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Ahead of the season, the Royals media centre jumps on the quarter century craze and asks fans and media experts to vote for their favourites since 2025. If Stewart had been asked the same question, these are the players he would have selected

Catcher

Sam Hart, 2028 6th Round selection, is an easy pick to start us off. Seven years as the Royals Catcher, Hart put up almost twice the WAR (20.2) as the next player on the list while also recording a total of 29.6 FRM with a CERA of 3.66. In addition, he was one of only three to have a wRC+ over 100, his 103 second only to Nelson Saiz. Hart was a three-time All Star and the 2038 Platinum Bat selection at C.

If Nelson Saiz was two years older he might have made this decision more difficult, having put up 10.4 WAR across his first two seasons with a 3.40 CERA. Saiz is already a two-time All Star, won the 2048 Platinum Bat Award in 2048, as well as the triumvirate of Batting Title, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. Undoubtably Saiz will be the greatest Catcher of the Stewart era but Hart’s longevity wins the day.

First Base

Fourteen different players played a season as the most used 1B for the Royals, which made this one of the more challenging positions. Gilberto Matos had three years in the position, put up 15.9 WAR for the Royals with a 145 wRC+ and a .958 Defensive Efficiency. If he had managed to stay fit then 2033 International Amateur signing might have finished top of this list with his three All-Star selections and two Platinum Bats.

However, the 2037 International Amateur Luis Aceves managed five years in the role, putting up 19.8 WAR from a 139 wRC+ with a .991 Defensive Efficiency to pip Matos to the position. Aceves combined 4 All-Start appearances, with two Platinum Bat Awards across four World Series rings, where he was Series MVP in both the 2045 ALCS and 2047 ALDS. He led the league in slugging in 2045 and 2048, the latter year also seeing him lead the league in HRs and RBIs.

Second Base

The Royals have been blessed with 2B since the start of this quarter decade, with Nick Loftin providing four years of above average defense and 16.2 WAR. Tim Storer took over from Loftin, with three years in the role, and 11.4 WAR. More recently, Arturo Oramas made the position his own, starting there for four season with an average of 5 WAR/season, 20 in total.

However, this spot could only go to 2029’s International Amateur signing out of the Dominican Republic, Edgar Mir. Mir had 11 consecutive seasons as the Royals starting 2B, amassing 64.4 WAR, behind a 129 wRC+ and a 1.058 Defensive Efficiency. Mir won two MVP Awards (2036 & 2040), was the 2035 Rookie of the Year, was selected to 9 All-Start Games, with 7 Platinum Bats and a Great Glove. He was part of 4 Royals World Series, and earned Series MVP awards in the 2038, 2039, and 2041 ALDS. In 2040 and 2043 he led the league in batter WAR, one of baseball’s marquee players over the last quarter century.

Third Base

Another position where the Royals have had a more revolving cast with eleven different starting 3B over the quarter century.

Perhaps surprisingly, the man who had more years than any other was Luis Garcia, a player who always seemed to be on the way out but who had 5 years as the starting 3B, with a 1.012 Defensive Efficiency but pedestrian 92 wRC+ with 9.9 WAR.

Jadon Tezeno’s overall body of work might be enough for him to be included in a list of top Royals over the last quarter century but he switch from SS to 3B means he didn’t have enough time to make his case. Three years with 9.6 WAR, and a 120 wRC+ is strong, although his defensive transition hasn’t been all plain sailing with a .993 efficiency rating.

Jeremy Rogerson played 4 years at 3B but also moved around, putting up an impressive 1.019 efficiency with a 122 wRC+ and 11.4 WAR. Rogerson made two All-Star teams but not in a year he was predominantly at 3B, harming his credentials.

In the end that allowed Estanislau Covete to beat him out and take the 3B position. The Royals acquired Covete in a trade with the New York Mets in 2039 for their 2035 1st round pick and their 2033 2nd round pick. He repaid that investment over 4 years, putting up 14.6 WAR with a 127 wRC+. Covete was the 2041 Rookie of the Year, won two Platinum Sticks, and two All-Star selections. He won four World Series with the Royals, and was the Series MVP in the 2043 and 2046 ALDS. Despite the Royals eventually moving on from Covete due to his defensive limitations (.966 at 3B), he was a key figure in their success in the 2040s.

Shortstop

The second position needing minimal consideration as, despite Jadon Tezeno’s strong four year run at the position, the Royals had a decade where Bobby Witt Jr. was the nailed on starter at Shortstop. Witt Jr. had a 19-year MLB career, with every day spent with the Royals organisation. The Royals didn’t manage to win him a World Series and he never quite matched the heights of his early years, but Witt Jr. is a bona fide legend of the Royals. He put up 65.2 WAR, was named an All-Star four times, earned a Platinum Stick in 2025, the same year he won the MVP, while he was Series MVP in the 2032 ALCS. He led the league in R, H, and WAR in 2025, H and 3B in 2030 while winning the Batting Title, and 2B in 2032.

