Four Royals listed on MLB’s Top 100 list going into 2026 season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Major League Baseball wrapped up its Top 100 Players Right Now list on Thursday evening, after a weeks-long process of analyzing where each player is at entering the 2026 season.

A few Kansas City Royals grace the list, headlined by superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who made the list in the previous two seasons as well.

Former Royals OF Carlos Beltrán elected into Baseball Hall of Fame

While Witt Jr. remains near the top of the list, some other Royals saw the Top 100 list for the first time entering the 2026 season. Here’s a look at each Royals selection to the MLB Top 100 Right Now list, and why they’re ranked where they are.

SS Bobby Witt Jr. – #3

It goes without saying that Bobby Witt Jr. is both the present and future of the Kansas City Royals. As a true five-tool player, it’d be a huge surprise if this is his last time near the top of the list.

Witt Jr. ranks number three on the list this offseason, a mark he also achieved last year. Once again, only two players stand above him on the list– New York Yankees slugging outfielder Aaron Judge (#2) and two-way phenom with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani (#1).

Like last year as well, Witt Jr. led the majors in base hits with 184, hit more doubles than any player with 47, won another Gold Glove, another Silver Slugger and finished in the top-five of American League MVP voting.

He did that by hitting just shy of .300 with 23 home runs, 88 RBI and swiping 38 bags. That’s in addition to his seemingly unreal defense as well.

Kansas City Royals making wall shorter, closer through most of outfield

There’s not much to say here; for good reason, most fans have come to expect excellent play as Witt Jr. continues to build his legacy as one of the great shortstops in the majors.

3B Maikel Garcia – #65

Maikel Garcia’s breakout year for the Royals found him not only a major extension with the team, but also his first selection to the MLB Top 100 list.

At number 65, an argument could be made that another solid season in the hot corner will move Garcia up even closer to his infield comrade Witt Jr. on the list. Since he’s really only shown his prowess over the course of an entire season one time, though, the 65 spot suits the 25-year-old Venezuelan.

The season mentioned above saw Garcia tally up 16 home runs and 74 RBI while batting .286. Like Witt Jr., Garcia maintained a high-level defensive rating throughout the season as well. All in all, Garcia racked up nearly six wins above replacement (WAR) at third base, second at the position in MLB, just behind Cleveland Guardians’ 3B Jose Ramirez.

LHP Cole Ragans – #89

Sliding down the list is the Royals’ ace Cole Ragans. Ragans dealt with injuries during the majority of the season, causing him to regress heavily from the 2024 campaign which earned him Cy Young votes in the AL.

However, Royals fans and MLB seem to agree that Ragans deserves to be on the list. The 28-year-old lefty has proven that, if he can stay healthy, he’s one of the best starting pitchers in the American League.

Royals’ stadium plan uncertain as talks hit a standstill

In the 13 games that Ragans could muster through an afflicted 2025 season, he marked a 4.67 earned run average (ERA) with 98 strikeouts and 20 walks.

What the list is predicting, and Royals fans are counting on, however, is that Ragans returns to health and prominence in 2026. He’s a strike-thrower with very highly graded metrics on many of his pitches.

If Ragans can come out in 2026 as the pitcher he was in 2024, he’ll likely lead another solid rotation for Kansas City. Alas, he must prove he can stay healthy.

1B Vinnie Pasquantino – #93

Another Royal making his first appearance on the MLB Top 100 list is the fan-favorite Vinnie Pasquantino.

Pasquantino earns his first nod to the list after his first fully-healthy season– going into 2025, he’d never played in more than 131 games. Pasquantino stayed healthy in 2025, though, playing in 160 games and proving why that’s valuable to his club.

Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez receives MLK, Jr. Diversity Advocate Award

In those 160 games, Pasquantino hit 32 home runs and drove in 113 with an average of .264. The numbers show what Royals fans already knew, but had never truly seen due to injury– that he’s capable of being a prominent part of the middle of the Royals’ lineup.

Much like Garcia, if Pasquantino can replicate or improve upon his previous performance for another full year, he’ll only strengthen his case for being higher on this list.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.

‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’

‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com ’