3 best options Royals should consider for the leadoff spot next season

When it comes to the Kansas City Royals, it feels like one thing ails them more than most teams: the leadoff spot. You would think it would be easier to find someone to get on base ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino, but the past two seasons have not produced consistent, impactful leadoff production.

Kansas City’s leadoff hitters posted a paltry 67 wRC+ in 2024, which matched the team’s leadoff mark from its championship season in 2015.

After acquiring second baseman Jonathan India and getting a late-season surge from outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, the Royals were much better in 2025, producing a 98 wRC+ from the top spot. Even that, though, still sits below league average for the spot a team wants to maximize plate appearances from.

In an optimal world, Kansas City would have done more to address the issue directly, because accepting more of the same in 2026 does not exactly scream “serious about competing.”

But let’s say the season started today. If the Royals opened on the road against the Atlanta Braves, who makes the most sense atop the lineup? Three options stand out right now.

3 best options Royals should consider for the leadoff spot next season

Jonathan India

There are plenty of individual bounce-back stories that could make Kansas City’s path to winning feel more realistic in 2026. Jac Caglianone finding his footing. Seth Lugo looking like 2024 again. Kris Bubic staying healthy for 30-plus starts.

A Jonathan India rebound is right there on that list, too, and it would go a long way toward solving the leadoff dilemma.

Kansas City retaining the veteran on a one-year, $8 million deal raised eyebrows earlier this offseason, and the answers are still murky heading into spring training. But if the Royals are giving India a second chance after the worst season of his career, it is fair to assume that opportunity could extend to the top of the order as well. His plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills are the exact traits a team wants from a table-setter.

India was a perfectly fine leadoff man for Cincinnati for four seasons. From 2021 to 2024, he posted a .776 OPS with 39 home runs across 341 games batting first. Last season was a sharp departure, but the underlying bet still makes sense.

Kansas City has prioritized hitters with low chase rates, and India has consistently been one of the better swing-decision bats in the sport. Whether fans want to hear it or not, he is a legitimate candidate to lead off again in 2026.

Isaac Collins

The Royals were one of the more surprising trade partners for the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, and that deal brought Isaac Collins to Kansas City. Collins is not the thumper fans were hoping for, but he does raise the floor in the outfield and brings a skill that translates to the leadoff conversation: a disciplined approach.

Collins hit mostly in the lower half of Milwaukee’s lineup, which says more about the Brewers’ depth and lineup construction than it does about Collins’ ability.

The case for him at the top is simple. His 18.4% chase rate ranked in the 98th percentile among MLB hitters, and it helped fuel a walk rate near 13% last season. If the Royals want a lineup that forces pitchers to work early and creates more RBI chances for Witt and Pasquantino, Collins has the on-base foundation to fit.

Spring training is the time to tinker, and giving Collins a real look in the leadoff role should be on the table. His switch-hitting and above-average glove should keep him in the lineup plenty once Opening Day arrives. Where he hits is still a moving target, but the leadoff possibility is worth exploring.

Maikel Garcia

Royals fans will either love the idea of Maikel Garcia returning to the leadoff spot or dread the memory of how rough that experiment looked in 2024. Kansas City just rewarded him with a contract extension after an All-Star, Gold Glove season in 2025, and he spent much of the year hitting behind Pasquantino.

Still, Garcia did log 96 plate appearances as the leadoff man last season, and the results were a different world than 2024.

The smart bet is that Garcia is not the 2024 version if he is pushed back to the top. The process was better than the results that year, and in 2025 the process and results finally matched.

Garcia is one of the game’s best at making contact, even if it is not always the loudest contact, and his swing decisions were a major driver of his step forward. The power faded a bit down the stretch, but the profile is still the one you want in front of Witt: get on base, put the ball in play, make the defense work.

Matt Quatraro has not been shy about starting a game with two right-handed bats, so pairing Garcia and Witt at the top again is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Garcia might also carry the highest ceiling of the three leadoff options, and maximizing the top third of the lineup could be worth the trade-off.

Yes, moving him up could mean fewer “big” RBI spots for him in a thinner lineup, but if the Royals score more overall because Witt comes up more often with traffic, that is a worthwhile exchange.

Kansas City does not need perfection from the leadoff spot in 2026. It needs stability. India offers the most straightforward resume, Collins offers the most patient on-base profile, and Garcia offers the most upside if 2025 is truly the new baseline.