Kansas City Royals 2026 Defensive Players Of The Year: Witt Jr. Shined Again, Massey Took Elite Leap

The Kansas City Royals’ 2026 season was marked by bright spots and shadows on defense. Although the Royals once again had outstanding players such as two-time Gold Glove winner and Platinum Glove winner shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., his double-play partner, second baseman Michael Massey, and Gold Glove winner at third base Maikel Garcia — who missed a large part of the season — as well as center fielder Kyle Isbel, the team also suffered a dangerous defensive decline in the outfield and had problems at catcher.

After Freddy Fermin’s departure to the San Diego Padres, the Royals’ catching took a step backward. Salvador Perez has recorded negative results in two consecutive seasons and now has accumulated -9 Fielding Run Value since 2024. Carter Jensen was an undeniable offensive force and quickly became a key hitter, but defensively, he is still far from offering the guarantees Kansas City needs. Even so, Jensen finished with -1 FRV and recorded positive framing results with +3, well above Salvy, who ended the year with -8. One point in the veteran's favor is that his experience and arm strength still have an undeniable impact on the game, and Jensen was not far behind in that regard either. However, both had difficulty blocking pitches, and, regarding ABS decisions, Jensen finished with -3.

The Royals also had problems in the outfield, where center fielder Isbel (+4 FRV) was the only player who contributed positive defensive value during the year, despite his arm limitations. Isaac Collins took a step back in the range he had shown with the Brewers in 2025, while Jac Caglianone had a great offensive year and has arm strength that ranks among the best in the league, but finished with -9 FRV and -9 Range — counting his appearances at first base and in right field — the worst defensive performance among all Royals starters in 2026.

That said, this is my defensive top three for the 2026 Royals.

#3: Kyle Isbel, CF

It was not Isbel’s best defensive season, especially if we take into account that last year he reached his best level, with +10 FRV in 1,032 innings. His range also reached another level, with +11 Range, a figure he had already reached in 2022, although he played fewer innings that year (656). Isbel finished 12th in the league with +7 OAA, and his ability to reach fly balls was not in question, but his arm strength continued to decline, and that should be a warning sign for the Royals. Isbel recorded the fourth-lowest average throwing velocity, at just 81.2 mph, well below the league average of 89.6 mph in 2026.

Nick Loftin also deserves recognition, as he is among the Gold Glove finalists as a third baseman. His defense took a positive step forward, and he finished 2026 with +5 FRV over 582 innings in Garcia’s absence.

#2: Michael Massey, 2B

Massey is among this season’s Gold Glove finalists, and it is no wonder: he put together the best defensive season of his career, with +8 FRV in 994 innings at second base, his personal record, although he also played 20 innings in left field and two at third base. Between 2023 and 2025, Massey accumulated +8 FRV, so in this 2026 season he matched all the defensive value he had added during those three years.

However, there was a negative aspect worth exploring further later on: Massey went from +2 Infield DP to -1 this season. Given that his role alongside Witt Jr. is key in double plays around second base, Massey will have to work to prevent this decline from becoming a problem. This not only includes plays in which he has the opportunity to complete a double play after receiving the throw, but also those in which he starts the play and fails to complete it. In that process, among other factors, throws to second base are involved, which can originate from different positions and not only on double-play plays with forced runners.

#1: Bobby Witt Jr., SS

Well, I think this is too predictable: there is no debate. Witt Jr. is once again a strong Gold Glove candidate and led not only the Royals, but all of baseball, with +24 OAA for the second consecutive year. In addition, he finished tied with Masyn Winn of the St. Louis Cardinals, with +17 FRV. Witt Jr. and Winn have been the leading shortstops in advanced metrics every year since 2024, but the wizard Witt Jr. has accumulated 48 FRV over that span, ahead of Winn’s 40.

Now, do you remember Massey’s problems? Yes, the decline in his ability to complete double plays. That has also been a difference between Winn (+3) and Witt Jr. (-1), who finished with a negative mark in that metric for the first time.

So far, Baseball Savant does not offer more statistics that allow us to delve deeper into what the problem might be for both Massey and Witt Jr. However, on every play with the possibility of a double play, it is analyzed who starts the play and who makes the pivot to complete it. Therefore, the decline by both could be related to their performance in one of those two roles.

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