In memoriam: the Royals we lost in 2025

The end of the year gives us a chance to reflect and remember those we lost throughout the year. In the baseball world, we lost Hall of Famers Dave Parker and Ryne Sandberg, as well as baseball funnyman Bob Uecker. Other prominent baseball figures that passed away this year include Sandy Alomar, George Altman, Jim Clancy, Joe Coleman, Bobby Cuellar, Lee Elia, Eddie Fisher, Mike Greenwell, Steve Hargan, Vic Harris, Tommy Helms, Bobby Jenks, Davey Johnson, Randy Jones, Chet Lemon, Félix Mantilla, Brian Matusz, Randy Moffitt, Jesús Montero, Rich Rollins, Scott Sauerbeck, Ron Taylor, Jeff Torborg, and Bob Veale.

The Royals family lost a few players in 2025. Let’s look back at their careers and celebrate their achievements.

Rich Dauer

Rich Dauer was a sure-handed ten-year MLB veteran second baseman with the Orioles, but served as a coach with the Royals from 1997 to 2002. The California native made his debut with Baltimore in 1976 and was the starting second baseman on their 1979 pennant-winner and their 1983 championship team. He was a sure-handed fielder, setting then MLB-records in 1978 with 86 consecutive errorless games and 425 straight errorless chances. He was a beloved teammate, nicknamed “Wacko” for his sense of humor. He retired after the 1985 season after 1,140 career MLB games, all with the Orioles, and was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

After his playing career, he briefly served as an independent league manager before becoming a coach at the MLB level. He began with the Cleveland Indians in 1990 before becoming the third base coach for the Royals in 1997 under Bob Boone, staying on when Tony Muser became manager, then parting ways with the Royals after the 2002 season after Muser was fired. He served as a coach with the Brewers and Rockies, and won a title with the Astros in 2017. Dauer planned to retire at that point, but just after the season, he suffered a head injury that resulted in a subdural hematoma and required emergency brain surgery. He barely survived and returned in uniform the next year to coach as part of the All-Star Game.

Dauer died on February 3 at the age of 72.

Octavio Dotel

Octavio Dotel was a well-traveled 15-year MLB veteran reliever who made 758 career appearances with 109 saves in his lengthy career with 13 teams. He originally came up with the Mets but was traded to the Astros where he became one of the highest-strikeout relievers in baseball. In 2004, he was involved in the three-way trade that sent Royals outfielder Carlos Beltrán to Houston, with Dotel sent to Oakland.

After an injury-filled year with the Yankees, he became a free agent after the 2006 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Royals, one of the first deals signed by then-Royals general manager Dayton Moore. Dotel had some injury issues, but was effective with a 3.91 ERA and 11 saves in his 24 appearances. He was part of a huge turnaround for the Royals’ bullpen – they went from the worst bullpen ERA in baseball at 5.41 to a respectable 3.89 in 2007.

The Royals traded him to the Braves for pitcher Kyle Davies, and he continued to pitch for the White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Tigers. He won a title in 2011 with St. Louis and appeared in the World Series the next year with Detroit in a losing cause.

Dotel died on April 8 as part of a tragic roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was just 51 years old.

Craig Eaton

Craig Eaton was a right-hander who pitched in five games for the Royals in 1979. He was originally a sixth-round pick by the Royals out of Miami-Dade College, but passed them up to complete his degree and pitch in the College World Series while at Florida State. He ended up signing with the Royals as a free agent and worked his way up through the organization as a solid starting pitcher. He posted a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts for Triple-A Omaha in 1979 and was called up when rosters expanded that September. He appeared in five games, giving up just three runs in 10 innings for a 2.70 ERA.

After the season, the Royals sent him with infielder Todd Cruz and outfielder Al Cowens in a trade with the Angels for infielder Rance Mulliniks and first baseman Willie Aikens. He struggled the next few seasons in the Angels’ system, and bounced around to the Tigers and Expos organizations, never again reaching the big leagues. He suffered a knee injury in 1984 and retired to Lake Worth Beach, Florida where he became a successful insurance agent. He died on October 14 at the age of 71.

Dave Morehead

Dave Morehead was an eight-year MLB veteran pitcher who was part of Boston’s “Impossible Dream” team that won a pennant in 1967. He also pitched for the Royals in their first two years of existence.

Morehead was a San Diego native who signed with the Red Sox out of high school, and was in the big leagues by 1963 at the age of 19. He won 10 games with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts that first year, but struggled to match those results the rest of his career. On September 16, 1965, he tossed a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians in front of just 1,247 fans at Fenway Park.

Injuries plagued him after that, but he did pitch in 10 games for the pennant-winning club in 1967, as well as two scoreless relief outings in the World Series. The Royals selected him with the 15th pick in the expansion draft and he started the third game in club history. He struggled that first year, but bounced back to post a solid 3.62 ERA in 121.2 innings as a swingman in 1970. He continued to battle injuries, and the Royals released him the next spring, ending his career.

