for the A’s, registered a miniscule 3.28 ERA (122 ERA+) and the second highest WAR (5.8) among pitchers in the AL. The A’s sent Herbert packing to the White Sox in the middle of ’61. That was enough to propel Herbert to the highest spot on this list for a pitcher.

6. Bob Cerv ∙ LF ∙ 1957—60 ∙ 413 GP ∙ 8.5 WAR

Cerv is another player on this list who spent time with the Kansas City Blues as a member of the Yankees farm before joining the A’s. His contract was purchased from New York prior to the ’57 season, and he spent the next three and a half years as a fixture in the A’s left field. Much of his value came from one season, 1958, when he broke out with the greatest season a KC A’s player ever had: 38 homers (a Kansas City record, A’s or Royals), a .305/.371/.592 slash line (159 OPS+), an All-Star game start, the third highest WAR in the AL, and a fourth place finish in the MVP vote. The season would have been remarkable enough from a healthy player, but Cerv battled through serious injury. From the book The Kansas City Athletics by John E. Peterson: “(Cerv) was batting .344 on May 17 and led the American League with 11 home runs and 30 runs batted in when he broke his jaw in a collision at home plate…Cerv broke his jaw in two places when the left side of his face collided against (Red) Wilson’s shoulder.” Cerv forced himself back into the lineup after missing just three games, and continued playing at a high level in spite of his jaw being wired shut and living on a liquid diet for a month. He homered six times during that span. Again from Peterson’s book: “By the end of the season Cerv suffered a broken jaw, a broken hand, two broken toes along with an injured knee and ankle.” The season sticks out like a sore thumb in Cerv’s long career, which was otherwise fairly unremarkable.

Cerv is the highest ranking outfielder on the list; the top five spots are all held by infielders:

4. Hector Lopez ∙ 3B ∙ 1955—59 ∙ 586 GP ∙ 8.9 WAR

Lopez shifted between various defensive positions throughout his 12 year career, but the A’s deployed him primarily at third base. Bill James has called him “As bad a defensive player as you would ever want to see,” but he made up for defensive shortcomings with his bat. He wasn’t an elite slugger in his four and a third seasons in KC, but hit consistently. His final tallies with the A’s feature 99 doubles, 67 homers, and a 107 OPS+. He was swapped to the Yankees (who else?) mid-season 1959 in a trade that netted the A’s the other number four on this list:

4. Jerry Lumpe ∙ 2B ∙ 1959—63 ∙ 715 GP ∙ 8.9 WAR

A Missouri native, Lumpe attended Warsaw High School and Southwest Missouri State. As a college basketball player, he won back to back NAIA national championships. The Yankees signed him to play baseball, and he broke into the bigs with them as a part-time player between ’56—’58. When he was sent to the A’s in ’59, he became the everyday second baseman for the next four and half seasons. He was a consistent presence in the A’s lineup, and was especially good in his career years of ’61 and ’62. He was sent to Detroit in the trade that brought Rocky Colavito to KC for the ’64 season.

3. Wayne Causey ∙ SS ∙ 1961—66 ∙ 689 GP ∙ 9.0 WAR

Causey was another consistent presence in the A’s middle infield, and garnered some MVP votes in his career years of ’63 and ’64. Causey didn’t hit for a lot of power, but was a tough out in his time with the A’s (.350 OBP). According to Jane Charnin-Aker on baseballlibrary.com, Causey kept losing his position to hotshot rookies while with the A’s. Dick Howser knocked him off short, then Ed Charles off third. He held down short in ’63 and ’64 before Bert Campaneris took over. After his playing days, Causey spent some time as a scout for the Royals.

2. Norm Siebern ∙ 1B ∙ 1960—63 ∙ 611 GP ∙ 12.1 WAR

Another Missouri native, Siebern hails from Wellston in the St. Louis area. He teamed with Lumpe on the back-to-back NAIA champion basketball teams at Southwest Missouri State. Siebern joined the A’s in the Maris trade—it is ironic that even though the trade was infamously bad, the A’s did get a terrific player in the deal. I rate Siebern as the best hitter the A’s had for all four seasons he played with the club—a rare bout of consistency in the ever volatile A’s lineups. His ’62 was especially impressive: he played every game, bashed 25 homers, and got on base at an eye-popping .412 clip to go along with a .495 slugging percentage. He represented the A’s at the All-Star games of ’62 and ’63. Like Causey, Siebern also went on to do some scouting for the Royals.

1. Ed Charles ∙ 3B ∙ 1962—67 ∙ 726 GP ∙ 14.4 WAR

Ed Charles, a 29 year-old rookie in ’62, wore the KC A’s uniform for more games than any other player, and judging by wins above replacement, provided the most value to the team. Signed by the Boston Braves in 1952, Charles racked up nine seasons and 1,148 games in the minors before finally getting his break in the form of a trade to Kansas City. He broke into the majors with style, fashioning a .288/.356/.454 hitting line (114 OPS+), and continued on as a supremely reliable presence as the A’s third sacker for five years. According to Charles biographer Ed Hoyt, Charles “offered no standout skill, but usefully adequate levels of contact, power, speed, and defense.” Like David DeJesus on recent Royals teams, Charles never rose to stardom or All-Star recognition, but quietly contributed in all aspects of the game. That steadiness over many years added up to significant value. Hoyt writes that Charles “achieved fame as a baseball poet, reciting his poetry on television a few times a year and mailing verse to young fans with requested autographs.” Following his individual success with the A’s, he was sent to the New York Mets in a 1967 trade. In his final playing year, Charles enjoyed the ultimate team success with the 1969 “Miracle” Mets. The 36 year-old provided a veteran presence on the mostly baby-faced champions.

