{"id":2246654,"date":"2026-01-23T05:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2246654"},"modified":"2026-01-23T05:01:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T05:01:14","slug":"four-royals-listed-on-mlbs-top-100-list-going-into-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/four-royals-listed-on-mlbs-top-100-list-going-into-2026-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Royals listed on MLB\u2019s Top 100 list going into 2026 season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 Major League Baseball wrapped up its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/top-100-mlb-players-for-2026-by-mlb-network\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Top 100 Players Right Now;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Top 100 Players Right Now<\/strong><\/a> list on Thursday evening, after a weeks-long process of analyzing where each player is at entering the 2026 season.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/former-royals-carlos-beltr-n-001110187.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Former Royals OF Carlos Beltr\u00e1n elected into Baseball Hall of Fame;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\"> Former Royals OF Carlos Beltr\u00e1n elected into Baseball Hall of Fame <\/a><\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s a look at each Royals selection to the MLB Top 100 Right Now list, and why they\u2019re ranked where they are.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">SS Bobby Witt Jr. \u2013 #3<\/h2>\n<p>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\u2019d be a huge surprise if this is his last time near the top of the list.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2013 New York Yankees slugging outfielder Aaron Judge (#2) and two-way phenom with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani (#1).<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>He did that by hitting just shy of .300 with 23 home runs, 88 RBI and swiping 38 bags. That\u2019s in addition to his seemingly unreal defense as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/kansas-city-royals-making-outfield-164216296.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kansas City Royals making wall shorter, closer through most of outfield;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\"> Kansas City Royals making wall shorter, closer through most of outfield <\/a><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">3B Maikel Garcia \u2013 #65<\/h2>\n<p>Maikel Garcia\u2019s breakout year for the Royals found him not only <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/kansas-city-royals-lock-down-211723730.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:a major extension with the team;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\"><strong>a major extension with the team<\/strong><\/a>, but also his first selection to the MLB Top 100 list.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s really only shown his prowess over the course of an entire season one time, though, the 65 spot suits the 25-year-old Venezuelan.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019 3B Jose Ramirez.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">LHP Cole Ragans \u2013 #89<\/h2>\n<p>Sliding down the list is the Royals\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s one of the best starting pitchers in the American League.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/fox4kc.com\/politics\/missouri-capitol-bureau\/royals-stadium-plan-uncertain-as-talks-hit-a-standstill\/?ipid=promo-link-block3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Royals\u2019 stadium plan uncertain as talks hit a standstill;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\"> Royals\u2019 stadium plan uncertain as talks hit a standstill <\/a><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>What the list is predicting, and Royals fans are counting on, however, is that Ragans returns to health and prominence in 2026. He\u2019s a strike-thrower with very highly graded metrics on many of his pitches.<\/p>\n<p>If Ragans can come out in 2026 as the pitcher he was in 2024, he\u2019ll likely lead another solid rotation for Kansas City. Alas, he must prove he can stay healthy.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">1B Vinnie Pasquantino \u2013 #93<\/h2>\n<p>Another Royal making his first appearance on the MLB Top 100 list is the fan-favorite Vinnie Pasquantino.<\/p>\n<p>Pasquantino earns his first nod to the list after his first fully-healthy season\u2013 going into 2025, he\u2019d never played in more than 131 games. Pasquantino stayed healthy in 2025, though, playing in 160 games and proving why that\u2019s valuable to his club.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/kansas-city-royals-salvador-perez-191754823.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez receives MLK, Jr. Diversity Advocate Award;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\"> Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez receives MLK, Jr. Diversity Advocate Award <\/a><\/p>\n<p>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\u2013 that he\u2019s capable of being a prominent part of the middle of the Royals\u2019 lineup.<\/p>\n<p>Much like Garcia, if Pasquantino can replicate or improve upon his previous performance for another full year, he\u2019ll only strengthen his case for being higher on this list.<\/p>\n<p><i>Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fox4kc.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sports.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2246655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[388826,350142,91466,313221,311239,366847,43627,313842,311159,311236,350141,379335,22091,434971,102808,351769],"class_list":["post-2246654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-2026-season","tag-aaron-judge","tag-bobby-witt-jr","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-cole-ragans","tag-jose-ramirez","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-maikel-garcia","tag-major-league-baseball","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-shohei-ohtani","tag-the-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-the-royals","tag-top-of-the-list","tag-vinnie-pasquantino","tag-witt-jr"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Four-Royals-listed-on-MLBs-Top-100-list-going-into.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2246654"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2246656,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246654\/revisions\/2246656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2246655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2246654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2246654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2246654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}