Bobby Witt Jr. joined by another 3 KC Royals on MLB Network's top 100 player rankings

With Opening Day just around the corner, MLB Network released their annual list of the "top 100 players right now" on February 13 — and four Kansas City Royals made the cut. Bobby Witt Jr., Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, and Salvador Pérez were all named by MLB.com's Brian Murphy and Manny Randhawa as top players going into the 2025 season, marking a strong improvement from last winter when Witt was the only Kansas City player to make the list.

Bobby Witt Jr.

2025 rank: 3
2024 rank: 20

At No. 3, Witt is unsurprisingly the top-ranked Royal on the list, only beaten by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani (No. 1) and the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (No. 2) for the top spot. The shortstop went into the 2024 season as the 20th-ranked player, so his current hold on the No. 3 spot marks an impressive and well-deserved jump up the list.

In his first season since signing an 11-year, $288.7 million contract with the Royals — the richest deal in franchise history — Witt delivered a campaign proving exactly why he's worth every dollar. In 709 plate appearances, the 25-year-old hit a career-best .332/.389/.588 line with 32 home runs, 109 RBI, and 31 stolen bases, leading MLB in both batting average and hits (211), ranking second in doubles (45), third in both runs (125) and triples (11), fourth in OPS (.977), and sixth in on-base percentage.

In addition to posting his second consecutive season with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases — becoming the first shortstop in MLB history to do so — Witt set a franchise record with his 10.4 fWAR, finished second in AL MVP voting, received his first All-Star selection, and won both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award.

Cole Ragans

2025 rank: 43
2024 rank: Unranked

Going into his second full season with the Royals, Ragans is No. 43 on MLB Network's Top 100 players. The left-hander's emergence as Kansas City's desperately needed ace was game-changing in 2024, and the team recently showed just how much they appreciated it. On February 14, Kansas City agreed to a three-year, $13.25 million deal with Ragans, covering him for this season — his final pre-arbitration year — and his first two arbitration years (2026-27).

The Royals acquired Ragans in a trade with the Texas Rangers at the 2023 deadline, and after posting a 2.64 ERA in 12 starts to finish the season, he was back in Kansas City's rotation for 2024. Last year, the 27-year-old went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 186.1 innings of work, and his 223 strikeouts made him just the fifth pitcher in franchise history to strike out 200 batters in a single season. In addition to a fourth-place finish in AL Cy Young voting, Ragans' impressive campaign earned him his first All-Star selection and a Gold Glove Award nomination.

Ragans isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2028 season, meaning he will have one arbitration year left at the end of his new three-year contract. Still, assuming the left-hander continues his dominant performance on the mound, another extension from the Royals is almost certain to land on his desk before then.

Seth Lugo

2025 rank: 74
2024 rank: Unranked

The 2024 season was Lugo's first in a Royals uniform, and after going unranked last year, the right-hander is now No. 74 on MLB Network's list. Having signed a three-year, $45 million deal with Kansas City last winter, Lugo quickly established himself as a crucial part of the Royals' starting rotation, and his jump up in the rankings reflects that.

In 206.2 innings of work across 33 starts last year, Lugo went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts. He had the best ERA in the AL (2.21) during the first half of the season to secure his first All-Star selection, and won his first Gold Glove Award after posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and leading the AL in pitcher assists (29).

Lugo's performance in 2024 is even more remarkable when considering that it was just his second season as a full-time starter, having only transitioned from the bullpen in 2023 with the San Diego Padres.

Salvador Pérez

2025 rank: 79
2024 rank: Unranked

Going into his 15th season in the majors, Pérez is No. 79 on MLB Networks list of the Top 100 players, having failed to make the cut last winter. His jump up the rankings isn't surprising — after struggling in 2023, the 34-year-old's comeback last year was noteworthy.

In 2024, Pérez posted a .271/.330/.456 line with 27 home runs and 104 RBI in 652 plate appearances, earning the ninth All-Star selection of his career. He started all six games of the Royals' playoff berth, and despite seemingly going through a poorly-timed offensive slump, he managed a hit in each of the first five games, including a home run in Game Two of the ALDS.

Pérez is going into the final guaranteed season of his four-year, $82 million contract, though the Royals can exercise a $13.5 million club option to keep him for 2026, or pay a $2 million buyout. At this stage, it's unclear whether the catcher will be looking to secure another extension to cover him past 2026, but regardless, his five Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, nine All-Star selections, and a World Series ring make it abundantly clear that his career in Kansas City has been a remarkable one.