Well, it's official. The Kansas City Royals sit in the basement of the entire MLB standings with a 35-54 (.393) record. They are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, just past the midseason mark, and nearing the All-Star break later this month. This season's disaster has been the culmination of many factors, but two of which have not been Kansas City's 2026 All-Star selections.
Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and starting pitcher Michael Wacha both were recently selected to play in the MLB's 96th All-Star game, further proving how well each has performed despite how poorly the Royals' pieces around the pair have been. The 26-year-old Witt is in the middle of another impressive performance, culminating in his third straight All-Star placement. The veteran Wacha was a bit of a surprise, as he is now 34 years of age and has made just one All-Star team since his lone selection in 2015.
It can be argued that even the Royals, despite their porous record, deserved to have more All-Stars this year as second-year man Carter Jensen is starting to become a household name around the league, and big-hitting Jac Caglianone certainly was building a case. It also would have been nice for Salvador Perez to cap his career off with one final accomplishment of hitting double-digit All-Star showings, as he currently stands at nine.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Michael Wacha both deserve credit for impressive campaigns
The case to make for Witt is simple. He is quite literally the best all-around baseball player in the world right now. His athleticism and defensive capabilities at a position that requires so much is otherworldly. And his batting skills are right on par. He has a team-leading 93 hits on a .286 batting average, 20 doubles, 12 homers, and a second-in-the-league 29 stolen bases.
Wacha has been KC's only reliable starting pitcher all season as he is third in MLB with 114.2 innings pitched, an impressive 5-6 record when you consider how poorly the rest of the roster has been, and has posted 91 strikeouts on a 1.16 WHIP. Without Wacha's consistency, the Royals would have been well in the hole much sooner.
No matter how poorly this 2026 season continues to get, it's nice to know that even the Royals have All-Star-caliber talent on the team. It hurts now that we can't win with it, but it gives hope toward the future that Kansas City has something to build on.
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