KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The Kansas City Royals and Fox Sports
Kansas City have announced they will not renew Frank White’s
announcer contract for 2012.
White, a Hall of Fame second baseman for the Royals, has been a
game analyst for the Royals the last three seasons.
The Kansas City Star reports (http://bit.ly/uaJ1T6 ) that White
began working in a more full-time television role in 2009 after
former broadcaster Paul Splittorff, who died this year, began
having health problems.
White, a Kansas City native, won eight Gold Gloves and helped
the Royals win the 1985 World Series championship.
He previously resigned as a full-time employee of the Royals
organization in January.

___
Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer Frank White will not be a part of the team’s television broadcasts in 2012, the Royals and FOX Sports Kansas City announced on Friday.

White, a five-time All Star who played second base for the Royals from 1973 to 1990, and longtime producer Kevin Shank did not have their contracts renewed for the upcoming season. In a joint statement, the team and network said that they intend to “go in a different direction” with the positions for next year.

“FOX Sports Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals appreciate Frank White stepping into a larger role as game analyst the last three seasons,” read the statement. “He shifted from a planned part-time role to a near full-time role and performed admirably in the booth at a time of need.  We also want to thank Kevin Shank for his years of leadership as producer of Royals telecasts.”

White’s role on the team’s broadcasts expanded due to the illness of regular Royals broadcaster Paul Splitorff, who died of cancer last May.

The move left many fans, who said that they appreciated White’s insight into the game, shaking their heads.

“I think it’s bad. I think a player like that should have a lifetime job with the Royals,” said fan James Page.

Fan Rick King says that the move to get rid of the popular White was a surprise.

“I’m surprised because of his reputation and the way he was brought up during his play here in KC, he’s definitely a good role model for the community and for KC as a whole, I believe he was a good fit. Quite surprised that he’s gone,” said King.

White had resigned from the club as a senior adviser last January, a position he had held since 2007. Except for a time following his retirement as a player in which he worked as a coach in the Boston Red Sox organization (1992-1996), White had been involved with the Royals organization in one capacity or another since he was signed as an amateur free agent in 1970.

His number 20 was retired by the team and he was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1995. The team dedicated a bronze statue of White outside of Kauffman Stadium in 2004.

The team said that White had declined a community relations position with the club last January. They added that White continues to be welcome at Royals alumni events, and may serve as a part-time instructor with the team during spring training.

The Royals say that a search for White’s replacement is currently underway.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The Kansas City Royals and Fox Sports
Kansas City have announced they will not renew Frank White’s
announcer contract for 2012.

White, a Hall of Fame second baseman for the Royals, has been a
game analyst for the Royals the last three seasons.

The Kansas City Star reports that White began working in a more full-time television role in 2009 after former broadcaster Paul Splittorff, who died this year, began having health problems.

White, a Kansas City native, won eight Gold Gloves and helped
the Royals win the 1985 World Series championship.

He previously resigned as a full-time employee of the Royals
organization in January.

The Kansas City Royals announced Friday they are not renewing Frank White’s contract as a broadcaster.

The Royals Hall of Famer had been a game analyst.

“FOX Sports Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals appreciate Frank White stepping into a larger role as a game analyst the last three seasons,” the team said in a news release. “He shifted from a planned part-time role to a near full-time role and performed admirably in the booth at a time of need.”

The Kansas City native played second base for the Royals and won eight Gold Gloves. He was part of the 1985 World Series Championship team. White joined the broadcast team as Hall of Fame Pitcher Paul Splittorff suffered health problems, including voice problems. Splittorff died earlier this year.

White served three seasons as the Wichita Wranglers manager from 2004 to 2006. He has applied for but not been chosen as the Royals’ manager.

White is still listed on the Royals’ broadcast website, which says, “Royals Hall of Famer Frank White will spend his fourth season in the booth as a Royals television analyst.”

In January, the team had announced that White had resigned as a full-time employee of the club. He had been working full time in the community relations area. Reports had been that he and the Royals could not agree on a salary because his Fox Sports duties restricted his marketing and community appearances.

The team also announced Friday that producer Kevin Shank’s contract is also not being renewed.

“We also want to thank Kevin Shank for his years of leadership as producer of Royals telecasts. Fox Sports Kansas City has decided to go in a different direction with these positions next year,” the news release states. “A search for their replacements will begin immediately.”

Copyright 2011 KCTV. All rights reserved.

Qualifier: players will be classified under one position even if they played at more than one.

Darrell Porter:

Four-time All-Star catcher Darrell Porter played the best seasons of his career with the Kansas City Royals from 1977 to 1980. After the Royals acquired Porter, he increased his batting average from .208 in 1976 with the Milwaukee Brewers to .275 in his first year in Kansas City. He finished in the top ten in American League MVP voting twice while posting a .271 average, .375 on-base percentage and 120 OPS+ (league average is 100) over 555 games in Kansas City. Porter helped the Royals reach their first World Series in 1980 and later won the World Series MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

Mike Macfarlane:

Longtime Royal Mike Macfarlane played more games behind the plate than any other catcher in team history. Known as a good defensive backstop, Macfarlane was also an above-average hitter over his 890 games with the Royals. He maintained a 104 OPS+ in Kansas City and is the only Royals’ catcher to hit more than 100 home runs with the organization. His top season came in 1993 when he cracked 20 homers and drove in 67 RBI with a .857 OPS in 117 games. Macfarlane’s bat was worth 13.1 wins above replacement (WAR) for the Royals.

Ed Kirkpatrick:

Former utility player Ed Kirkpatrick caught just under 300 games over five seasons with the Royals from 1969 to 1973. Kirkpatrick put up solid numbers during baseball’s second deadball era, batting .248 with a .334 OBP and 104 OPS+ as a Royal. Behind the plate, he tossed out 42 percent of base-stealers during his tenure. Kirkpatrick spent time at every position but pitcher and shortstop for the Royals.

Jim Sundberg:

Jim Sundberg was a great defensive catcher who pulled in multiple All-Star and Gold Glove selections. Though his best years were behind him by the time he went to Kansas City, Sundberg was the man behind the plate when the Royals won their first and only World Series Championship in 1985. He posted an 88 OPS+ during the regular season, then reached base 12 times in 30 plate appearances in the Series to earn his ring.

John Wathan:

Career Royal John Wathan was an on-and-off starting catcher for the Royals from 1976 to 1985. Wathan had some memorable seasons including his career year in 1980 when he batted .305 with a .377 OBP, 17 stolen bases and a 115 OPS+ for 2.9 offensive WAR. He didn’t have much pop, but he was an excellent contact hitter with outstanding speed for a catcher. Wathan stole more than 100 bases in his career and struck out only 265 times in 2,505 at-bats. He was another member of the Royals’ 1985 title team.

Sources:

Kansas City Royals Team History & Encyclopedia, Baseball-Reference.com

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St. Joseph News-PressPOSTED: 5:47 pm CDT October 18, 2011

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