Kansas City Royals Top-30 Prospects
The official Royals Weekly top-30 prospects list
The Kansas City Royals may have spent the 2023-2024 off-season spending like a Kardashian, but in the long run, prospect development is their only model for sustainable success.
That’s why it’s so important for the Royals to revive their middling farm system. In their most recent organizational rankings, Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and Fangraphs ranked the Royals farm system 29th, 29th, and 27th respectively.
Not. Good.
But new-ish General Manager J.J. Picollo has repeatedly remarked on the organization’s willingness to embrace more modern approaches to player acquisition and development. Some new personnel (and some old personnel in new roles) seem to support that shift.
So, while the following top-30 may not be lauded by national pundits, there are some interesting players who will benefit from the Royals’ shift in player development.
Kansas City Royals top-30 Prospects
1. Frank Mozzicato, 20 years old, LHP, 6’3” 175 lbs
Mozzicato represents tremendous upside, as a young player with a major-league caliber curveball and projectable body. Despite a fastball that sits in the high 80s and command issues, Mozzicato managed to strikeout 25.3% of A+ hitters in 2023 while a full three years younger than the average A+ player.
If he adds velocity and improves his command, which many pitchers his age do, he has front of the rotation potential.
2. Mason Barnett, 23 years old, RHP, 6’0” 218 lbs
When Barnett was drafted in the third round back in 2022, he was a bit of a head scratcher, as he couldn’t even stick in the rotation at Auburn. The Royals clearly saw something other didn’t because Barnett has turned himself into a legit starting pitching prospect with a four-pitch arsenal and improved command.
Barnett really turned heads in 2023 when he showed out in seven starts upon promotion to AA Northwest Arkansas. In those starts, he put up 11.85 K/9 with an manageable 3.31 BB/9 to go along with a 3.58 ERA and 3.05 FIP.
3. Tyler Gentry, 24 years old, RF, 6’0” 210 lbs
Gentry is a classic floor over ceiling prospect. He doesn’t have the loudest tools, but he does everything well. And his 60-grade approach will allow him to maximize his value at the plate despite what is probably only 50-grade raw power.
With a crowded outfield in Kansas City, Gentry may have to start 2024 back in Omaha, but he should get his chance soon.
4. Blake Wolters, 19 years old, RHP, 6’4” 210 lbs
Wolters has as much hype as any Royals prospect heading into 2024, and it’s clear why. Reports have Wolters’ fastball sitting mid-90s and touching as high as 98 mph. Pair that with his high-spin slider, projectable frame, and athleticism, and there’s plenty to get excited about.
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly they push Wolters to A ball, but he should at least start in the Complex League.
5. Gavin Cross, 22 years old, RF, 6’1” 210 lbs
Cross dropped a ton of prospect value with an abysmal 2023, during which he slashed .203/.298/.378. The power potential is still there for Cross, but he has to improve his hit tool and learn to handle off-speed and breaking pitches better.
Defensively, Cross seems more than capable in right field, but that’s an offensive position. So, an offensive turnaround is needed.
6. Ramon Ramirez, 18 years old, C, 6’0” 180 lbs
The Royals prospect du jour, Ramirez turned many heads when he put up a .344/.440/.615 line in the DSL in 2023. His power potential as a catcher has a lot of people very excited, as does an approach that saw him take more walks than strikeouts.
The transition to playing in the United States is a big one; it will be exciting to see how he handles it.
7. Nick Loftin, 24 years old, UT, 5’11” 180 lbs
It feels like Loftin has been a top-10 Royals prospect for a long time, but this is probably his last year, as he’s already debuted in MLB. At one time, Loftin was seen as a potential super utility player in the mold of Whit Merrifield, but his defense was never stellar in the outfield, and now he’s more of a 3B/2B guy who will have to hit to stick in MLB.
Loftin doesn’t strikeout much, but he doesn’t walk much either, which means he’ll rely a lot on batted ball outcomes. If he could find just a little more patience, that could be the difference between a bench role and an every day role for him.
8. Blake Mitchell, 19 years old, C, 6’1” 202 lbs
Nobody wants to hear their team took a prep catcher in the first round, but that’s exactly what the Royals did with Mitchell in 2023. And though it’s a risk, he does have tremendous upside with above average power, a good eye at the plate, and a cannon for a right arm.
Reports on Mitchell’s catching have been promising, but he’ll have to develop more bat-to-ball skills in order provide enough offense to advance.
9. Chandler Champlain, 23 years old, RHP, 6’5” 220 lbs
Champlain broke out in 2023 by filling up the strike zone in A+. In 62.1 IP with Quad Cities, he had a very good 8.3% walk rate, a career best. Upon promotion to AA, he continued to limit walks while striking out enough hitters to get by.
The question with Champlain is can he miss enough bats? If he can, he looks like a solid backend starter. If he can’t, he’ll probably be a fringy major leaguer à la Max Castillo.
10. David Sandlin, 22 years old, RHP, 6’4” 215 lbs
Sandlin looked like the organizations most dangerous pitcher in A ball last year. He carried 12.12 K/9 and a 1.99 BB/9 rates out of Columbia with him. That’s dominant. The dominance didn’t last, though, as he struggled through 2 outings with Quad Cities before going down with an injury.
Sandlin has a legit fastball-slider combo, and his command has improved leaps and bounds since being drafted. If he can bounce back healthy next year, he may end up even higher on this list by midseason.
