The Kansas City Royals are a very exciting team to follow this season. Their pitching staff was a bit injured last season, but they’ve gotten healthy and they’re looking to take over the American League Central this year.
They have one of the best players in baseball with Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. He’s primed for another huge season in Kansas City. Witt could slug 40 home runs in any given year if he gets hot enough. They also have slugger Vinnie Pasquantino coming off a career year, too. But this doesn’t even mention the team’s biggest breakout player from last season.
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Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently shared a lot of high praise for Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia and ranked him as the No. 7 best third baseman in the league. Garcia ranks one spot ahead of Atlanta Braves star Austin Riley and one spot behind Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero in Reuter’s rankings.
Maikel Garcia primed for another huge season with Royals
“The biggest riser at the position, García was ranked No. 23 in this article a year ago following a season where his 72 OPS+ ranked dead last among qualified hitters,” Reuter wrote. “There is always significant regression risk when a player takes such a massive step forward seemingly out of nowhere, but a solid uptick in his batted-ball metrics across the board last year makes it easier to buy his performance. His Gold Glove defense also helps provide a high value floor.”
Garcia was solid during his first three seasons in the big leagues, but his OPS+ remained below league-average until last year.
Last season, Garcia burst on the scene in a huge way as he posted a 5.8 WAR with 16 home runs and 39 doubles in 160 games. Garcia ‘s defense, which ranks near the top of the league, is his best trait. Pairing him alongside Witt on the left side of the infield gives the Royals one of the best defensive infields in the league.
Considering how big of a step forward Garcia took from 2024 to 2025, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him take another step forward this year.
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