The baseball season is near its conclusion, as game one of the World Series is in the books. Thankfully, the Toronto Blue Jays made the series enjoyable, blowing out the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in the opening game at the Rogers Centre on Friday night.
Even though the Dodgers and Blue Jays are still playing, I wanted to reflect on the Royals’ 2025 campaign, especially before we enter the true “offseason” after the World Series. Once a World Series champion is crowned, the “hot stove” season officially begins, and most of the focus and attention of Royals fans centers on those transactions that will help build the roster for 2026.
Thus, I wanted to take one last “whole” look at the past season, which was disappointing, but still encouraging, as the Royals finished 82-80, their second winning season since 2015. In this post, I give out seven awards to Royals players and one award to Royals GM JJ Picollo for his best transaction of the season.
Most Valuable Player: Bobby Witt Jr., SS
This one is a no-brainer. Witt led all Royals players, including pitchers, in fWAR with an 8.0 mark. He led all of Major League Baseball in hits for a second-straight season, and he also collected 23 home runs, 38 stolen bases, and posted a 130 wRC+, which led all Royals hitters with 100 or more plate appearances this season.
Witt likely will win a second straight Gold Glove, and could be in the hunt for another Silver Slugger award, as he was nominated this week along with three other Royals hitters.
The strikeouts were a bit up for Witt, as he struck out 18.4% of the time this season. Chasing was an issue, as his 30.7% chase rate ranked in the 30th percentile. Furthermore, pulling the ball proved to be tough at times for Witt in 2025, as evidenced by his 14th percentile pull rate and 43rd percentile Pull Air%.
That said, those are nitpicky items from Witt’s campaign that aren’t worth dwelling on. In addition, it will be interesting to see whether Witt can address those issues with new assistant hitting coaches in 2026. If he can, then it’s not out of the question to think that Witt can earn his first AL MVP award next season, especially since his defense and baserunning are more stellar than ever.
Most Valuable Pitcher: Michael Wacha, RHP
Wacha signed an extension in the offseason to ensure that he would stay in Kansas City for at least a few more seasons. Picollo’s faith in the 33-year-old paid off, as Wacha proved to be the most durable Royals starting pitcher in 2025.
In 172.2 innings of work, Wacha posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 3.66 FIP. He didn’t have a high strikeout rate (17.6%) or an encouraging whiff rate (21.1%). However, he threw strikes frequently, as evidenced by his 53% zone rate. Furthermore, he led all Royals pitchers in innings pitched and fWAR (3.6).
That was much needed, especially with Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic missing significant time on the IL and Seth Lugo dealing with minor injuries and a regression.
Wacha essentially served as the Royals’ No. 1 guy in 2025. Hopefully, a healthy Ragans, Lugo, and Bubic can ease the load off Wacha in 2026, which can help him succeed better as a No. 3 or 4 starter, a role he played more in 2024 when they made the postseason.
Best Bench/Utility Player: Adam Frazier, 2B/UT
Some Royals fans were skeptical when Picollo acquired Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Cam Devanney at the All-Star Break. After all, his stats aren’t eye-popping, and many believed that the Royals would be better served by going with a younger option with team control rather than an older veteran who would be a free agent at the conclusion of 2026.
However, Frazier proved to be one of the Royals’ best and most versatile utility players in 2025, despite only playing 56 games with Kansas City this season.
In 197 plate appearances, Frazier hit .283 with four home runs, 23 RBI, and a .722 OPS. He also posted a 98 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR with the Royals, which were much better than the 82 wRC+ and 0.1 fWAR marks he produced in 235 plate appearances with the Pirates earlier in the year.
Lastly, the 33-year-old veteran helped the Royals produce a 35-30 record after the All-Star break. That .538 winning percentage was much better than the 485 winning percentage before the All-Star Break.
Frazier’s impact on the Royals goes beyond just stats, as he was a key member of the Royals’ 86-76 team in 2024. The utility player isn’t elite defensively at any position. Still, he can play multiple positions in the field, and provides decent enough value with the bat to be worth playing regularly.
The Royals hoped to get a younger, cheaper version of Frazier in Cavan Biggio. Unfortunately, that failed to come to fruition, and Picollo decided to get the real thing at the All-Star Break.
It will be interesting to see if Frazier will be back in Kansas City in 2026, especially considering his impact on the Royals the past two seasons.
