Homegrown KC Royals infielder building strong case for Opening Day utility role

The premium Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo places on versatility couldn't be more obvious. Like the Royals themselves, his is a farm system seeded with players capable of filling more than one position, he brought veteran — but now departed — utility men Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson into the fold last season, and signed versatile veteran free agents Cavan Biggio and Harold Castro to replace them this winter.

Biggio or Castro, but probably not both, stand decent chances to make KC's Opening Day roster. But six games into Cactus League play, it's homegrown Royal Nick Loftin who's stealing the show and making the strongest case of the three to break spring camp on the big league roster.

His numbers tell the story.

Nick Loftin is on fire for the KC Royals

Loftin, a first-round draft choice of the Royals in 2020 who's been with the organization ever since, boasts the hottest Cactus League bat on the club. Playing in four of the Royals' first half-dozen exhibition games, he's slashing .714/.818/ 1.000 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Some might say his seven at-bats aren't enough to generate high praise, but that number is deceptive — four of his plate appearances don't count as at-bats because he drew walks in each.

Simply put, Loftin is getting the job done almost every time he steps in the batter's box. He went 2-for-2 in the club's February 21 Cactus League opener and drove in the Royals' first pair of runs in their 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers. Two days later, in the only game he didn't start, he was 1-for-2 with a walk and a ninth-inning single, and scored the tying run that inning as KC beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-10.

Loftin took a day off before going 0-for-1 but walking twice during the Royals' February 24 tie game with the Athletics. On February 26 against Texas, he doubled twice and drove in a run.

That Loftin is performing so well shouldn't surprise many. He's a career .276 hitter with a .362 OBP (including .409 at Triple-A Omaha last year) and 49 home runs over four minor league seasons. As the 40 bases he stole across his first two pro campaigns suggest, he also has some speed.

And versatility? Primarily an infielder, Loftin has played all infield positions and also left and center fields in the minors, and first, second and third bases, and left field in the majors (he also pitched an inning for the Royals last year, but that will have no bearing on KC's Opening Day roster selections). He's worked at second and third so far this spring.

Loftin is checking all the boxes right now for the Royals. But what about Biggio and Castro, both of whom are spring camp non-roster invitees?

Newcomers Cavan Biggio and Harold Castro are a bit behind Nick Loftin

Biggio, whose six-season big league offensive and defensive stats certainly aren't outstanding, is hitting nicely, but not as well as Loftin. In three games, Biggio has a homer, an RBI, a walk, and a .429/.556/1.000 line. Castro is 1-for-8 with a run driven in and a walk in his three games. A career .278 hitter in his six-year big league career, he slumped to .252 with the Colorado Rockies last year.

Defensively, Biggio has seen time at every position in the majors except center field, shortstop, and catcher (he also hasn't pitched). He's played first, second, and third this spring. Castro has done everything but catch and pitch in the majors, and has played first base twice and second once this spring.

All that puts Loftin ahead in the race for a prime utility spot on the Royals' Opening Day roster. But a lot can change between now and March 27, when Kansas City hosts the Cleveland Guardians for both teams' first action of the 2025 regular season.