The Kansas City Royals' farm system has experienced significant setbacks and is now one of the weakest in all of baseball, due to a combination of positive and negative factors over the years. The good news is that they have produced some quality major leaguers, such as Bobby Witt Jr. The downside is that they have not drafted or developed well in recent years. The top prospect in the system is a catcher named Ramon Ramirez, who plays in the Dominican Summer League, highlighting the weakness of the system. Ramirez is a promising prospect based on his own merit thanks to his glove and power, but teams don't want a player who has not yet come to the United States as their top prospect and the centerpiece of their farm system. They have missed on early-round picks such as Frank Mozzicato, and it appears that Gavin Cross is following the same path, as both players have regressed since being drafted. There is hope that the new regime can address some of the issues from the past, but that remains to be determined. They drafted well, infusing talent into the lower levels of the system. Blake Mitchell is the headliner, but he is also a low-level catcher, a notoriously volatile bucket of prospects. Ultimately, the lack of effective drafting, signing, and player development has led to a major league squad that lacks depth and strength. Fortunately for Royals fans, someone has to legally win the AL Central.
About Our Top 30 Lists
Prospects Live, led by its evaluating team, is proud to begin rolling out its annual offseason system reports. The team has meticulously worked on every detail in this list and all future teams, sparing no effort as we combine industry feedback, our live looks, film, and available data to compile each org. We believe this effort has enabled us to present you, the reader, with our best possible list.
We have constructed this list using the Overall Future Potential (OFP) scale. There is no perfect equation for ranking prospects or assigning value to them, but we believe this method is the best possible approach. Every prospect on this list has been graded based on the tried and true 20-80 scouting scale. An 80 is the highest tool and OFP grade on the scale, reserved for MVP-caliber players or tools. Conversely, a 20 is reserved for non-prospects (NPs). A 50 OFP falls in the middle, indicating our evaluators deem this player a future average major league player. Below the 50 OFP tier are the 45s and 40s, comprising a large majority of players on each list. These are specific-role players, such as platoon hitters, utility players, or low-leverage relievers. Above the 50 OFP tier are the 55s and 60s. A 55 represents a future above-average player, and a 60 OFP designation is reserved for future All-Star caliber players.
In addition to the tool grades and OFP, we will also include a 'Risk' associated with each prospect. We use this to better communicate to you, the reader, whether a grade is more aggressive or conservative in nature. The evaluation team has worked painstakingly to apply both the grades and risk components to better illustrate how each individual prospect stacks up in their respective system and in the baseball ecosystem.
This year, we decided to accompany the scouting reports with dynasty commentary on each, as well as quick reference to the player's Top 500 fantasy prospect rank (top 1000 dynasty rank coming soon), PLIVE+ metrics and Jordan Rosenblum's peak projections. The PLIVE+ rank noted is the rank among hitters, starters or relievers.
Below you'll find the top 10 players in the system with full reports of the top 5. The full rankings and reports on all top 30 prospects per team will be available on our Patreon at the 55-tier ($5 level) as we publish them. If you're into fantasy baseball, this tier also gets you the dynasty show, the FYPD list, and the MiLB Daily Sheet during the regular season.
