3 Royals players who seem like way-too-early potential candidates for 2027 All-Star Game

The 2026 All-Star festivities have come and gone and now the All-Star focus shifts from Philadelphia to Chicago when the MLB congregates on Wrigley Field in a year’s time. This season in the Kansas City Royals’ lowly state, they didn’t boast as robust of an All-Star contingency as they have in year’s past and even last year in particular.

Bobby Witt Jr. finally got his All-Star starting nod and managed to score one of four American League runs thanks to a first inning walk. It was Michael Wacha that stole the show really for the Royals participants, throwing a scoreless frame in the third inning while striking out a pair.

However, just like the baseball world as a whole, now is the time to look forward to the rest of the season and beyond. As the co-worst team in MLB, the Royals don’t have much to play for and will likely be gearing up for somewhat of a fire sale in the coming weeks ahead of the trade deadline. That being said, it’s always fun to look at the more distant future and make some early predictions for the next Midsummer Classic.

Here are three Royals players that could be on their way to representing them in Chicago next year.

Bobby Witt Jr. has only gotten better for Royals since Year 1

This may sound obvious, but Bobby Witt Jr. seems as much of a lock as any name for next year’s All-Star Game, and pretty well every All-Star Game for the forseeable future. Besides the likes of names such as Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, there aren’t many that carry a higher profile than Witt.

This season, he’s been right in the thick of the MVP race and has a real shot at possibly receiving some vindication for his 2024 runner-up season for the MVP, especially with Aaron Judge having been on the shelf for some time now.

He leads the American League in fWAR at 4.8 and holds a strong .286 AVG, .816 OPS, 123 wRC+, 30 steals and the usual gold-star standard defense that makes him a strong candidate for back-to-back Platinum Gloves.

Not only does he seem like a somewhat a lock to be on the roster next July, but he could very well be on the way to his second consecutive starting nod at shortstop.

Jac Caglianone’s power might carry him to more than just the HR Derby next season

While Jac Caglianone made Royals fans proud with his highlight reel homers in Monday’s Home Run Derby, perhaps his recent arrival at the plate following a slow start to his career in 2025 and 2026 may be setting him on the right track to achieve more next All-Star weekend than just a derby nod.

Caglianone has developed himself into one of the most feared hitters in baseball this season. He sits in the 98th percentile in hard-hit rate, 95th percentile in average exit velocity and 89th percentile in barrel rate. On top of that, his 116.1 max exit velocity sits 12th in all of baseball.

And this season, he’s looked like the next best thing to Bobby Witt Jr. this year in the Royals’ lineup, with 15 homers, a .782 OPS and 114 wRC+. He was already a decently strong candidate to be an injury replacement this season, however with the way he’s played since May 29, sporting an .877 OPS and 139 wRC+, perhaps next season it won’t be left up to chance.

Carter Jensen could be gearing up to become one of AL’s best catchers

Then there’s Carter Jensen, who’s inconsistency may’ve held him back from real All-Star consoderation this season, but his highs this year have certianly looked All-Star worthy.

While he may only hold a near-average 96 wRC+ this season, the last month or so has been epecially strong for the young backstop. From June 2 to July 8, Jensen slashed .311/.359/.566 with six homers, 21 RBI and a 150 wRC+ which included an incredible 20-game hit streak. On top of that, with caught stealing and blocking rates as well as pop times in the 75th percentile or above, his defense is coming along too.

His playing time will only continue to improve as Salvador Perez continues to regress, meaning that perhaps some of the red flags that are holding him back, such as his near 29.2% K-rate, may become less prominent the more comfortable he gets in the majors.

And the more rounded he gets, the more he’ll likely live up to his former top prospect potential and join the likes of Adley Rutschman and Shea Langeliers atop the AL catching pyramid.