Looking back at draft takes is often a wild exercise in 20-20 hindsight. The Major League Baseball amateur draft is hard, and young baseball talent often takes unpredictable routes along their development journey.

Such was the case for Nick Loftin, certainly. After the pick, then-MLB.com beat writer Jeffrey Flanagan kicked off his piece stating that “The Royals may have found their next Whit Merrifield.” General manager Dayton Moore also revealed that the Royals were truly considering selecting Loftin with the fourth overall selection, which they eventually used on pitcher Asa Lacy.

Needless to say, that set some high expectations for Loftin. Merrifield, of course, was an All-Star coming off two consecutive seasons of hitting .300 while playing just about every position on the diamond. Meanwhile, the two guys Kansas City was considering with the fourth overall pick—Austin Martin and Asa Lacy—were widely considered to be the top right-handed hitting talent and left-handed pitching talent, respectively, prior to the draft.

Prior to this season, Loftin didn’t come anywhere close to meeting those expectations. He was ok in the Minor Leagues, but the Royals’ awful 2023 campaign gave him his first taste of big league action, and Loftin would play some in each of the next two seasons—though not well. In his first 142 games from 2023 through 2025, Loftin only managed a .220/.294/.323 triple slash.

All of this is important because, entering 2026, Loftin’s role on the team had diminished to utility, and it just wasn’t clear if he could stick in the big leagues at all. For a player who had just turned 27 the previous September, it was a big deal.

It is fair to say that Loftin played well enough to turn his whole career around.

This year, Loftin managed to combine his high walk rate from 2024 and his relatively high power from 2025, while simultaneously hitting for a much higher batting average than either season. The result was a career-best .240/.322/.388 triple slash, good enough for a 98 wRC+. Loftin swatted eight home runs and had numerous key moments throughout the year, like the above go-ahead homer against Detroit in July.

While initially making the Opening Day roster specifically as a utility player, Loftin was quickly pressed into a more regular duty due to multiple infield injuries. Jonathan India hit the injured list in the middle of April and had shoulder surgery at the end of April, opening up a lot of innings at second base. Third baseman Maikel Garcia missed a bunch of games with right and left hamstring strains as well as a left hand issue, opening up a lot of innings at third base. There were even some innings at shortstop available, as Bobby Witt Jr. was limited to 143 games due to his injuries.

Loftin filled some at all three spots (although he only had seven innings at short). But it was at third base where Loftin’s defensive skillset fit best. He even got a Gold Glove nomination from his defensive work, like this nifty grab against the Pirates:

All told per Fangraphs, Loftin put up 1.3 WAR in 118 games while filling crucial innings in the infield. It was a successful year that showed that Loftin can more than hold his own.

But what will Loftin’s role next year be? That is the real question. While he’s a solid third baseman, Garcia is a better hitter, baserunner, and defender than Loftin is. At second base, Michael Massey had his own breakout season and has a longer track record at competent offense and solid defense there. Witt is ensconced at shortstop for as long as he’s a Royal. So, outfield? The Royals certainly need right-handed hitting there. But Loftin is an awkward defender in the outfield, and the numbers so far line up with that eye test (read: they’re bad).

Loftin’s most likely home next year is similar to his home this year: as a competent utility guy who can hold down the fort at a position for a long stretch and not embarrass you. That sounds glass-half-empty, but legit utility players are valuable, and Loftin is absolutely a plus for Kansas City. It wasn’t Loftin’s fault that the pitching stunk this year, and I wonder if the Royals had a better pitching staff that Loftin’s solid season would be seen in an even better light.