Left Field

Two players dominated the LF position over the last quarter century, covering almost half of the time between them.

Wyatt Langford was an early acquisition by Colin Stewart, signed in 2028 and he went on to start for five years, winning three great gloves, making one All Star appearance, and earning back-to-back ALDS MVP Awards in 2030 and 2031. He put up 11.7 WAR with a 1.043 Defensive Efficiency and 104 wRC+.

However, his output was far exceeded by the 2029 1st round pick Billy Mumaugh. Mumaugh patrolled LF for 7 years for the Royals, and earned five All-Star selections. In addition, he was named Series MVP three times, the 2031 ALCS, and back-to-back ALWS in 2034 and 2035. He put up 46.4 WAR across those years, with a 128 wRC+ and a better than most 1.027 Defensive Efficiency.

Center Field

Centerfield was another challenging position, with a couple of players standing out, with 11 years between them in centerfield.

Drew Burress was acquired in a trade with the Giants in 2033 and proceeded to lock down the CF position for 6 years. In his first year with the Royals, he finished second in the AL MVP voting and proceeded to put up 17.1 WAR with a 118 wRC+. He did have an injury riddled time with the Royals however, and only made 1 All-Star appearance.

More recently 2041 International Amateur signing Jorge Corujo has spent the last five years as the Royals CF, putting up 22.8 WAR with a 1.022 defensive efficiency. Corujo secured the CF position with his two All-Star Appearances, one Platinum Bat award, while being part of three World Series-winning teams. In the 2047 World Series, he was named MVP to highlight an outstanding run with the team. Corujo’s defense has been elite but he is best known for his base stealing, leading the league three times, as well as in 3B three times, including a 90 SB year in 2049, a Royals single-season record, a record that had stood for 70 years.

Right Field

In right field, it was a straight shoot-out between two draftees, 2027 1st round pick Jimmy Goodman and 2037 1st round pick Bobby Nickelberry.

Goodman was part of Stewart’s first pennant-winning team, playing for 8 years and amassing 34.1 WAR with a 1.061 Defensive Efficiency. While not an elite bat (winning only one Platinum Bat), his glove certainly was, winning 4 Great Gloves. He made the All Stat team once, while earing a Series MVP in the 2033 ALDS.

Bobby Nickelberry has started in RF for the last 7 years and is on track for legendary status with the Royals. He has put up 40.4 WAR with a 142 wRC+, all with a 1.042 Defensive Efficiency. He has been named an All-Star six times, with four Platinum Bats. In 2042 he won the hat trick of Rookie of the Year, MVP, and the Batting Title. He repeated as MVP in 2046, winning the Batting Title again, and has been part of three World Series teams. In 2047 he was the ALDS MVP then followed that up in 2048 winning the MVP Award in both the ALDS and the World Series. He has lead the league in RBIs four times, Hits and Slugging 3 times, and WAR once. He is on the Hall of Fame track with his health the biggest risk, missing two months with fractures in 2048 plus the 2049 postseason with blurred vision.

Quarter-Century Position Players

C Sam Hart 2035-41

1B Luis Aceves 2045-49
2B Edgar Mir 2035-45
3B Estanislau Covete 2041-44
SS Bobby Witt Jr. 2025-34

LF Bill Mumaugh 2033-39
CF Jorge Corujo 2044-49
RF Bobby Nickleberry 2042-49

Starting Rotation

Despite the fact that there were five spaces in the rotation, this became quite an easy process looking at longevity. Only five pitchers produced over 30 WAR for the Royals while having top five starts in at least 8 years:

Curt Bogans 11 year, 48.2 WAR
Mason Barnett 10 years, 35.9 WAR
Ethan Chafin 9 years, 37.6 WAR
Eddie Baquerizo 8 years, 37.8 WAR
Ben Lane 8 years, 34.9 WAR

Bogans, the 2030 2nd round pick, had spent all but one of his 16 years in the Majors with the Royals. His 48.2 WAR came with a 77 FIP- and he had 321 GS. His WAR is the most of any Royal all-time and he was rewarded with Cy Young Awards back-to-back in 2038 and 239. He won three World Series with the Royals and was a three-time All Star.

Mason Barnett was at the Royals when Stewart arrived and spent 10 years as a starter, with 318 GS. His was a tale of longevity, rather then elite skills, only once making an All Star team. That came in 2028 the same year that he led the league in ERA.

