Throughout the Royals-A’s game Tuesday night I kept tweeting predictions about Raul Ibanez ending the Wild Card Game with a walk-off homer, mostly because that was the only thing I could think of to make that insane game even crazier.
He won’t get that chance in the ALDS, as the Royals decided to leave the 42-year-old off the roster for their series against the Angels, for whom he played this season before joining Kansas City.
Based on his horrible performance in the regular season it’s not a surprise, but the Royals signed him after Ibanez hit .157 for the Angels and then played him while he hit .188 for them. Overall he batted .167 with five homers and a .549 OPS in 90 games, looking totally washed up after hitting 29 homers for the Mariners in 2013.
Taking his place is left-handed reliever Tim Collins, who was a fixture in the Royals’ bullpen from 2011-2013 before spending much of this season demoted to Triple-A.