11. Austin Charles, 20 years old, SS/3B, 6’4” 215 lbs
A big, physically gifted prospect who is still very raw. A few swing adjustments will go a long way for him.
12. Carter Jensen, 20 years old, C, 6’1” 210 lbs
Local kid with a powerful bat who needs to cut back on strikeouts.
13. Ben Kudrna, 20 years old, RHP, 6’3” 175 lbs
Another local kid who projects as a solid, back end starter. May need to miss more bats to get there, though.
14. Cayden Wallace, 22 years old, 3B, 5’10” 205 lbs
Showed improved defense and patience in 2023, but the power is a concern.
15. Javier Vaz, 23 years old, 2B/CF, 5’9” 151 lbs
A near lock to make it to MLB, but he may never hit the ball hard enough to be an every day player.
16. John McMillon, 25 years old, RHP, 6’3” 230 lbs
A power arm out of the bullpen. Looked good in his MLB debut in 2023 until a forearm issue sidelined him.
17. James McArthur, 27 years old, RHP, 6’7” 230 lbs
Carried the Royals bullpen in September. Can he duplicate that for an entire season?
18. Anthony Veneziano, 26 years old, LHP, 6’5” 205 lbs
Tall, lanky left handed starter who may be better suited for the pen. Good breaking ball but his fastball is pretty hittable, despite decent velocity.
19. Peyton Wilson, 24 years old, 2B/OF, 5’8” 180 lbs
Great athlete at second base. The question is can he keep strikeouts under control and hit the ball hard enough to be effective offensively.
20. Samad Taylor, 25 years old, 2B/OF, 5’8” 160 lbs
Highly productive at AAA, but struggled to stay patient in MLB. Needs to swing less.
21. Noah Cameron, 23 years old, LHP, 6’3” 220 lbs
Mowed down A+ before struggling mightily with AA. He’ll get a second chance there in 2024.
22. Carson Roccaforte, 21 years old, CF, 6’1” 195 lbs
2023 draftee who looks like a lock to stick in center field. Needs to get more loft on his swing to take advantage of decent raw power.
23. Jared Dickey, 21 years old, LF/RF, 6’1” 204 lbs
Dickey excels at getting bat to ball, but he needs to trade his slasher’s approach in for a power hitter’s bat path.
24. Trevor Werner, 22 years old, 3B, 6’3” 225 lbs
Erupted in his pro debut showing immense power and on-base ability. Had an 1.158 OPS in A ball. Can he keep it up against better competition?
25. Eric Torres, 19 years old, OF, 5’10” 160 lbs
Good athlete. If he can stick in center, his offensive profile should work moving forward.
26. Steven Zobac, 22 years old, RHP, 6’3” 185 lbs
Consistency and pitchability help him make the most of his average stuff.
27. Spencer Nivens, 22 years old, OF, 5’11” 185 lbs
Didn’t excel in his pro debut last year, but had good walk and strikeout numbers so don’t be surprised if he does well in A+ in 2024.
28. Matt Sauer, 24 years old, RHP, 6’4” 230 lbs
The Royals’ 2023 Rule 5 Draft pick. He’ll get a chance to relieve in Kansas City after working as a starter for most of his minor league career.
29. Yunior Marte, 20 years old, RHP, 6’5” 210 lbs
A big, tall righty with good strikeout-to-walk ratios. Should get a look at Columbia this season.
30. Andrew Hoffman, 23 years old, RHP, 6’5” 210 lbs
Made major mechanics adjustments in 2023 and saw some results in his secondary numbers. Will he find more success in 2024?
Just missed
Hunter Patteson, 23 years old, LHP, 6’4” 190 lbs
Luca Tresh, 23 years old, C, 5’11” 193 lbs
Ben Sears, 23 years old, RHP, 6’5” 208 lbs
Tyler Tolbert, 25 years old, UT, 6’0” 160 lbs
Will Klein, 24 years old, RHP, 6’5” 230 lbs
Hiro Wyatt, 19 years old, RHP, 6’1” 190 lbs
Hunter Owen, 21 years old, LHP, 6’6” 261 lbs
Tyson Guerrero, 24 years old, LHP, 6’1” 188 lbs
Shawndrick Oduber, 19 years old, RHP, 6’0” 170 lbs
Notes on Prospects List
The Royals have many players who could appear in the 20-30 range for teams. These players usually fit one of three types: 1) High variance long shots who are still in the low minors. 2) Low ceiling, high-ish floor players in the upper minors. 3) Good relief prospects. The Royals have a lot of prospects who fit one of those three categories so drawing a distinction between the “just missed” category and anyone 20-30 doesn’t mean much.
Royals Weekly is probably higher on Mozzicato, Barnett, and Gentry than the consensus, though some publications agree with us on each. Interestingly, these three players really represent the spectrum of ceiling and floor with Mozzicato being the highest variance and highest ceiling, Gentry being the lowest variance and lowest ceiling, and Barnett being in the middle.
Cayden Wallace is probably ranked lower on our list than anywhere else. That’s not because we don’t like him or anything; it’s just because we know that in order to become a successful big leaguer he’ll need to produce more power. And we have doubts as to the possibility of that.
Gavin Cross and Blake Mitchell have outsized influence on how this system is perceived. If they can regain some of their prospect value in 2024, that will go a long way toward pushing the system up the boards of national prospect evaluators.