Morehead returned to San Diego to complete his degree, and he ended up founding Pacific Crest Marketing, a sporting goods representative company. He died on November 24 at the age of 82.

We also lost a number of Kansas City Athletics in 2025. Here are their stories.

Jim Dickson was a reliever who appeared in 109 games over four years, including in 1965-1966 with the Kansas City Athletics. He was originally signed by the Pirates but was selected by the Houston Colt .45’s in the expansion draft for the 1963 season. After a brief stint with the Reds, the A’s selected him in the Rule 5 draft, and he became a valuable reliever, posting a 3.47 ERA in 68 game. It was the fourth-most games pitched in the American League, and it set a record at the time for most appearances by a rookie. He was less effective in 1966, and spent the rest of his career in the minors with the Giants and Astros. He later served as a pitching coach for an Italian baseball team, and coached high school baseball in Oregon for several years. He died on September 9 at the age of 87.

Jim Duckworth was a right-hander who pitched in four MLB seasons, mostly with the Washington Senators, before spending eight games with the A’s in 1966. The Southern California native was signed by the Dodgers, but bounced around to the Reds before the Senators grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft. He was an adequate swingman for the Senators, and they shipped him to the A’s in 1967 for first baseman Ken Harrelson in June. Just five weeks later, the A’s traded him back to the Senators for pitcher Diego Segui. Duckworth retired after the 1967 season and spent 26 years with the California Highway Patrol, serving as statewide director of emergency medical training. Duckworth died on November 11 at the age of 86.

Billy Hunter was an infielder who spent 1957-58 with the Kansas City Athletics, as part of a six-year MLB career. Hunter began in the Dodgers organization, but was blocked by Pee Wee Reese, so they shipped him to the St. Louis Browns for three players. He was an All-Star in his first season in St. Louis, but slumped badly in the second half and ended with an average of .219 with one home run in 154 games. He was the first shortstop in Orioles history when the team moved to Baltimore, and was shipped to the Yankees after the 1954 season in a massive 16-player deal.

Before the 1957 season, the A’s acquired him in a 13-player trade that sent Clete Boyer and Bobby Shantz, among others, to the Yankees. He hit just .191 in 1116 games for the A’s as their second baseman, and in 1958 they traded him to Cleveland for Chico Carrasquel. After his career, Hunter got into coaching and won two titles on Earl Weaver’s Orioles staff in 1966 and 1970. He took over as manager of the Texas Rangers midway through the 1977 season and led them to 86 wins in 1978. He left MLB to become head coach and athletic director at Towson State University until he retired in 1995. He was the last living member of the St. Louis Browns, and he was a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame. Hunter died on July 3 at the age of 97.

Tommy Reynolds was an outfielder who spent eight years in the big leagues, including his first three in Kansas City. He grew up in San Diego and drew the attention of scouts as an infielder in the U.S. Army overseas in Germany, signing with the Kansas City Athletics. He won the batting title in his first pro season in A ball at Burlington and was called up to A’s that September. By 1965 he was the starting left fielder, but struggled to hit, batting .237/.327/.311 with just one home run in 90 games. The A’s lost him to the Mets in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, but he returned to the A’s in 1969, although now they were in Oakland.

He spent a few seasons with the Angels and Brewers, ending his career after six consecutive minor league seasons with the Brewers. He went into managing and was one of the few African-American managers in the minors in the 1980s. He joined the A’s Major League coaching staff in the late 80s, and was on the staff that won three consecutive pennants and a title in 1989. He followed manager Tony LaRussa to St. Louis and served as a Cardinals coach until 1996. He died on March 19 at the age of 83.

Diego Segui enjoyed a 15-year career as a pitcher, winning 92 games and an ERA title. He pitched for both Seattle franchises, and had two separate stints with the A’s, both in Kansas City and in Oakland. He signed with the Reds out of Cuba, but was purchased by Kansas City and made his MLB debut with them in 1962. He became a reliable starter for the A’s, winning 30 games over four years, but leading the league in losses with 17 in 1964. The Senators purchased him before the 1966 season, but traded him back to the A’s for Jim Duckworth that summer, and he served as a useful reliever.

The Seattle Pilots drafted him in the 1968 expansion draft, and he led the team with 66 games pitched. He was traded back to the A’s the next year, and he led the AL with a 2.56 ERA as a swingman, making 19 starts. He bounced around to the Cardinals, pitched in the 1975 World Series as a reliever with the Red Sox, before pitching for the Mariners in 1977. He then pitched in the Mexican League until age 46. Segui lived in Kansas City, Kansas, where he raised his son David, a 15-year big league first baseman. He died on June 24 at his home in Kansas City at the age of 87.