The Man Who Always Smiles: The Story Of Joe Randa

Every baseball fan has played or at least heard of the video game “MLB The Show.” It is not only the best baseball game out there but also one of the most popular sports video games on the market. When you fire up the single-player game mode “Road to The Show,” you are met with a character creation screen. Most sports games would have the name listed as First Name Last Name or something along those lines. However, MLB The Show’s name box reads Joe Random. Now, I may not be correct here, but I have a feeling that the name was partially inspired by Royals' fan-favorite Joe Randa.  

For those who don’t know, Joe Randa was an infielder who carved out an underrated 12-year career in the bigs, with eight of those seasons coming with the Royals. Randa was born on December 18, 1969, in Milwaukee and grew up 30 minutes west of the city of Wales, Wisconsin. Randa grew up playing lots of sports and was especially good at tennis and baseball. He would go to Kettle Moraine High School and lead the team to a state title in his senior year. He would then attend Broward Community College, where he was recruited by a young coach named Allard Baird, who would later become the Royals' general manager. When Baird left, Randa transferred to Indian River State College in Florida and would eventually get drafted by the California Angels in the 30th round of the 1989 draft. He didn’t sign and eventually transferred to the University of Tennessee.  After hitting .342 with 10 home runs for the Volunteers, the Royals drafted him in the 11th round of the 1991 draft.  

From there, Randa would tear through the minors, hitting .338 with 11 home runs in 72 games for the Eugene Emeralds, earning Northwest League MVP. He wouldn’t put the power numbers as he did in Eugene, but he would still hit for a high average, which would help him move up the ranks. He would’ve reached the majors sooner if it weren’t for Gary Gaetti blocking his way. However, he would finally get his shot in 1995.  

He struggled at first, but Joe would find his footing, finishing 1996 with a .303 average. However, the Royals would trade him and three Jeffs (Martin, Granger, and Wallace) to the Pirates, Jay Bell, and another Jeff (King this time). Randa put up impressive numbers during his brief time in Pittsburgh, hitting .302/.366/.451 with a Baseball-Reference WAR of 3.5. However, he committed 21 errors at third base, so the Pirates decided to move on from him. Randa would be flipped to the Tigers, where he would underperform and be traded to the Mets. The Mets already had All-Star Robin Ventura at third, so the team gave Joe a choice: go back to Pittsburgh or go to Kansas City. He chose the Royals.  

Joe would be given the third base job upon his arrival back, and he would thrive in his second stint with the Royals. He would start slowly, but after working with George Brett, he never looked back. That season, from June to July of the 1999 season, Randa had a monster triple slash of .404/.441/.644 in 51 games. He would finish the year hitting .314, and his 197 hits were sixth best in the American League. His tendency to smile during at-bats gave him the nickname "The Joker,” and he would give Royals fans a reason to grin in 2000.  

Randa would lead one of the best offenses the Royals have ever produced. The Royals scored the most runs in franchise history (729) in 2000, with Randa driving in 106 of them, along with a .304/.343/.438 triple slash. He would sign a one-year deal with the Royals and then would be extended for two more years at a below-market price of $8.5 million. He didn’t mind as he insisted on spending the rest of his career in Kansas City. Randa would regress the following year, with injuries being the leading cause of the decline. He would bounce back in 2002; however, trade rumors would start to swirl as the Royals were having a down year and wanted to move Joe to a contender. Joe would veto these trades using his no-trade clause as he wanted to stay in Kansas City. The Royals would oblige and reap the benefits of keeping him as he put up a .291/.348/.452 with 16 home runs, 72 RBIs, and set a franchise record with 75 games in a row without an error.  

Joe would stick around for one more year, where he put up great numbers for a team that lost 104 games. He would end his tenure with the Royals in the 2005 offseason, when the team declined his option, and he would sign a one-year deal with the Reds. He would be traded to the Padres that summer for their pennant run, marking the only time Randa would play in the postseason. He’d play one more year with Pittsburgh before retiring in 2006. He would finish with 1,543 career hits, 123 home runs, and a career batting average of .284. Randa works with the Royals as a minor league special assistant.  

From 1999-2004, Joe Randa would hit .289/.341/.431 and was a dependable player for the Royals during those frustrating years. Even with the team doing badly, having Randa in the lineup made Royals fans breathe a little easier. He was a reliable player, someone who deserves more flowers and recognition for how good he really was. However, maybe the recognition lies in the many “MLB The Show” players who don’t change the name from Joe Random. It may not be much, but maybe it’s enough to know that, on computer and television screens across the country, a little piece of him steps up to the plate every day.