Ethan Chafin was acquired in a 2033 trade with the Washington Nationals and went on to play 12 seasons in Kansas City. He was injury prone and so only had 9 years where he was in the top five pitchers for GS but had 244 GS in total, with an 85 FIP- for his 37.6 WAR. He was a 2041 All Star but 2039 might have been his most memorable year as he led the league with 20 W and 248 Ks.

Eddie Baquerizo was the Royals 1st round pick in Bogans’ 2030 draft class, and that turned into a quality draft from Stewart. Baquerizo had 8 years as a full-time starter out of his 11 with the Royals and was a 3 time All Star. He made over 250 starts for the Royals and had a 79 FIP-. He finished one win short of a century while racking up 1568 Ks.

Ben Lane is the youngest of the rotation, having been acquired by the Royals in 2038 from the New York Mets as a 19-year-old. Lane has had 9 years with the Royals so far, eight of which have seen him appear in the top five list for GS as he has amassed 247 GS with 34.9 WAR. 2048 is his only All Star selection but he won a Cy Young Award in 2042 in a year when he led the league in Ks and K/9.

There were some players that get an honorary mention: Cade Townsend and Mike Hoffer both put up over 20 WAR, with Hoffer doing so in only 136 GS (77 FIP-) while Townsend made had over 200 GS (86 FIP-). Cason Willard only spent two and a half years with the Royals after his acquisition but put up 15.9 WAR in 75 GS while winning a Cy Young Award.

Relievers

There was only room for three relievers on this quarter century team and, with the Royals having 6 players to win the Reliever of the Year Award, it was clear that several great player would miss out.

The Relievers of the Year to miss out on selection were Wen-Hui Pan, Banmei Kataoka, Nate Avis, and Angel Perdomo. Their common theme was a lack of longevity with the Royals, none having more than 3 years where they featured in the top three in Games played.

Of players to feature in this lists more than 3 times, one may consider himself unlucky to miss out while the other is potentially a surprise name on the list. William Schmidt was a 2024 2nd round pick who put up 5.1 WAR in his 4 years with the Royals, appearing in 94 G with a 55 FIP-. John McMillon just kept earning his spot in the bullpen and while never leading any categories for the Royals, had 5 years as one of the top three in games, pitching over 200 innings with 6.6 WAR and a 74 FIP-.

One Royal made the bullpen without a Reliever of the Year Award and that is Juan Anaya. Anaya, a 2037 International Amateur from the Dominican Republic, has had four years as one of the leading players in the Kansas City bullpen and has pitched 550+ innings, putting up 14.3 WAR with 55 Holds and a 64 FIP-. He reached 400 G in 2049. He has been selected to 4 All Star Games and is the rare pitcher to have won a postseason MVP award, in the 2043 ALCS.

That leaves two places, and both players were acquired as Major League stars who went on have more than 500 IP. Dan Nichols is likely on his way to the Major League Hall of Fame and the first half of his career was spent as a SP with White Sox before moving into a Relief role. He had one season with the Royals in 2041 before coming back for three and a half seasons from 2043 to 2046. In that time he pitched in 507.2 innings, across 270 G, recording 12.5 WAR and 65 Holds with a 67 FIP-. He won the Reliever of the Year Award in 2044 while earning All Star selections in each of his full years with the team.

The final place goes to the Royals only two-time Reliever of the Year Luis Danys Rhodes. Rhodes was a free agent signing who has gone on to have six years as the key cog in the Royals bullpen. Those Reliever of the Year Awards came in 2045 and 2049, while he was named to the All Star game in each season. He has put up 20.4 WAR while appearing in 432 G with 665.1 IP. In addition he has recorded 80 Holds and a 59 FIP-.

Closer

Rhodes had a case for the Closer role but his body of work as a Stopper is more comprehensive, while he also had the lowest successful save percentage (81.6%) from the three players on the shortlist.

Chris Wagner had two years where he led the Royals in save, his 81 SV coming at an 88% success rate while putting up a 66 FIP-.

The selection though, went to Joe Manley. Manley recorded 105 SV for the Royals at an 88.2% success rate, with a 56 FIP- and had three years where he led the team in saves.

Quarter-Century Pitchers

SP Curt Bogans 2033-47
SP Eddie Baquerizo 2033-43
SP Ethan Chafin 2037-48
SP Ben Lane 2041-49
SP Mason Barnett 2025-36

RP Juan Anaya 2042-49
RP Dan Nichols 2041, 2043-46
RP Luis Danys Rhodes 2044-49

CL Joe Manley 2041-47