In addition to being Groundhog Day, February 2 is also the birthday of C.J., one of the more prolific contributors here at CWAMB. In observance of this event (and because he reminded everyone of it in his last article), and in keeping with my borderline neurotic obsession with middle infielders of the 1980s, I feel it is also my duty to re-educate the general sports public with the career of former shortstop Roland Americo “Buddy” Biancalana, born February 2, 1960.
“Hey kids! I’m only the second biggest whore today! Happy Birthday, Buddy!” (image courtesy of groundhogcrossing.com)
Biancalana broke into the majors in 1982, but didn’t stick around for any real length of time until 1984. Standing 5′11″ and checking in at 160 pounds, he wasn’t much of a hitter, as his .205 career batting average and six home runs will attest to. He only had eight career steals, so he didn’t make The Show because of his speed. Frankly, he wasn’t much of a fielder, either… Buddy’s career fielding percentage was .945, at a time when the league’s shortstops’ percentage was twenty points higher. In fairness, he was a fairly adequate second baseman, in limited duty there.
Buddy was a switch-hitter. Of course, one can argue that it really didn’t matter which side of the plate he was batting from.
Obviously, Buddy was able to play the “underdog” card, but the people of Kansas City still love him because of what I like to call The Jim Leyritz Rule. He was in the right place at the right time. Taking over for a slumping Onix Concepcion, Buddy was the starting shortstop during the 1985 postseason, during which the Royals knocked off the favored Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, and defeated their heavily-favored cross-state rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. It’s the only World Series title Kansas City has ever won, and it’s still celebrated to this day. While Buddy’s .250 (9 for 36, combined) postseason batting average and three RBIs might not be considered a huge run for most, when you consider that he had hit .188 with six RBIs in 183 at-bats during the regular season it’s pretty Herculean. He knocked in the game-winning RBIs in Game 6 of the ALCS and Game 5 of the World Series. Buddy would actually have his best season in 1986, batting .242 with two homers and eight RBI in 190 at-bats, but the Royals Dynasty was not meant to be. After the 1987 season (which concluded with a dismal 1-for-24 run with the Houston Astros) and a failed attempt to catch on with the Atlanta Braves the following spring, Buddy hung up the cleats.