Aaron Stilley also bloggercizes at Kansas City Baseball and makes tweet-tweets here.

“He didn’t have a long life. But his dreams came true.”
—Nancy Howser, July 12, 2004 Kansas City Star

Dick Howser is remembered with great fondness by fans in Kansas City, where his time in the big leagues began with the Athletics and ended as perhaps the Royals’ greatest manager. Howser skippered some great Royals teams between 1981—86, and is best remembered for guiding the club to their only championship.

Richard Dalton Howser was born May 14, 1936 in Miami, Florida. He played college baseball at Florida State, where he hit .422 in 1956, and became the school’s first All-American in 1957 and again as a senior in ’58. After graduation, he signed with the Kansas City Athletics. Howser toiled for three seasons in the A’s minor leagues before making the big club with a splash in 1961. The scrappy shortstop stole 37 bases and was only caught nine times. He got on base at a .377 clip with an OPS of .739 (98 OPS+). In the field, Howser was rung up for 38 errors. After just 59 games with the A’s, manager Hank Bauer named Howser the captain of the team.

“Frankly, I was just trying to keep a job in the major leagues,” Howser said. “My first reaction was an uneasy one. I thought they might be expecting too much from me. I went to our owner, Mr. Finley, and to Hank also and discussed the appointment with both of them. They didn’t expect me to do anything different than I had done in the first 59 games. They wanted me to continue hustling and to set an example. They really seemed impressed with my hustle.”
—The Kansas City Athletics by John E. Peterson

He was named to the 1961 All-Star team and lost the official Rookie of the Year Award by one vote. The Sporting News named him top AL rookie. It was a promising start, but Howser was unable to put up another season quite as successful. Injuries took a toll on his playing time. In 1963 the A’s sent him to Cleveland, where he had a couple of productive years before being shipped to the Yankees prior to the 1967 season. He was done as a player after 1968, but remained with the Yankees as third base coach between 1969—78. Howser left the Yankees for the 1979 season to coach college ball for his alma mater, and led Florida State to a 43-17 record.

The Yankees lured him back for the 1980 season with an offer to manage. The rookie manager piloted the Yankees to 103 wins and a postseason appearance against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals swept in three games, and the fickle George Steinbrenner forced Howser out. The Yankees’ loss was the Royals’ gain. KC tapped Howser to manage the Royals in the middle of the ’81 season.

“Dan Quisenberry called him a distant general—he wasn’t much for strategy or heart-to-heart talks—but he had dignity. He had soul. He told those Royals they were the best team, and they believed him.”
—The Good Stuff by Joe Posnanski

Howser and the Royals found themselves in the ’81 postseason after just 33 games together, but they were swept by the A’s. After two straight second place finishes, the ’84 Royals returned to postseason play, but Howser fell to 0-9 as a playoffs manager when they were swept by the Tigers. The ’85 team returned to the playoffs, but dropped the first two games of the ALCS to Toronto. Howser had now lost all 11 postseason games he had managed. But the Royals rallied to take the series from Toronto, and found themselves in the franchise’s second World Series. But the Royals had their backs against the wall again after dropping three of the first four games to St. Louis.

“He never had a moment he felt defeated. His favorite line was, ‘We’ll get it done.’ You’re talking about a cool guy. You never saw him sweat.”
—Frank White, July 12, 2004 Kansas City Star

Howser’s previous playoffs troubles were forgotten when the Royals clawed their way back to take the championship. Royals players give Howser a tremendous amount of credit for his role in the title. His quiet confidence seemed to transfer to the players. He was not meddlesome. He filled out the lineup and let the players play, and the Royals loved playing for him.

“I played for some good managers, but Dick was great. He was so honest with you. If you messed around or did something wrong, he was in your face. But he allowed you to play if you were out there and ready, and he knew you were going to give your best. He was a confidence-builder.”
—Mark Gubicza, Denny Matthews’s Tales From the Royals Dugout

The elation of the championship quickly turned to horror. The team noticed something amiss with Howser during the first half of the ’86 season. Denny Matthews writes in Tales From the Royals Dugout that Howser, always sharp, was suddenly forgetting recent events and mixing up names. At the All-Star game that year, Howser couldn’t remember who the starting pitcher was going to be for his AL squad. He confused Frank White for Lou Whitaker in the dugout. Two days later, the terrible diagnosis: brain cancer. The All-Star game would be his last as a manager. (White helped ensure Howser was victorious by blasting a home run.)

The Royals did not name a permanent replacement, leaving the door open for Howser to return if he could. (Mike Ferraro took the helm for the second half of ’86.) After undergoing treatments, Howser attempted a comeback during 1987 spring training, but his return was short lived. Howser simply didn’t have the energy. He passed away months later on June 17 at Kansas City’s St. Luke’s Hospital at just 51 years of age. The Royals held a ceremony for Howser two weeks later in which they inducted him into the team’s hall of fame and made his #10 the first retired number in Royals history.

Dick Howser Trophy

Because Howser’s time was cut short, it is easy to forget that he has managed more Royals games than anyone else. His .544 winning percentage with the team is bested only by Whitey Herzog and Jim Frey. The Dick Howser Trophy was initiated in 1987 and is awarded to the country’s best collegiate baseball player each year. Florida State renamed their baseball stadium in Howser’s honor in 1988, and his #34 is the only retired number in their baseball program. The Royals again honored Howser with a statue at Kauffman Stadium that was unveiled in 2009.

Nancy Howser speaks at dedication of statue (photo by Chris Murphy, chrism70.com)