The Royals saw bottom tier production from their left fielders and center fielders in 2026.
The Kansas City Royals’ season did not go the way the team had hoped for heading into the year. The team missed the postseason for the second consecutive season and turned out to be uncompetitive in the AL Central.
The Royals finished the season with a 69-93 record, winning 13 fewer games than they did in the 2025 season. It was a significant dropoff from their expectations heading into the year, especially with the young talent coming into the fold on their roster.
Ultimately, a lot of things went wrong for the Royals, especially some unpredictable starting pitching woes. But another factor of their struggles happened to be their overall lineup depth, as the bottom of the team’s batting order ended up being a weak point.
Most notably, the Royals’ outfield ended up being one of the league’s worst in the 2026 season. With their collection of talent currently on the roster, that is one area that the Royals should be pursuing to improve as they head into the offseason.
According to FanGraphs, the Royals owned the 29th worst WAR produced by their left fielders throughout the year, as they combined to post a 0.1 fWAR. Additionally, Kansas City’s center fielders combined for a 0.5 fWAR, which ended up being the 28th worst in the major leagues.
Outside of Jac Caglianone holding down right field with a very good campaign in 2026, the rest of the Royals’ outfield could really use addressing to turn things around for their offense.
Left field was primarily held down by Isaac Collins, as John Rave also saw some action there. Kyle Isbel got the majority of playing time in center field, while Tyler Tolbert also saw some time at the position.
The trend at the two positions happened to be that all four players in the mix lacked consistent offensive production and a strong power threat. The four outfielders combined for 21 home runs on the season. Conversely, Caglianone hit more homers than those players’ combined total.
If the Royals were to prioritize bringing in a middle-of-the-order bat at either position, that could solve their problems sooner rather than later. However, the team can also bank on a number of their players seeing a bounce back year, but such a thing is never a guarantee.
Overall, Kansas City is looking to rebound from a disappointing down year with a season that can bring them right back where they were not too long ago — knocking on the door to being a contender for the postseason.
The Royals will need to see a bounceback all around, but providing some depth to their outfield and the bottom of the order can boost their offensive talent, as the top of the order is already infiltrated with young talent.
