In the spirit of fun and via the lens of the latest power rankings from SB Nation's main baseball page, Kansas City Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur has been named Most Annoying Player for, well, what amounts to several reasons. SB Nation's Grant Brisbee writes:
He annoys scouts who think he should use his tools better. He annoys stat-heads who can’t believe he continues to start. He annoys his team usually because he doesn’t perform well, and every once in a while, he’ll have a good stretch that makes everyone wonder if they had him pegged right after all. Like now. Maybe he’s really good after all. That’s annoying.
As for the Royals, they are currently ranked No. 21 overall in the MLB power poll, a rather low placement for a .500 team with more promise than several others. Perhaps that's still a sign of the general malaise in perception concerning the organization, but the promise of call-ups like Eric Hosmer and Danny Duffy as well as the resurgence of a player like Francouer aren't exactly well-kept secrets. Still, the Royals trail the Atlanta Braves at No. 20 and sit above the Texas Rangers at No. 22.
As for Francoeur being the most annoying, I'd contend that honor belongs to any and all Kansas City starting shortstops for the last 15 years. The Royals are the only American League team with a consistent National League line-up, and that's rather annoying after enough time.