The Kansas City Monarchs have signed a former Kansas City Royals World Series player, infielder Christian Colon, for the 2021 season.
Colon drove in the tying run for the Royals with a one-out single in the bottom of the 12th inning at the 2014 Wild Card game. He also scored the winning run on Salvador Perez’s two-out single.
Colon also drove in the winning run for the Royals in the 12th inning of Game 5 for the World Championship in 2015.
Colon, 31, played with the Cincinnati Reds in the 2020 season, which was shortened because of COVID-19.
From Cayey, Puerto Rico, Colon was selected by the Royals in the first round of the 2010 first-year player draft out of Cal State-Fullerton. Colon was ranked the Royals’ No. 9 prospect heading into the 2012 season by MLB.com. He made his major league debut on July 1, 2014. Colon also has played for the Miami Marlins.
According to Monarchs Manager Joe Calfapietra, Colon is the teammate everyone sees as a winner. His coaches and teammates have always had a tremendous amount of respect for him as a person and a player. He is very unselfish, cares about people, makes everyone around him better, according to the manager.
“This guy’s been a good player for a long time. He has been on championship teams, including the Royals,” Calfapietra said.
“I look forward to this opportunity,” Colon said. “Kansas City is so special to me and my family – I love the people and the winning culture we have.
“All of you guys know things are changing in baseball and I’ve always played for the love of the game not the money,” Colon said. “ I want an opportunity to prove once again that I have a lot of baseball left. I take pride in what I do, and I know there are a lot of unknowns, but I am going to give it all I have. I look forward to being a part of the community again. Interaction with the kids and the people from Kansas City is a blessing. To be able to share not only my baseball journey and stories but also my personal story. Thank you to Joe and the Kansas City Monarchs organization for this opportunity.”
The Monarchs, formerly the T-Bones, are expected to start the regular season in May, according to the American Association schedule.
The Monarchs will continue play at the same location, now Legends Field, 1800 Village West Parkway. For more information about the Monarchs, visit monarchsbaseball.com.