The 10 Most Frustrating Current Players in Kansas City Sports

Every year, new players arrive in cities all over America in hopes that they will one day find success in their sport and with their new team.

Unfortunately sometimes plans don't go as they were expected, leaving many fans wondering what could have been.

In this special feature, I examine the 10 most frustrating current players in Kansas City sports as of today.

Tyson Jackson

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 20: Tyson Jackson #94 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during the game against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium on September 20, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Chiefs used their first-round pick in the '09 draft to select Jackson with hopes that he would become the solid five-technique that they envisioned he would become in the NFL.

We are now going into his third season in the league and Jackson has still yet to establish himself at his position to this point.

The former LSU star has shown signs of life but for the most part, Jackson hasn't occupied blockers in the same way that the Chiefs' brass thought he would.

KC is still holding out hope on Jackson, but he will likely never live up to his billing of being the number three overall draft pick.

Luke Hochevar

Rob Carr/Getty Images

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 25: Starting pitcher Luke Hochevar #44 of the Kansas City Royals reacts on the mound after giving up a run to the Baltimore Orioles during the fourth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 25, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Phot

Hochevar is already being considered as one of the biggest draft busts in Royals history.

The former number one overall pick in the '06 MLB Draft is 22-38 with a 5.53 ERA in five seasons with the team.

This is a far cry from what you would normally expect out of a guy who was drafted to be one of the future cornerstones of your franchise.

What makes him even more frustrating is the fact that he was promoted to be the team's ace before the season started, largely by default, and he hasn't even pitched like a solid number four pitcher in a starting rotation.

Chris Chambers

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 28: Wide receiver Chris Chambers #84 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on November 28, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Chambers was picked up by the Chiefs during the '09 season after the Chargers decided to release the veteran wideout.

In his nine games with KC that season, Chambers dominated, hauling in 36 passes for 608 yards and four touchdowns.

Then came the 2010 season and Chambers fell completely off the radar.

He finished the year with just 22 catches for 213 yards and one TD, prompting Chiefs' management to select talented WR prospect Jonathan Baldwin in the first-round of this year's draft.

Billy Butler

Leon Halip/Getty Images

DETROIT, MI - MAY 14: Billy Butler #16 of the Kansas City Royals doubles to deep left center field during the fourth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 14, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Royals 3-0.

Sure, Billy Butler is a great hitter, as he has proven this with his career .298 batting average.

However, hitting is not the reason that Billy is on this list.

Butler has two glaring weaknesses: he has way below average speed which causes him to ground into many double plays, and his power still hasn't come around.

Right now, Butler is on pace to hit 11 homers for the season, a stat that will make all Royals fans cringe when they realize that this is coming from the team's full-time DH.

Brodie Croyle

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 12: Quarterback Brodie Croyle #12 of the Kansas City Chiefs throws a pass against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on December 12, 2010 in San Diego, California. The Chargers won 31-0. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Croyle is statistically one of the worst Chiefs QBs of all-time considering he hasn't won a single game in his 10 career starts behind center.

Brodie is one of the most frustrating QBs I have ever watched, as he has some talent and ability, but has never really been able to put it all together on the field.

Former coach Herm Edwards used to praise him all the time, trying to convince the Chiefs fanbase that Croyle would be the permanent answer at QB for the team's future.

As of today, Croyle is still sitting on the Chiefs bench, behind Pro Bowl QB Matt Cassel, with his future as an NFL starting quarterback slowly starting to fade away.

Alcides Escobar

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 29: Alcides Escobar #2 of the Kansas City Royals at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 29, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Alcides Escobar is an amazing defensive short-stop, as he has already made several jaw-dropping plays this season.

However, it's his offense that got him on this list.

Escobar is currently hitting a minuscule .207 at the plate, and has an even worse OPS of .481 for the young season.

He is still young at just 24-years-old, but if he doesn't start getting his bat going, he will be that much more frustrating to watch at the plate in the future.

Rudy Niswanger

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

KANSAS CITY - OCTOBER 19: Rudy Niswanger #64 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks on the field during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium on October 19, 2008 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Niswanger was signed as undrafted free agent by the Chiefs back in 2006, in hopes that the team could groom him as their new center of the future.

Unfortunately for Niswanger and the Chiefs, this has never materialized.

Rudy hit an all-time low last season when he was beat out by 37-year-old veteran Casey Wiegmann for the starting center position.

He had several opportunities to take over as the Chiefs center, but he never has, and likely never will.

Joakim Soria

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 10: Joakim Soria #48 of the Kansas City Royals throws a ninth inning pitch while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 10, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. Kansas City won the game 9-5. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The one-time dominant closer has suddenly turned into one of the worst closers in baseball over the past few weeks.

He has already blown five saves this season and has not had very good command of his pitches so far.

This is simply unheard of for a closer the caliber of Soria, who had saved over 91% of his career opportunities heading into this season.

Some say that this is just a phase that closers go through from time to time, which could be true, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating for a team that has already had it's fair share of problems with pitching in 2011.

Barry Richarson

Handout/Getty Images

KANSAS CITY, MI - CIRCA 2010: In this handout image provided by the NFL, Barry Richardson of the Kansas City Chiefs poses for his 2010 NFL headshot circa 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)

Richardson was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2008 Draft by the Chiefs in order to help improve a glaring weakness on the right side of the team's offensive line.

The Clemson product had three seasons to lock up the right tackle position and finally became the team's starter at that position last season.

Although he was able to start and play in all 16 games in 2010, it was clear that he was the weakest part of the Chiefs' line.

The overall opinion of Richardson only got worse when he decided to throw an in-game fit late in the season where he pushed special teams coach Steve Hoffman.

Mike Aviles

Rob Carr/Getty Images

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 26: Mike Aviles #13 of the Kansas City Royals in action against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 26, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Aviles was the talk of the town after his '08 rookie season when he hit .325 with 10 homers and 51 RBI in just 102 games with the Royals.

Many close to the Royals organization believed that this was just the beginning of what would be a solid career for the former Concordia College star.

Looking back now, his first season in the majors has been his best, and he has struggled in all areas of his game this season, as he is hitting just .222 and already has committed a whopping seven errors on defense.

Aviles appears to be just another Royal in a long line of players that have peaked too early in the major leagues.