Royals Snubbed Again by MLB Network's Befuddling Player Rankings
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It would be hard to win a defamation or libel case based on subjective player rankings, but the Kansas City Royals might be thinking about taking "The Shredder" in front of a jury.
Every year, MLB Network's "Top 10 Right Now" player rankings cause a commotion across the Major League Baseball community, and for the last two offseasons, those rankings have been brutal toward the Royals' stars. Last year, Bobby Witt Jr. was "The Shredder's" No. 4 shortstop, and this year, third baseman Maikel Garcia was left out of the Top 10 altogether.
On Monday, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino became the latest Royals homegrown star to suffer injustice at the hands of the network's always-controversial rankings system.
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Pasquantino snubbed; Maikel Garcia comes to his defense
Coming off his first 30-homer, 100-RBI season, and having led the Royals in both categories last season, Pasquantino was left off MLB Network's list of Top 10 first basemen altogether. The final three spots on the stacked list went to Pete Alonso, Michael Busch, and Willson Contreras.
Here are the best first basemen entering 2026, according to The Shredder! #Top10RightNow pic.twitter.com/guCSoYa2xR
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 10, 2026
Pasquantino had flown to Garcia's defense when the All-Star third baseman was left off "The Shredder's" list in late January, so it was only fitting that the 25-year-old would return the favor on social media.
All it took for Garcia to register his displeasure with the rankings was a series of four emojis, resembling someone who was in shock to find out some egregious news bulletin.
— Maikel Garcia (@maikeljose06) February 10, 2026
Garcia's outrage wasn't unprompted. Pasquantino's rate stats haven't always been in line with the top players at the position, but last year, he was 11th among first basemen in OPS at .798 (one spot ahead of Contreras on the list).
He was also fourth among first basemen with 32 homers, and second at the position with 113 RBIs.
As a small-market team, the Royals are smart to take any perceived slight from the national media and use it as motivation. MLB Network just so happens to be handing that motivation to them on a silver platter these days.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
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