Kansas City Royals Hitters of the Year, 2026: Bobby Witt Jr. Leads the Way As Caglianone & Jensen Break Out

When you look at it from a collective standpoint, the Kansas City Royals’ season was a disappointment. They finished with a 69-93 record and last place in the division, after two consecutive seasons above .500. However, within the collective debacle, there were several interesting stories that deserve attention. That’s why I propose looking back in three pieces, in which I’ll present my ranking of the team’s best hitters, pitchers, and fielders during the season.

That said, let’s get to our Top 3, starting with the Royals’ hitters of the year in 2026.

#3: Carter Jensen, C

Season Stats: .239/.323/.467, 27 HR, 81 RBI, 10.8 BB%, 28.3 K%, .228 ISO, .294 BABIP, 116 wRC+, -0.5 BsR, 3.7 fWAR

I liked it when the Royals started using him as their leadoff hitter, but what motivated me most to follow Jensen’s season amid the team’s struggles was the sensation he created with his ability to hit home runs. I confess that, following the Royals, I often gave up, but I was always paying attention to Jensen at a certain time. Yes, I usually did so during one of his first at-bats in each game. And, of course, I kept waiting for his next bomb to open the scoring for Kansas City.

The Royals established a franchise record with nine leadoff home runs, tying for sixth in the major leagues. Jensen hit six of them, the most in a single season in club history and one fewer than Joc Pederson (7), the American League leader.

Jensen’s power was a sensation. He finished the season among the American League rookie leaders: he led the league in doubles (35) and extra-base hits (64), ranked second in RBI (81), and third in home runs (27), slugging (.467), walks (65), and total bases (246). He also ranked fifth in OPS (.790). Now, what surprised me most was a combination that isn’t usually common among power hitters. Jensen finished in the 85th percentile in Barrel%, but combined that ability to generate hard-hit balls with an interesting approach at the plate: he ranked in the 84th percentile in Chase% and the 73rd in BB%.

At 23 years old, that plate discipline and his proven power are two of the main factors that can continue driving Jensen’s growth as a hitter. With his 27 home runs in 149 games, he surpassed Bob Hamelin (24 HR in 1994) to establish the Royals’ rookie home run record. At the same time, his 64 extra-base hits surpassed the 61 recorded by Hall of Famer Mike Piazza during his 1993 Rookie of the Year season, establishing the Major League record for the most extra-base hits by a rookie catcher (minimum of 50% of games played at catcher).

#2: Jac Caglianone, RF

Season Stats: .289/.340/.494, 23 HR, 75 RBI, 6.0 BB%, 26.0 K%, .205 ISO, .361 BABIP, 129 wRC+, 1.1 BsR, 2.6 fWAR

Since we’re talking about Jensen, let’s start by remembering that he joined Caglianone (23 HR) to form the fifth pair of left-handed teammates in Royals history—on the sixth occasion—to hit at least 20 home runs each in a season.

But, in a sense, Caglianone’s story in 2026 was different. His season had its ups and downs: he produced a 74 wRC+ in May, climbed to 184 in June, and fell back to 62 in July. When the first half of the season ended, he was hitting .260/.321/.461, with a .201 ISO, an excellent .335 BABIP, and a 115 wRC+. If you followed Jac for much of that first half, you know he was doing things that aren’t common for someone who was only in the second year of his career. That’s why, heading into the second half, I admit I was a little skeptical. Maybe the same happened to you. I never doubted his talent, but as the season progressed and at-bats accumulated, it’s not so easy to maintain the pace or even surpass it.

Caglianone did it. He crushed it on the mound in the second half of the season, and although the Royals weren’t going anywhere and perhaps many people thought he didn’t have as much pressure competing on a losing team, he showed he was ready to take the next step. He did it by becoming an even more aggressive hitter, something that also surprised. His walk rate dropped from 7.2% to 3.9% after the All-Star break, but he produced a monstrous offensive line of .337/.373/.549, with a .922 OPS and a 153 wRC+ in 204 plate appearances.

His finish to the season was unstoppable. Caglianone hit .411 (39-for-95) with 26 RBI in August and became the third player in franchise history to record a batting average of at least .410 and 25 RBI in the same month (minimum of 90 at-bats). He joined Hall of Famer George Brett (.430, 30 RBI), in August 1980, and Amos Otis (.413, 29 RBI), in September 1978. He also reached base safely in each of his first 17 games in August, including a career-best 13-game hitting streak from August 1-15. During that period, he recorded a .463 OBP, with 10 extra-base hits and 20 RBI.

But that’s not the only reason I believe Caglianone ranked ahead of Jensen. He was also a much more productive hitter, with a 129 wRC+, ran the bases better, and had at-bat quality surpassed only by Witt Jr.

#1: Bobby Witt Jr., SS

Season Stats: .281/.359/.441, 18 HR, 54 RBI, 10.6 BB%, 17.2 K%, .159 ISO, .320 BABIP, 119 wRC+, 9.3 BsR, 7.0 fWAR

Bobby was somewhat below the superstar level he showed in the previous two seasons. His slugging percentage fell below his .500 standard, and he finished with the lowest numbers of his career in home runs (18), RBI (54), and ISO (.159). Even so, he made a difference with his ability to contribute offensively, stay on base —he finished with the best walk rate of his career (10.6%)— and stand out thanks to his skill at running the bases. Even below several of his usual standards, that combination led him to record 7.0 fWAR and remain among the game’s elite.

There’s not much to discuss: Witt Jr. remains one of the most complete players in baseball. He finished second in the major leagues with 7.0 fWAR, trailing only the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong (10.6). In the American League, he finished among the 2026 leaders in stolen bases (second, 45), doubles (tied for sixth, 33), hits (ninth, 157), runs scored (ninth, 94), and batting average (tied for ninth, .281).

As usual, he also stood out for his defensive excellence. He led the American League with +24 Outs Above Average and, since his debut in 2022, his +65 OAA places him tied for fourth in the major leagues among players at all positions.

Do you approve of Royals ownership?

Do you approve of Royals ownership?

• Do you approve of Royals ownership? Required
  

  
• Save

See All Royals Polls >