Top 10 Team Rank and First 5 Reports for Free Below
1. Ramon Ramirez, C - 50 OFP
Age: 18 Highest Level: DSL
2023 Pre-season Rank: N/A
Dynasty Prospect Rank: Not Ranked
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 60 | 45 | 55 | 40 | High |
Report Ramirez is firmly on the prospect map after an impressive stint in the DSL, and he would’ve finished in the top ten in the league in homers and batting average if he had qualified. The DSL is such a noisy environment, and normally, you take these performances with a bit of skepticism, but the reports on Ramirez from his complex league stint at the end of the summer backed up his performance, in which he hit .344/.440/.615 with 8 homers. He’s advanced for his age and showed through with his approach (21 walks to 18 strikeouts) and his defensive skills. He has a big arm and has shown enough to project as a catcher long-term, but with how good the bat can be, there is a chance he could move off the position, though that appears unlikely. The power metrics back up the production with big exit velocity numbers, reportedly around 103 for a 90% EV, and the swing decisions and contact skills back up the approach. He’s a borderline top 100 prospect due to his upside and potential franchise catcher ceiling. - Matt Thompson
Fantasy Outlook Baseball knowledge and common sense alike will advise you to do as Larry David instructed and curb your enthusiasm with DSL hitters, but inspection of Ramon Ramirez’s ostentatious pro debut does enough to push back. The teenage catcher’s metrics all top one another in succession, with a .270 ISO potentially the most provocative of all. Ramirez is not included in our end-of-season Top 500 Prospects list, but almost certainly will be upon its next update. Yes, Ramon Ramirez could fade away into the night sky, never to be heard of again – but then again, some prospects ignite in the DSL and become part of fantasy dynasties. If risks are your thing, take the plunge as you would for any of our top 450-500 prospects. Run to the wire at your first availability in leagues of more prospects. – Drew Wheeler
2. David Sandlin, RHP - 50 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: A+
2023 Pre-season Rank: 6 OFP: 50
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 263
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 40 | 55 | 55 | 50 | Mod |
Report Sandlin is quite the find by the Royals' brass in the 11th round. He has an ideal starter's build, being well-proportioned and filled out. Sandlin releases the ball from a three-quarters arm slot and repeats his delivery well. He has a slight leg kick with a bit of drop and drive in his mechanics. His fastball is a solid mid-90s pitch that plays down a touch because of its generic shape. His fastball is relatively straight, but he has good command of it. His slider is a formidable weapon, showcasing impressive vertical drop. He is most effective when attempting to make right-handed batters chase it out of the zone. He will use the slider against left-handed batters to induce them to swing and miss. He occasionally showcases a curveball, but it is merely to gain strikes early in the count. His changeup is a vulcan-change or a split-change with more drop than tumble-and-fade. It is a real weapon for him to utilize early and late in counts to induce whiffs. It is a real weapon late in the count as well, especially when he goes fastball high, changeup low to move the batter's eye-level. Sandlin is able to spot all of his pitches accurately and has average command. The former Oklahoma Sooner is showing promise as a potential mid-rotation starter and was having a successful first full season in professional baseball before an undisclosed injury ended his season prematurely. - Rhys White
Fantasy Outlook Sandlin has been a pleasant surprise for the Royals as an 11th rounder who excelled in his first full season in the organization. With his large frame and three potential above-average offerings (4S, CB, SPLTR), his 32.1 K% looks like no fluke. Some questions will need to be answered, however. Will his command be refined enough to maintain a 6.6 BB%? Can he improve his ground ball rate above 38%? Time will tell us these answers, but Sandlin looks to be a legitimate pitching prospect and someone you will want to invest in leagues with 250 prospects. - Greg Hoogkamp
3. Blake Mitchell, C - 45 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: CPX
2023 MLB Draft Rank Rank: 6 OFP: 50
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 328
| Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 55 | 50 | 70 | 45 | Exteme |
Report Mitchell has room to fill but has a lot of present strength well distributed throughout his frame. Really good athlete, showed off a double-plus arm on the mound throwing low-to-mid 90’s in high school, and also shows it off at his current home behind the plate. Mitchell’s best potential tool is his plus raw power, which is already above average in game. He rocks in his swing, allowing him to load on his back half a lot and explode through the zone. He crushes fastballs and can hit the ball hard to all fields but thrives in the gaps. Defensively, he should remain behind the plate, where the glove has the chance to be above average, but at worst, he should be a big-league average defender in terms of receiving and blocking since his athleticism helps him move very naturally. He got off to a rocky start in rookie ball, which isn’t anything to worry about after he had a long high school season and had a big adjustment to pro ball. His lower half rock can be a concern; a lot of movement can cause timing issues and might get exposed as he has to face better pitching. There will be some swing and miss, but if he can hit enough for the power to come through, he has a chance to be a 20-25 homer catcher with solid to above average defense. - Cameron Emamian
