The Royals admittedly were not the most potent offensive team in the Midwest league. With only minimal sources of home run power coming from players such as Pat Currant, Darrel Parker, and occasionally Willie Wilson, the Royals built their team around speed. Stealing bases and solid defense provided most of the sparks for the Royals and Sullivan knew it. By incorporating many hit and run situations and bunting often, the Royals were able to score runs despite their lack of power.
The most amazing fact about the 1975 Royals was their youth and inexperience. Much like most of the teams in Single-A, the Royals were comprised primarily of players straight from the rookie leagues. In looking at the championship teams in Major League Baseball, the general consensus states that age and experience are the elements of winning. But with players ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-one, the Royals were definitely an exception to the rule. The average age of the team was under twenty and with players such as German Barranca and Bob Edmonson getting considerable action at the age of eighteen, one could wonder if the team was breaking some child labor laws. Though not able to take a drink, these players showed that they had the right stuff on the diamond.
Undoubtedly, the best player that the Royals had was Willie Wilson. With good speed and fielding ability, Wilson led the team in runs scored and stolen bases in 1975. Considering the lack of power that the club possessed, Wilson's athleticism was a valuable asset. Despite his tender age of 19, the outfielder was the team leader and often displayed his competitive drive verbally to anyone within shouting distance. On one occasion, while the Royals were on an eight-game win streak, Wilson's desire to win caught up with him. In a game against the Quad Cities Angels on May 12, 1975, Wilson was warming up on deck and apparently felt that the home plate umpire's strike zone was inconsistent. The ensuing conversation between the umpire and Wilson violated the game's cardinal rule against arguing balls and strikes. Following the remarks made by Wilson the umpire tossed him from the game, but he must have inspired his team as they went on to beat the Angels in the contest 6-2, advancing their winning streak to nine games.
Wilson's achievements in Waterloo led him through the minors quickly and landed him a spot in the majors with Kansas City which lasted from 1976 until 1990. Displaying much of the same ability that vaulted Waterloo to the pennant in 1975, Wilson became Kansas City's all-time leader in stolen bases with 612. This is an admirable achievement considering Amos Otis's 340 stolen bases comes in a distant second. Wilson's statistics with Kansas City are largely overshadowed by Hall of Famer George Brett but are still noteworthy. Wilson was 5th on the all-time list in games played (1,787), batting average (.290), and doubles (241); 4th on the all-time list in at bats (6,799), and hits (1,968); 3rd on the all-time in runs scored (1,060); and 2nd on the all-time in triples (133).22 These achievements in the major leagues propelled Wilson to the status of the best player that Waterloo had in the modern era.