Most Valuable Reliever: Carlos Estevez, RHP
Estevez’s advanced metrics are certainly questionable. His chase rate was 23% and his whiff rate was 19%, both alarming. He also allowed a .386 xwOBACON, which isn’t great for a pitcher with poor chase and whiff rates. As a result, his FIP this year was high at 3.67.
And yet, despite those issues, Estevez produced results in his first season as the Royals’ closer.
In 66 innings pitched, the Dominican-born right-hander posted a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and collected 42 saves. The latter led the league and made him the second Royals closer in franchise history to lead the league in saves (Dan Quisenberry was the other).
Some Royals fans questioned Estevez’s acquisition, especially after Lucas Erceg thrived in 2024 after coming over to Kansas City from Oakland at the Trade Deadline. Unfortunately, Erceg was less dominant than a year ago and dealt with lingering injury issues, which made him less effective overall, as illustrated in his TJ Stats metrics.
Hence, if Erceg was the Royals’ closer, the Royals may have been in trouble, especially since they didn’t get much from Hunter Harvey this year (only 10.2 IP due to injury). Maybe Estevez wasn’t the sexiest pitcher by the numbers, but he got the job done time and time again, which is all Royals fans can ask.
Biggest Surprise: Maikel Garcia, 3B/SS
It’s crazy to think that Garcia didn’t start on Opening Day. However, it made sense considering how Garcia’s 2024 campaign went.
In 157 games and 626 plate appearances, the Venezuelan infielder posted an underwhelming 71 wRC+ and 1.2 fWAR. He stole 37 bases, but everything pretty much regressed from 2023. The power was still questionable (seven home runs and a .101 ISO), and he posted a .281 OBP and a 6.7% walk rate, unacceptable marks for a leadoff hitter. Hence, there was some discussion among Royals fans about whether Garcia should be part of the Royals’ long-term plans.
That is a much different story now.
In 666 plate appearances, Garcia posted a 121 wRC+ and 5.6 fWAR. He’s a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Finalist and made his first All-Star team in 2025. He also hit a career-high 16 home runs, stole 23 bases, and posted a career-high .351 OBP. Now, it seems Royals fans are comfortable with Garcia not just being the leadoff hitter again in 2026, but also long-term.
Garcia will likely be a priority for Picollo and the Royals front office this offseason, especially since he and Witt could form a potent offensive and defensive combo on the left side of the infield for seasons to come.
Biggest Disappointment: Jonathan India, 2B/UT
After Garcia’s disappointing 2024, Picollo did what any good GM would do: he searched for ways via the Trade Market to improve the Royals at the top of the batting order.
His solution? Acquire Jonathan India from Cincinnati for pitcher Brady Singer.
The deal made sense at the time. Singer was a No. 4 starter at best at the time, and he likely wouldn’t stay in Kansas City long term. Thus, the Royals decided to trade from an area of strength (pitching) to acquire a professional hitter in India who had won the Rookie of the Year award in Cincinnati.
Unfortunately, India didn’t live up to the hype.
Some of it wasn’t his fault. While Matt Quatraro has done a stellar job as Royals manager since taking over in 2023, his defensive handling of India, which included playing third and left field at the beginning of the year, backfired dramatically. India didn’t look comfortable or even serviceable at either position. While he moved back to second at the end of the year, his lackluster defense carried over throughout the season.
India posted a -6 DRS and -13 OAA overall at third, second, and left field. His -11.8 Def via Fangraphs was the second-worst mark on the Royals roster, ahead of only Vinnie Pasquantino (who had a -16.9 Def). As a result of this poor defense and lackluster baserunning, India produced a -0.3 fWAR in 567 plate appearances.
At the same time, India nosedived on the offensive end in his first season in Kansas City, and that’s concerning. His 89 wRC+, .233 average, and nine home runs were all career lows. His .321 xwOBA was 20 points better than his actual wOBA, but it was still 31 points lower than his xwOBA mark in 2024. The 9.5% walk rate and 0.51 BB/K ratio were nice, but not enough to offset the deficiencies in many other areas.
Thus, his future in Kansas City looks questionable, especially since he doesn’t have a guaranteed contract for 2026.
It’s not out of the question to think that the Royals could non-tender him this offseason, especially if they believe Michael Massey could improve or if they can get something better via trade or free agency this winter.
Best Rookie: Noah Cameron, LHP
Another reason the Royals’ pitching staff thrived despite losing Ragans and Bubic for extended periods was the strong rookie performance of Cameron, a native of St. Joseph, Missouri.
