Royals Fan Favorite Joe Randa's Son Drafted by Nationals
By Sean Facey
The Nationals may have just endeared themselves to their brothers from another mother in KC.
Washington drafted Jake Randa, son of Kansas City Royals fan-favorite Joe Randa, in the 13th round of the MLB Draft, starting his MLB career in style.
Jake is the son of Royals legend Joe Randa! https://t.co/bTKZ2YEUkQ
— Andrew Mearns (@MearnsPSA) June 5, 2019
The elder Randa, also known as "The Joker," spent eight seasons of his 12-year career with the Royals, slashing .288/.340/.428 with 83 home runs and 533 runs batted in. He earned his nickname for the smile that was constantly plastered across his face when he played.
His son, Jake, batted .412 in 50 games as a left fielder for Northwest Florida State, with 13 home runs and 52 runs batted in this past campaign.
Unfortunately, he just barely missed out on bragging rights with his father, who was drafted two rounds before him in the 1991 MLB Draft.
“I just felt really bad.”
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) May 13, 2019
The Padres can set a record for no-hitter deprivation this week. Thirteen years ago, Joe Randa crushed a pinch-hit homer to end Chris Young’s longest bid. Then he apologized, leading to a rare connection amid all the near-misses: https://t.co/AF4ACBMTer
Jake has a quirky legacy to live up to. His father famously ended a no-hit bid by Chris Young with a pinch-hit, two-run home with one out in the top of the ninth inning, which would've been the only such game in Padres history. As such, that team is still waiting.
For all the talk about father-son duos like the Guerreros and the Biggios, the lesser-known duos such as the Randas shouldn't be forgotten.