KC Royals will send top prospect to Arizona Fall League. Here’s what it means
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals send top prospect Blake Mitchell to AFL for added reps and development.
- Eight Royals prospects join Surprise Saguaros for October AFL competition.
- Reliever AJ Causey highlights pitcher group with a 1.74 ERA in 2025 season.
The Kansas City Royals will get a closer look at a few minor league prospects in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) this October.
Top Royals prospect Blake Mitchell headlines the selected group of players. He is joined by minor-league pitchers AJ Causey, Dennis Colleran, Logan Martin, Hunter Owen and LP Langevin. The Royals will also send shortstop Daniel Vasquez and outfielder Carson Roccaforte to join the Surprise Saguaros.
Royals minor-league coach Jesus Azuaje will manage the Saguaros. He will be joined by Bryce Hall as the strength and conditioning coach.
The Saguaros’ roster features prospects from the Royals, Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. Last season, the Saguaros lost to the Salt River Rafters in the AFL Championship Game.
The AFL is home to six teams filled with MLB prospects across the league. The Royals have used the league to give top prospects more in-game experience. Last season, KC sent Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone and Luinder Avila to the AFL.
The trio is now up with the Royals. Each made their major league debut this season and remains on the active roster.
“There are a couple of different reasons why you want them to go,” Royals vice president of research and development Daniel Mack said. “Sometimes it’s because you want them to see a slightly different level or type of competition. … You get an opportunity to see some upper-level arms that may be getting an opportunity to rehab using it. You get to see some prospect arms. And it’s just a nice way to kind of finish off the season.”
Mitchell had a delayed start to the 2025 season. He was sidelined with a hamate bone fracture in his right hand. He has hit .218 with three home runs, 19 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 197 at-bats.
The Royals would like Mitchell to get more playing time this fall. He has appeared in 60 minor-league games and is currently playing with High-A Quad Cities.
“You want to give guys the opportunity to face good competition,” Mack said. “For a player like Blake, it’s an opportunity for him to kind of keep that competition level he’s at and get those plate appearances so that he’s got a better understanding of what his workload will be for the following year.”
Mitchell was drafted eighth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. He ranks as the Royals’ No. 1 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He is also the 48th-ranked prospect among the MLB Top 100.
The Royals are also excited to see Vazquez, Roccaforte and Owen in action. They also rank highly among the club’s top 30 prospects.
Vazquez will return to the AFL for a second consecutive season. He hit .298 in 14 games with the Saguaros in 2024. This season, Vazquez has advanced three levels and is playing with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
“We already know what he can do defensively,” Mack said. “So, just more opportunity for the at-bats to get the reps against good arms. You know, it’s a chance for him to continue to develop the offensive side of his game.”
Roccaforte is also climbing the minor-league ranks. He has 116 hits, 18 home runs and 73 RBIs this season. Owen is an established starter with a 3.57 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) with Northwest Arkansas.
“He turned around the return to Quad Cities, found himself and got to Double-A and kept that momentum going,” Mack said of Roccaforte.
Both Roccaforte and Owen were drafted in 2023. The Royals selected Roccaforte in the Competitive Balance Round B out of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Owen was taken in the fourth round out of Vanderbilt.
Among the top pitchers selected, the Royals are high on right-handed reliever AJ Causey, who has dominated the minors this season. Causey has a 1.74 ERA in 47 appearances across two minor-league levels.
There is a possibility Causey could move quickly through the system.
“First of all, it’s such a unique pitch repertoire, especially because of his slot,” Mack said. “This year, he sort of had gone into that full-on relief mentality. … So, you kind of also let this guy build a few more reliever reps and get to do it against that kind of competition. A player like that can be a really quick mover if they get off the ground running.”
The Saguaros will play games throughout October. The AFL season begins on Oct. 6 and will conclude with the 2025 AFL Championship on Nov. 15.
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM with the headline "KC Royals will send top prospect to Arizona Fall League. Here’s what it means."