In 138.1 IP, Cameron posted a 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 12.8% K-BB%. With a 1.8 fWAR, Cameron finished fourth among rookie pitchers, according to Fangraphs. He only trailed Texas’ Jack Leiter, the White Sox’s Shane Smith, and the Yankees’ Will Warren. As a result, he was named by CAA Baseball as an AL Outstanding Rookie finalist.
Now, there are some things that Cameron will need to work on, which is why I don’t really believe he’s more than a No. 4 or No. 5 starter at this moment, going into 2026.
His K rate was a little low at 20.5% and his four-seamer was lackluster stuff-wise with an 89 TJ Stuff+. However, Cameron proved to be a command artist in 2025, posting a 50.3% zone rate, 28.1% chase rate, 26.5% whiff rate, and a .369 xwOBACON. Those are all average to above marks, which is encouraging for a rookie who was not on a lot of prospect radars a couple of seasons ago.
The 26-year-old has been a prime success story of this new Royals pitching development team, which was modified after Picollo took over in 2023.
Best Prospect: Carter Jensen, C
Jac Caglianone had more hype heading into 2026, while Blake Mitchell had a better draft pedigree. That said, Jensen proved to be the Royals’ best prospect in 2026, period.
In 492 plate appearances between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha, Jensen hit 20 home runs, collected 76 RBI, hit .290, and posted a 136 wRC+. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise, based on that performance, that the Royals promoted him to Kansas City when rosters expanded in September.
It was expected that Jensen’s promotion would be more “learning” than playing. However, he pushed the issue for more at-bats with a sensational month with the Royals.
In 69 plate appearances, Jensen hit .300 with a 159 wRC+. He launched three homers, collected 13 RBI, posted a 0.75 BB/K ratio, and accumulated a 0.7 fWAR. Additionally, his batted-ball data was incredible, ranking in the 98th percentile in barrel rate, 99th percentile in average EV, and 100th percentile in barrel rate. He also launched one of the longest home runs in Royals history (or at least in the Statcast era).
That’s quite the stat line for a 20-game debut.
And yet, it seems like Jensen’s rookie start wasn’t a fluke by any measure. Thus, there’s a lot to be excited about with Jensen for 2026, as he likely will be a key part of the Royals lineup, even if he may not be the primary catcher just yet with Salvador Perez on the roster.
Best Transaction: The Freddy Fermin Trade
If there’s one thing that dogged Dayton Moore during his time with the Royals as GM, especially in the post-World Series years, it was that he was too “loyal” to his guys. He hung onto players, coaches, and front office members longer than he should’ve, which led to missed opportunities.
Picollo has proven that he’s not cut from the same cloth and has learned those lessons from his predecessor.
If Moore were still in charge of the Royals, likely, Fermin would still be a Royal. After all, he was a Royals international signing who progressed through the Kansas City farm system despite not flashing elite tools. He had an excellent rapport in the clubhouse, especially with the pitchers. Lastly, he was a perfect backup to Salvy, who gave the Royals captain much-needed days off.
That said, Fermin had value on the trade market. Hence, Picollo made the tough decision to sacrifice a short-term asset, especially one that was unlikely to start over Salvy in the near future or to be a long-term solution with Jensen on the 40-man roster.
Therefore, Picollo surprisingly traded Fermin to San Diego, who were in desperate need of catching production, for pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek.
Bergert and Kolek produced during their short Royals tenures, as illustrated in the TJ Stats summary profiles below.
With the Royals, Bergert posted a 4.43 ERA in eight starts and 40.2 IP. However, his ERA was inflated by two bad starts, which came right before an IL stint. His K rate was solid at 22.4% and his 3.75 FIP was much more tolerable. If fully healthy, Bergert could be a No. 5 starter who poses some serious strikeout upside.
As for Kolek, he had a lower K rate at 16.8% in five starts and 33 IP. However, the 28-year-old righty proved to be a craftier pitcher who induced groundballs (53.5% GB%) and weak contact (.360 xwOBACON). As a result, he posted a 1.91 ERA, 2.71 FIP, and accumulated a 0.9 fWAR in his limited stint in the Royals’ rotation.
Bergert was shut down due to a shoulder injury, so it will be interesting to see if he will be ready for Spring Training (Alec Marsh is a prime example of a shoulder injury that lingers for far too long). However, if he is healthy, he and Kolek should give the Royals some nice depth at the No. 5 spot in the rotation for the upcoming 2026 season and maybe for a couple of years after.
And all it cost was a backup catcher in Fermin.
Photo Credit: Nam Y. Huh/AP