Wilmington, DE -- With all due respect to Andy Williams and his timeless holiday classic, for baseball fans this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. The MLB playoffs have arrived, and for the second consecutive October, the Kansas City Royals are part of the festivities. Thanks to the Wilmington Blue Rocks' long relationship with Kansas City -- Wilmington has been a Royals' affiliate for 21 of their 23 seasons of modern existence -- there will be no shortage of former Blue Crewers in the thick of the fire this postseason.

The Royals, who open play in the best-of-five ALDS on Thursday, have announced their playoff roster and it includes 10 players who at one point donned a Blue Rocks uniform. So as fans sit down to watch Kansas City go after baseball's most prestigious crown, it seemed like a good idea to look back at how the potential heroes of this October fared back when they called Frawley Stadium home.

Christian Colon: Colon arrived in Kansas City on July 1 of last season, and spent most of this year with the big club as well. He batted .290 in 43 games with the Royals. Colon made his professional debut with the Rocks in 2010. The Royals' first-round pick that June (No. 4 overall) made the jump straight from Cal State Fullerton to Advanced-A. In 60 games with Wilmington, Colon batted a solid .278, posted a .326 on-base percentage and added 17 extra-base knocks.

Danny Duffy: Duffy was transitioned to the bullpen late this season where he has excelled, allowing no runs in 8.1 frames as a reliever. The southpaw actually spent two stints with Wilmington, going 9-3 with a 2.98 ERA, 125 strikeouts and only 41 walks in 2009. Then, after a brief half-season retirement from pro ball, Duffy returned in 2010 and allowed just four runs in 14 innings on his way to Double-A. 

Jarrod Dyson: The outfielder did a little bit of everything this season to aid Ned Yost's club. He played 90 games with Kansas City, roping 18 extra-base hits and swiping 26 bags in 29 tries. He also made two tours of duty through Wilmington. In 2008 Dyson batted .260 and stole 39 bases in 93 games for the Rocks. Two years later he returned to Frawley Stadium on his way back from an extended stay on the disabled list and hit .327 with eight extra-base hits and nine RBIs in only 12 games. 

Terrance Gore: Gore is back for an encore after his meteoric rise in 2014 when he went from Advanced-A to the majors in the course of one season. The speed demon who has become Kansas City's pinch runner extraordinaire during September and October, spent the first four months of the 2014 campaign in Wilmington. Gore struggled at the plate, batting .218 in 89 games with the Rocks. What he did well was run and play defense, however. There was seemingly no ball he couldn't track down in left field and every single time he got on base Gore became a monumental distraction for opposing pitchers. The 5-foot-7-inch 24-year-old swiped 36 bags in only 40 tries. This season he batted .284 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In 11 Big League stolen base attempts, Gore has never been caught.

Kelvin Herrera: An important part of Kansas City's deep bullpen, Herrera posted an ERA of just 2.71 in 2015. With the injury to closer Greg Holland, Herrera's role in the bullpen has grown in importance. His stint in Wilmington was not long, but it was mighty effective. He posted an ERA of just 0.61, struck out 12 and walked only two in 14.2 frames as a Blue Rock in 2011.

Eric Hosmer: The first baseman finished one of his best all-around regular seasons as a pro. He batted .297 with 18 homers, 33 doubles, 97 RBIs and a .363 OBP. Hosmer won a batting crown with Wilmington in 2010. He debuted with the Rocks as a 19-year-old the previous season, but struggled -- barely cracking the Mendoza line in two months at Frawley Stadium. In his encore as a Rock, Hosmer exploded for 42 extra-base hits in only 87 games before being promoted to Double-A.

Mike Moustakas: After getting demoted to Triple-A for a stretch last season, everything clicked for Moustakas late last year. He carried that momentum into this season and strung together his best season in the majors. The third baseman batted .284 and slugged 22 homers. Moustakas became the first Blue Rock to hit 16 dingers in a single season in more than a decade when he did it in 2009.

Paulo Orlando: Orlando made his Major League debut this season and batted .249 with seven homers and 27 total extra-base hits. He spent three seasons in the Carolina League and two years as a Blue Rock. Orlando began his career in the White Sox organization and played for Winston-Salem in 2007 and 2008. He was traded to the Royals late in the '08 campaign and finished the season with Wilmington. He spent the entire next campaign on the Riverfront, batting .261 with 25 extra-base hits in 101 games.

Salvador Perez: Perez made his third American League All-Star team this season and his second consecutive start in the mid-summer classic. The catcher batted .260 with 21 homers, 25 doubles and 70 RBIs. It's hard to believe he split time behind the plate during his tenure with the Rocks. Perez alternated with top prospect Wil Myers in 2010, batting .290 with seven homers and 53 RBIs in 99 games with Wilmington.

Yordano Ventura: It was an up-and-down season for the flame-thrower, who was sent down to the minors in midseason, but has rebounded to earn a start in Game One of the ALDS against Houston. Ventura finished the campaign 13-8 with a 4.04 ERA. The right-hander posted a 3.30 ERA and fanned 98 in 76.1 frames as a Blue Rock in 2012. Ventura dropped five of his eight decisions, but had only a .229 batting average against before being promoted in early July.

The Blue Rocks, who drew 282,437 fans to Frawley Stadium in 2015 and averaged more than 4,100 patrons per game, will release game times and ticket information for the 2016 campaign later in the offseason. Fans should call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com for more information.

www.bluerocks.com