Fantasy Outlook Mitchell slots in at 328th on our October Top 500 update after the Royals made him the 8th pick in the 2023 draft. He looks like a high-upside catching prospect with plus raw power and promising plate skills, with more walks than strikeouts in his brief (52 PA) professional debut in the CPX. If he maintains these plate skills and begins to tap into his plus power, he will be a top 100 prospect before long. - Jordan Rosenblum
4. Mason Barnett, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
2023 Pre-season Rank: Unranked
Dynasty Prospect Rank: Not Ranked
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Changeup | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 40 | 55 | 40 | 50 | Mod |
Report Barnett had a fantastic first professional season for the Royals after an inconsistent career at Auburn. Barnett has good stuff and attacks hitters with a four-pitch mix, and much of his success this year can be traced back to an uptick in velocity that has taken his fastball to the next level. He was operating previously around 92-96 mph, but now he frequently touches 98 mph with the fastball, and visually it just plays better up in the zone. His best secondary is a mid-80s slider he commands well; it’s his primary putaway pitch. He also throws a mid-70s curveball that lacks consistent shape and will mix a changeup in to keep left-handed hitters honest. He has average command, and we think there’s improvement here coming. Barnett looks like a future starter for me, and he spent all season building up and challenging hitters. He is primarily a two-pitch guy at the moment, and we also think the curveball and changeup could eventually be average pitches, but they aren’t particularly close yet. Barnett will likely start 2024 in Triple-A and could make his debut anytime in 2024. - Matt Thompson
Fantasy Outlook Barnett’s uptick in fastball velocity has given the 23-year-old righty a new scope of fantasy relevance heading into his third professional season. If the former Auburn Tiger can maintain these improvements and develop either his curveball or changeup (or both), he could be a quick riser with plenty of fantasy upside. For the moment, Barnett is best reserved for leagues of 600 prospects or so, but he could see inclusion on our Top 500 before mid-season 2024. – Drew Wheeler
5. Chandler Champlain, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 24 Highest Level: AA
2023 Pre-season Rank: Unranked
Dynasty Prospect Rank: Not Ranked
| Fastball | Curveball | Slider | Command | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 55 | 50 | 45 | Mod |
Report Chandler Champlain has an ideal build for a pitcher and wouldn't look out of place lining up as an old-school pocket-passing quarterback. He has thick, broad shoulders and well-defined muscles. Champlain releases the ball from a high three-quarters arm slot and repeats his delivery well despite not being the greatest athlete. He consistently throws strikes. Due to his high effort delivery, he sometimes appears to be throwing to parts of the zone, which results in his command being below average. Champlain throws a straight fastball in the mid-90s, and he consistently gets swings and misses with it. Champlain loves to finish off batters with a high fastball when he is ahead in the count and has forced a 2-2, 1-2, or 0-2 count for himself. He loves to set up the high fastball with either of his two breakers, and will mix and match the curveball and slider. He loves to spot the curveball low to induce swings out of the zone and he does like to use the slider to avoid solid contact with the bat. His curveball is not quite 12-to-6 in shape, but it is close enough. It has good, though not excellent, vertical break. Champlain's slider is a harder horizontal offering that he uses just as much as the curveball to right-handed batters but does not use as much against left-handed batters. Champlain is too predictable when he gets ahead, allowing him to use the curveball down and the fastball up to follow that to finish off batters, and when he is behind, he is less effective. Champlain looks like a reliever who could see an increase in velocity if he throws in shorter spurts. Additionally, his plan of throwing curveballs down and fastballs up would be more effective in that scenario. Champlain is shaping up to be a rare victory for the Royals, as they acquired him in the Benintendi trade, and he could make his debut in the second half of 2024. - Rhys White
Fantasy Outlook There is a lot to like about Champlain – his starter’s build, mix of average or better pitches, and propensity for throwing strikes come to mind – but concerns about his strikeout potential and predictability on the mound leave concerns he may end up a relief option. Kansas City has not given any inclination he will be pushed to the ‘pen until he reaches the majors, so if his strikeouts trend upward, he could be a wise proximity pick with upside in leagues of 600-700 prospects rostered. – Drew Wheeler
6. Blake Wolters, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 19 Highest Level: HS
2023 MLB Draft Rank: 38
Dynasty Prospect Rank: Not Ranked
7. Cayden Wallace, 3B - 45 OFP
Age: 22 Highest Level: AA
2023 Pre-season Rank: 4 OFP: 50
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 270
8. Ben Kudrna, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 21 Highest Level: A+
2023 Pre-season Rank: 2 OFP: 50
Dynasty Prospect Rank: Not Ranked
9. Gavin Cross, OF - 45 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: AA
2023 Pre-season Rank: 1 OFP: 55
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 304
10. Steven Zobac, RHP - 45 OFP
Age: 23 Highest Level: A+
2023 Pre-season Rank: Unranked
Dynasty Prospect Rank: Not Ranked