4 Kansas City Royals shining during the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The Kansas City Royals have been in free fall in the spring training win-loss column. Heading into Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, the boys in blue were 1-8 in their last nine Cactus League games. Despite being one of the top home run-hitting teams in Arizona, the end results have not been positive much lately. What happened? The World Baseball Classic happened.

Those nine games have come since several players departed camp for their respective national teams, with a sizeable amount of current and former Royals appearing on World Baseball Classic rosters.

Six of the eight teams in the exhibition’s single-elimination quarterfinals have a current Royals player on the roster, one of the best rates among big-league clubs. The Royals have been front and center in several high-stakes moments this year, and that could continue as the World Baseball Classic wraps up ahead of Opening Day.

With so many names spread around the tournament, which players are making the best impression in the home stretch? There are several options from both sides of the bracket, and it is not just Team USA’s Bobby Witt Jr.

The Royals aren't just simply well represented at the WBC, their players are thriving

Maikel Garcia

Third baseman Maikel Garcia is coming off a career-defining year, one that earned him a fancy new extension and a major vote of confidence from the organization.

Garcia and Witt are the hopeful tandem on the Royals’ left side of the infield for years to come, but for now Garcia has paired with team captain Salvador Perez on Team Venezuela. Venezuela has a tall task in its quarterfinal matchup against Samurai Japan, but if it hopes to pull off the upset, Garcia will likely be in the middle of it.

The infielder has been batting in the top half of Venezuela’s lineup, helping set the table for its underperforming power bats. Luis Arraez, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Garcia have largely driven the Venezuelan offense in pool play.

Garcia posted a respectable .967 OPS, along with a team-leading three stolen bases and three RBI. He is not taking over the tournament, but he is proving that he belongs on the field with the game’s best on the international stage.

Jac Caglianone

Outfielder Jac Caglianone had plenty to prove this spring in Royals camp, and his performance at the plate already had his arrow trending up ahead of Opening Day.

I heard some concern from fans specifically about Caglianone leaving camp for the World Baseball Classic, mostly that it could interrupt his progression or stall his momentum. That has not been the case with Team Italy.

Caglianone’s stellar 1.458 OPS comes in only eight at-bats, and is largely buoyed by a double and a home run.

But the more encouraging part may be the process. He has walked three times and struck out only twice, showing more of the plate discipline that made his Cactus League success feel sustainable.

Caglianone has also made some plays in the outfield that did not look like a first baseman learning right field, but rather a more natural outfielder than expected. He should return to Royals camp with plenty of praise, and that right field spot feels all but his heading into Opening Day.

1B Vinnie Pasquantino

Was there ever any doubt about Pasquatch making this list? The Royals first baseman’s infectious personality has already made him a fan favorite in Kansas City, and he has dipped his toe into the national spotlight as well.

Pasquantino is a valuable part of the Royals lineup, and after signing a two-year deal with the club, he is hoping to take another step forward. He is showcasing that next step with Team Italy, both on and off the field.

Pasquantino delivered the first three-home run game in World Baseball Classic history when Team Italy needed a win to punch its ticket to the single-elimination round. He also has a team-leading four walks and a 1.100 OPS, with all of his hits being those three home runs.

Pasquantino has also been brewing espresso shots for his home-run-hitting teammates, and his personality cuts through the postgame buzz. If people were not already fans of Pasquantino, they probably are now.

INF Abraham Toro

The Royals are likely not giving an Opening Day roster spot to veteran infielder Abraham Toro, but he is certainly making his name known with Team Canada.

The switch-hitter is a non-roster invitee with Kansas City and was not having much of a spring showing before leaving camp, posting just a .397 OPS in 13 plate appearances. The first impression in Royals camp was not strong, but at least he will return on a heater.

Toro has been Canada’s best-performing hitter so far, with a 1.529 OPS in 15 at-bats during pool play. Of his seven hits, six have gone for extra bases, including one home run, and he has driven in five.

Add in that he is walking more often than he is striking out, and Toro has become a key piece as Canada looks to upset Team USA in the opening round Friday evening.

His World Baseball Classic performance likely will not earn him a 40-man roster spot, but it does reinforce his value as organizational infield depth.