Andy Stewart played for the Royals during the 1997 season, appearing in 5 games and going 2-8 with a run. Signed as an amateur free agent from Canada, Stewart spent parts of nine seasons in the Royals organization, hitting over .300 with double digit home runs twice. He went on to play for Team Canada at the 2004 Olympics and also coached in the Phillies and Blue Jays organizations. Andy recently joined Dave O for a two hour chat in the FUNNIEST interview Dave’s ever done – literally, you’ll roll on the floor laughing the last hour – to reminisce about the completely randomness in Stewart’s life, discussing how he got signed at a tryout camp, the struggles of being a non-prospect at first, his bizarre “Rudy” like call to the Big Leagues, upsetting Billy and Cal Ripken, wearing #69, the legend of “Sunday Neck” and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Andy Stewart)
Les Norman, Henry Mercedes both wore 69 for us in spring training. Andy came here with the Bluejays as the bullpen catcher multiple times after ’97! Great guy in the clubhouse, from a former clubbie in KC!
Thanks Eric! How can ya not be happy??? You are IN the BIG LEAGUES.
Oh Nice! #69 has had some good company with Les Norman and “Tranka” Mercedes. A couple more former Big Leaguers. 🙂
Ahh Rembert both of those fellows very well…I hated when Les was up his first year. If he got out he’d throw his stuff all over the dugout and I’d have to chase it all down. Jirsh would yell at him to quit fing with the bat boy. Then he found God the next year if I recall correctly and his whole demeanor changed completely. I remember him swallowing his chew making a catch one day…oh god him and Halter freaking hung on both sides of a concrete beam in the clubhouse naked mind you and strattled me. Just shook my head. Nothing good to say about Henery. He had a nice family though. Baby sat his daughter one night. My family loved her and his wife.
I was the Omaha Royals bat boy the whole time he was there. Great guy I remember him being pretty funny and his wife was super nice. A teacher I think? I remember being pumped when he got his call up. Split time with Sal Fasano and Mike Sweeney that season if I recall correctly.