Kansas City Royals 2B/3B Nick Loftin is producing in 2026, but is it enough to warrant a Roster Spot in 2027?
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The Royals have been hot as of late in a long-lost season, hot enough to have the slimmest of chances of making the postseason, but this final stretch of the season is for evaluating the roster. One interesting question that could be a topic of discussion is who to give bench spots to in 2027 and one of those options would be Nick Loftin. Let's discuss his 2026 season and his chances for making the roster next season.
It hasn't been a major breakout season for Loftin, but it has been a breakout of sorts. This season, he is slashing .238/.332/.387 for an OPS of .719 and a wRC+ of 101. Not exactly staggering numbers, but those are his best numbers since his initial cup of coffee in 2023. Let's dive just a touch deeper into the numbers to better paint his value.
Nick Loftin's Breakout Summed Up by his Plate Discipline and Ability to Hit Fastballs
Taking what the pitcher gives you is something everyone in baseball hears, whether you're a fan, a player, or anything in between. Nick Loftin has taken that to heart this year, with some interesting plate discipline numbers this year. To begin, his swing rate is very low for his career average, as he swings 39.5% of the time this season.
Despite the low swing rate, when he does swing, he makes contact at an 83.6% clip overall and jumps to 90.9% when he swings at pitches in the zone. Part of the reason for the change in approach for Loftin is that pitchers are not throwing in the zone a ton, throwing 48.6% of pitches in the zone, so Loftin has had to pick and choose his battles.
Having to be more disciplined at the plate has led to Loftin having a good walk rate of 10.8%. In his career, he has always had a knack for avoiding Ks, and that trend continues as his K-rate sits at 15.4% this year. He also doesn't whiff or chase a ton either and ranks in the 85th percentile on Baseball Savant for both. While the plate discipline numbers are good, the other reason he has been good is his ability to hit fastballs this year.
Against fastballs, Loftin is hitting .279 and slugging .491, which is a stark contrast to last season, when he hit .198 and slugged .307 against them. To be more specific, he is hitting 4-seam fastballs and sinkers the best, with a batting average of .274 and .318 against them, with a slugging clip of .450 or better against the two.
Those two reasons are the key factors into his breakout this season, but there are issues within the profile.
The Batted Ball Profile is Concerning
The plate discipline numbers being a driving force for Loftin is great, but when it comes to hitting, the results have been hit-and-miss for him. He has an average exit velo of 87.1 mph, a barrel rate of 4.2%, and a hard-hit rate of 28.9%. Now, he isn't some prolific power hitter, but that is concerning for a guy who has gap-to-gap power. Throw in an average bat speed of 69.0 mph and that adds to the concern.
What is saving him this year is the fact that he squares the ball up often (33.0% squared-up%), has a good LA sweet spot% (35.1%), and he pulls the ball in the air at a solid rate (20.5%). Another issue is that he has regressed in hitting breaking pitches this season compared to 2025.
In 2025, Loftin mashed breaking balls with a .267 average and a .533 slugging percentage. This year, however, he is only hitting .163 and slugging .263 against them. It is a Jekyll and Hyde situation where one year he can hit breaking balls, but not fastballs, and vice versa.
There will always be a concern if he can't create his own luck, so to say, as his BABIP currently sits at .266 and it always has been a low number in his career outside of 2023. He has been productive this year with those flaws, but it is a tad concerning.
Solid enough glove everywhere, but second base
While it isn't a necessity for every utility man, having a good glove at multiple positions is a good bonus for them and the teams that employ them. Loftin is one of those with a solid glove at multiple positions, except second base. On the year he has played 59 games at third base, 31 at second base, six in right field, three at shortstop, two at first base, and lastly two in right field.
In the outfield, he has been average at best with a combined -1 in all of OAA (Outs Above Average), FRV (Fielding Run Value), and DRS (Defensive Runs Saved). He was serviceable at shortstop and first base in his limited time at both positions. Second base will need some work if he is going to be a utility man because it has been a rough one at the keystone for him. He has -7 OAA and DRS and -4 in FRV this year. Those totals are some of the worst in the league for second basemen with at least 180 innings played at the position and he has the worst defensive value of that bunch (-5.2).
Third base, on the other hand, has been Loftin's best position. He has six DRS, five OAA, and four FRV on the year, putting him on par with Maikel Garcia's defensive metrics this year. Of third basemen with at least 450 innings played, he is the fourth-ranked third baseman in terms of defensive value, two spots ahead of Garcia.
Conclusion
Nick Loftin has put together a career season so far in 2026 and could continue showing signs of improvement going forward despite some flaws in his game. He provides solid-to-borderline gold-glove defense at multiple positions, is a clutch hitter with runners on (124 wRC+ in those situations), and isn't a free agent until 2031. It would be surprising if he doesn't keep his role going forward, but there are some others vying for bench roles. More on that tomorrow.
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Trey is no stranger to writing about the Royals as he has done it for 6 years now for various blogs (Kings of Kauffman, Inside The Royals, and Farm to Fountains). He is a graduate of Baker University with a degree in Mass Media with an emphasis in sports media. He enjoys watching and researching sports as well as gaming.
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