Sep 26, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (11) congratulates second baseman Jonathan India (6) after hitting a three run home run during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Royals Breakout Star Primed for Another Dominant Season

Originally posted on Kansas City Royals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Feb 5, 2026 7:18 PM ET

The Kansas City Royals have a very talented up and coming roster centered around superstar Bobby Witt Jr. and a dominant pitching staff.

The Royals need to take a big step forward this season if they want to get back to the postseason in 2026. They have quite a bit of talent on the roster outside of Witt, too. Playing alongside Witt has caused the rest of the league to overlook Kansas City's other stars.

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Just Baseball's Eric Treuden recently listed Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia as the seventh best third baseman in baseball and shared some high praise for the breakout star.

Maikel Garcia is primed for another dominant season

"Maikel Garcia had one heck of a breakout in 2025, setting new career-highs in basically every single category you can think of outside of stolen bases," Treuden wrote. "The 25-year-old earned a long-term deal with the Royals in December after making the All-Star Game, earning a Gold Glove, and finishing 14th in AL MVP voting.

"Garcia is a threat to leave the yard anywhere between 15 and 20 times a year, steal 20-30 bases a year, and play some of the best defensive third base we’ll see around the league. This is a player who has the potential to shoot up these rankings come this time next year, but it’ll be immensely helpful for him to repeat his 2025 performance in ’26, that way we’ll have more than just one year of sample size to go off of."

Garcia is one of the more underrated infielders in the league because he wasn't a dominant player until last season. But Garcia was so impressive last season that he will likely be well known by the end of the year.

The young infielder posted an .800 OPS with 39 doubles for the Royals, but his best trait is his defense. He brought home the Gold Glove award in the American League playing alongside Witt. This duo forms the best defensive pair in the league.

Garcia is primed for another big step forward this year. He could see his OPS climb higher into the .800s while his defense stays at the top of the league.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Royals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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