Where does the Royals farm system stand ahead of this year’s MLB Draft?
Wednesday’s MLB amateur draft will serve to bolster the currently dormant farm systems of clubs like the Kansas City Royals. While the COVID-19 pandemic halted the minor-league season before it ever started, that pipeline remains vital for the futures of major-league teams.
Baseball America ranked the Royals’ farm system 18th out of 30 MLB clubs in terms of organizational talent early this spring.
The Royals have selected a total of 24 players in the top five rounds the past four years (six in 2019, eight in 2018, six in 2017, four in 2016).
They’ll pick fourth overall in this year’s MLB Draft.
Here’s a look at how close the top-rated prospects in the Royals’ farm system are to the majors.
Pitchers
Seventeen of the Royals’ top 30 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, are pitchers. Of that group, starters Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Tillo and Foster Griffin pitched at Double-A or Triple-A in 2019.
Singer earned the organization’s Double-A Pitcher of the Year award, while Kowar is ranked a higher prospect (No. 78 in BA’s top 100). Tillo started almost exclusively in the minors, but last season he made more appearances out of the bullpen than in the rotation at Double-A.
Relief pitchers Richard Lovelady, a left-hander, and Josh Staumont spent most of the year at Triple-A Omaha. However, each had stints with the major-league club last year and were in consideration for the Royals’ roster this spring.
An injury caused top-rated prospect Daniel Lynch, a 6-foot-6 left-handed starter, to shut down temporarily in the middle of last season. He likely would have pitched at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2019 if not for that injury, and appeared headed there this year.
Left-hander Kris Bubic, the Royals’ fourth-best pitching prospect, earned High-A Pitcher of the Year honors last year and joined Singer in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. He would likely have joined Lynch in the Double-A rotation this year, along with left-hander Austin Cox. Cox began last year in Low-A Lexington and made his last 10 starts at High-A Wilmington.
Lynch, Kowar, Singer and Bubic are considered the organization’s top four pitching prospects.
The lower levels of the KC farm system feature several intriguing pitching prospects, such as right-handers Jonathan Bowlan, Zach Haake and Jon Heasley, all drafted out of college in 2018, as well as international signees Carlos Hernandez and Yefri Del Rosario. Bowlan pitched at High-A last year, while Haake, Hernandez, Heasley and Del Rosario all pitched in Low-A.
Hernandez posted some gaudy strikeout-per-nine inning numbers (10.8 in seven Low-A starts). Lexington’s staff also featured top-30 Royals prospects Evan Steele, a left-hander who missed 2018 due to injury, and Dominican right-hander Yohanse Morel, who’ll turn 20 in August.
Hitters
Two of the top five position player prospects in the Royals’ system joined the organization as teenagers last year: No. 2 overall draft pick Bobby Witt Jr., a shortstop, and the club’s top international signing, outfielder Erick Pena. Witt Jr. is the organization’s top prospect — ranked No. 24 in Baseball America’s top 100 rankings — and last year’s national high school player of the year.
Witt projected to get his first taste at a full-season affiliate, likely Low-A, this year, while Pena was slated to jump into rookie ball.
Outfielder Khalil Lee, a former third-round pick out of high school (2016), is the furthest along of the Royals’ top position-player prospects. He earned Double-A Player of the Year honors for the Royals last season as well as midseason All-Star honors. He’ll turn 22 this month and continues to grow into his power. Lee stole 53 bases last year.
Lee would’ve joined outfielder Nick Heath, who began last season at Double-A and advanced to Triple-A, in the Omaha outfield this year. Heath is not as highly ranked by third-party publications — Baseball America rated him No. 26 in the Royals’ system — but garnered a 40-man roster spot this winter and led the minors in stolen bases (60).
Kelvin Guitierrez could be KC’s third baseman of the future with Hunter Dozier moved to the outfield. He played in 20 major-league games last season and performed well at Triple-A. Had it not been for an injury that ended his minor-league season, and another in winter ball, he may have gotten a chance this year.
The majority of the Royals’ top position-player prospects were on the cusp of breaking into the upper levels of the minors, several having experienced setbacks to their progress in recent years.
First baseman Nick Pratto, a former first-round pick, struggled (.191 batting average) at High-A in 2019, as did catcher M.J. Melendez (.163) and outfielder Seuly Mathias (.143). Mathias, who hit 31 homers in 2018 at Low-A, played with a broken hand for part of last season and only appeared in 57 games. The Royals made changes to their hitting-development program this offseason in an attempt to address some of the struggles of their top prospects.
Outfielders Kyle Isbel and Brewer Hicklen seemed slated for Double-A this year after spending last year at High-A Wilmington. Isbel impressed with his defense in big-league camp this year, and he trailed off last year in part due to a hamstring injury that kept him out from mid-April to early July. Baseball America ranked Isbel the fifth-best prospect in the Royals’ system, while Pratto ranked 10th, Melendez 12th and Mathias 16th.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Where does the Royals farm system stand ahead of this year’s MLB Draft?."
