No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of the franchise they cover, based on the players' careers for that club. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only.
Here's our take on the top five shortstops in Royals history.
1) Freddie Patek, 1971-79
Key fact: Three All-Star Games
Patek was crucial to the Royals’ rise from an expansion team to a perennial playoff contender in the late 1970s. His physical stature -- 5-foot-5 -- in no way diminished his impact on the Royals of that time. In fact, then manager Whitey Herzog called him the best “artificial-turf shortstop” he ever managed. Even Patek joked when once asked what it was like to be the shortest player in the Majors, “Well, it’s better than being the shortest player in the Minors.”
Patek was a pesky hitter. In nine seasons with Kansas City, he had just a .630 OPS, but he led the American League in triples with 11 in 1971, and he was a terror to opponents once on the bases.
Patek stole 336 bases in his time with the Royals, leading the AL with 53 bags in 1977. He also stole 49 bases in 1971 and 51 in '76. That '71 season was his best offensively -- 21 doubles, 11 triples, six home runs and a .693 OPS.
2) Bobby Witt Jr., 2022-present
Key facts: Two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glover, two-time Silver Slugger
Witt is only four seasons into his career and is arguably the best shortstop in franchise history already. We’ll keep Patek, a Royals Hall of Famer, at No. 1 for now, but our next update might look different.
Witt has already set all sorts of records, marked so many milestones and helped the Royals back to relevancy that it’s hard to list out everything he’s done. His 2024 campaign was one of the greatest seasons a shortstop has ever had. He earned a batting title with 211 hits, posted a .332/.389/.588 slash line and hit 32 home runs with 109 RBIs. He also stole 31 bases, making him the first shortstop ever with two 30-homer, 30-stolen base seasons. Witt finished runner-up in American League MVP voting that year.
In 2025, Witt again led MLB in hits (184), as well as doubles (47). He slashed .295/.351/.501 with 23 home runs, 88 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. Along with finishing fourth in AL MVP voting, Witt won the Platinum Glove Award for the first time.
Witt is considered one of the best shortstops in the game right now, certainly offensively but he also shines defensively, and he has posted consistently for the Royals. It’s not hard to imagine that Witt, who is only 25 as he enters the 2026 season, won’t continue to improve. And who knows what his ceiling really is.
3) Alcides Escobar, 2011-18
Key facts: One All-Star Game, one AL Gold Glove Award, 2015 AL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award winner
Escobar, acquired in the Zack Greinke trade from Milwaukee in 2010, solidified the shortstop position for the Royals for eight years, helping them to two straight World Series appearances and one championship.
“He was as dependable as it gets,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “Late in games, he’s the guy you wanted the ball hit to. He had no fear.”
Three times, Escobar played in all 162 games in a season. And while he infuriated some fans with his free-swinging style (which led to a .292 on-base percentage with the Royals), he at times was an offensive catalyst, so much so that then-manager Ned Yost moved him to the leadoff spot in 2015, and Esky Magic was born.
Escobar’s best season came in 2012, when he hit .293 with a .721 OPS and stole 35 bases.
4) U L Washington, 1977-84
Key fact: 40 stolen bases in 1983
Washington was part of an impressive double-play duo with Frank White for years, and he had his moments offensively as well. Washington became an everyday starter in 1980 when the Royals advanced to their first World Series against the Phillies: He had 16 doubles, 11 triples, six home runs, 20 steals and a .711 OPS that season.
Washington’s best season came in 1982, when he posted a .750 OPS with 19 doubles and 23 steals.
5) Greg Gagne, 1993-95
Key fact: 32 doubles in 1993
Then-manager Hal McRae was an admirer of Gagne’s defense when Gagne was instrumental in the Twins’ rise to prominence in the late 1980s and early '90s. Gagne anchored McRae’s defense up the middle along with second baseman Chico Lind and center fielder Brian McRae.
Gagne not only had great range with a strong arm, he had sneaky pop at the plate. He hit 32 doubles with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs in 1993, and had a .724 OPS.
Honorable mentions
Kurt Stillwell, 1988-91: He was a better offensive player than a defender and put together his best season in ’88, when he hit 28 doubles and 10 home runs with a .721 OPS.
Angel Berroa, 2001-07: The AL Rookie of the Year Award winner in 2003 hit 28 doubles and 17 home runs with 73 RBIs. Berroa’s career with the Royals nosedived quickly after that.
Jay Bell, 1997: Played just one season in Kansas City but was a force at the plate -- 21 home runs, 92 RBIs and an .829 OPS.