Welcome back to the Power Rankings series. Last time we covered second base and a couple of key pieces in the Royals storyline. This time we cover a position that is revered as one of the most valuable in baseball, shortstop. Too bad the Royals haven’t had a ton of history at shortstop. Let’s begin the ranking with a recent All-Star.
1. 2024 Bobby Witt Jr.
This first half of 2024 is by far the best for a Royals shortstop ever. BWJ was the subject of our deep dive series as well and it explains a lot of why he will bring another MVP to the Royals. He is currently slashing .327/.374/.567 for an OPS of .941 with two games left before the All-Star break. BWJ has racked up 124 hits, 25 2Bs, 9 3Bs, 16 HRs, and has driven in 63 runs. He is one of the more complete players in the league as he also plays elite defense and can steal bases.
2. 1988 Kurt Stillwell
Who!? Yeah, Royals shortstop history isn’t exactly the most deep spot. Kurt Stillwell played with the Royals from 1988-1991 with his first season being his best one. Before the All-Star break, Stillwell slashed .261/.337/.428 for an OPS of .765. He would tally 78 hits, 21 2Bs, 7 HRs, and drive in 36 runs for a solid first half. After that first half though, his tenure with the Royals would go downhill, but 1988 would be his career year. The Royals probably regret the trade that brought Stillwell to KC as they traded Danny Jackson who would win 23 games in 1988 -and was a solid part of the rotation from ’83-’87.
3. 2015 Alcides Escobar
Before BWJ’s 2024 All-Star selection, Alcides Escobar was the last shortstop to go to the Midsummer Classic. It was almost a 30-year drought, now where have I heard that before, at the position. Either way, “Esky” would slash .290/.327/.373 for an OPS of .700. Not exactly an ideal OPS, but he would rack up 92 hits, 16 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 2 HRs, and 33 RBIs. While not top notch numbers, this would be Esky’s Gold Glove year as he was good defensively. It was a solid first half for Esky on route to the World Series title. Now to rank the last shortstop on this list.
4. 1976 Freddie “The Flea” Patek
Freddie Patek is one of those guys in Royals history that a lot of people like, this writer included. He played good defense and he had his moments at the plate while stealing a ton of bases. 1976 was his best All-Star season as he slashed .265/.342/.341 for an OPS of .683 in the first half of ’76. Patek wouldn’t have the extra base hits, with 14 total by the break, but with his 66 hits and 30 walks he would almost guarantee second at times. Mainly, because he would steal second as he had 38 swiped bags by the break.
5. 1978 Freddie “The Flea” Patek
Freddie is back at it doing very similar things to his 1976 season. He would slash .274/.335/.349 for an OPS of .683, again. He would rack up 66 hits with 24 walks, while stealing 23 bags. The big tradeoff between the two seasons would be the extra base hits. Patek would hit 15 2Bs and get a singular home run, so he wouldn’t be able to swipe as many bags. We have one more All-Star season to cover so let’s finish this up.
6. 1972 Freddie “The Flea” Patek
In Patek’s second season as a Royal he would make his first All-Star game, somehow. This might be one of the worst slash lines in this series as Patek would slash .223/.280/.302 for an OPS of .582. He would tally 72 hits and 26 walks, but wasn’t as much of a stolen base threat – compared to the previous two ranks – with 19 swiped bags. He would get 19 2Bs and 3 3Bs in the first half, but it wasn’t a great first half for Patek with the bat. His defense would be his main tool and he was good at defense.
That wraps up the short shortstop history for the Royals as it isn’t a deep pool historically. Bobby Witt Jr has a solid chance to take the lead in shortstop All-Star appearances in Royals history. Even if the history at short isn’t great, there are still some good players as Freddie Patek paired with Cookie Rojas for years and Kurt Stillwell was solid for two seasons with the Royals. Next up in the rankings is third base, aka the George Brett ranking.