Inside the Crown Top 15 Royals Prospects

15 players who play in the Royals system who I think are better than anyone else in the Royals system.

I’ve talked a lot about prospects over these last couple weeks with prospects who have a lot to prove, the 40-man roster crunch, Bobby Witt, Jr. being fun and where the innings will come from in 2021. I figured with that much prospect talk that I should give you my top 15 prospects heading into the 2021 season after we’ve had a couple weeks of spring training action to see some of the results from offseason work. 

Let’s get right to it. 

1. Bobby Witt, Jr., SS - This one is easy, but not something I actually thought after he was drafted in spite of his pedigree. The contact questions coming out of high school combined with his mediocre showing in 2019 in rookie ball had Witt down a touch on my prospect list at the time, but after his work at the alternate site and this spring, I don’t think there’s any question who belongs at the top. His added strength has upped his power potential to me, but he’s both quick and fast with the ability to stick at shortstop long-term. He may not end up the best pure hitter in the organization, but he has a good chance to be the team’s best player within just a couple year.
   ETA: Late 2021/Early 2022 (But man, every time he takes the field he makes me think that timeline is way too conservative.)

2. Daniel Lynch, LHP - He finally had a strong outing over the weekend against the Cubs going three innings and striking out five while walking nobody. One thing about spring that can make pitching performances misleading are that starters don’t get a chance to work around slightly crooked numbers. For example, Lynch allowed a two-run homer in the second, so he ended up with allowing two runs in his three innings. When on, he’s absolutely nasty with a fastball that can reach the upper-90s, a plus slider and a changeup that has looked good when I’ve seen it. He’s a front half of the rotation starter who is almost ready to go. That’s a good thing.
   ETA: Mid-2021

3. Asa Lacy, LHP - I really thought about putting Lacy ahead of Lynch here and ultimately it feels like there’s a great chance that he ends up better, but he also hasn’t done it professionally yet. It’s not Lacy’s fault, but it’s the reality. He can also get his fastball to the upper-90s but probably sits a tick or two below Lynch. He has two good breaking balls with his slider the better, but his curve also worthwhile. His changeup continues to improve and should be a weapon for him, which gives him four pitches with a chance to get big league hitters out. If you had to bet on one arm in the system to be a true ace, Lacy is the guy for me.
   ETA: 2022

4. Erick Peña, OF - This is probably the first break from conventional wisdom on this list, but I’ve heard some excellent things about Peña out of spring training this year. He has a beautiful swing that actually makes contact and shows legitimate power. He can probably handle center field adequately but his long-term spot is right field, which is fine as long as the bat develops as it seems like it can. Those I’ve talked to think he can be a quick mover and get to the upper levels of the minors as soon as next season.
   ETA: 2023/2024

5. Jackson Kowar, RHP - I would say Kowar’s stock has dropped as much as anyone’s without game action. His changeup is absolutely top notch and the best in the system, in my opinion, all the way up to the big leagues. But his fastball is too true and we’ve seen it get hit both in Summer Camp exhibition games and spring training this season. All that said, the fastball is still upper-90s with that disgusting changeup, so if the breaking ball can come along this year, he can still end up as the best of the bunch. I’m just a little more down on him than I was at this time last year.
   ETA: Late 2021

6. Kyle Isbel, OF - The inverse of Kowar, the lack of game action has actually been very good for Isbel’s stock over the last year or so. He earned rave reviews for his work at the alternate site and has shown a really nice approach this spring. If he can handle center field at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals will be better for it, but Isbel is the type of player on winning teams. I’ve said this before, but if he’s their best player, they’re in trouble, but if he’s a glue guy, they might be a pretty good team. Isbel is very well rounded. He’ll hit for average and enough power to keep opponents honest. He’s a plus runner too. Just a solid player you want on your team.
   ETA: 2021ish

7. Alec Marsh, RHP - I was pretty unimpressed with the Marsh pick in 2019, but everything he’s done since being drafted is actually sort of reminiscent of Daniel Lynch (can something by reminiscent of something that happened a year earlier?). His velocity has ticked up and the stuff, in general, just looks fantastic. He’s a big-bodied pitcher with the look of a workhorse. That velocity is up to 99 at times, but can sit 94-97. We’ll see how well that holds up this year. He can locate his changeup, slider and curve and they’re all average or better pitches. People haven’t talked much about Marsh, but they’re about to this season.
   ETA: Late 2022

8. Austin Cox, LHP - We are firmly into the secondary pitching prospects who would have ranked at the top of one of these lists just a few years ago. Cox is the guy talked about who doesn’t have quite as good stuff as the top prospects in the system, but it’s not like he doesn’t have good stuff. He sits in the lowish 90s, but can reach 95 or 96, so there’s more in the tank if a move to the bullpen happens. His curve is one of the best in the system and is a legitimate plus pitch for him, so that will be his carrying pitch in the big leagues in all likelihood, but he has a decent changeup that’s good enough to complement the other two pitches.
   ETA: Late 2022/Sometime 2023

9. Nick Pratto, 1B - If you had told me I’d have Pratto in a top 10 even a month ago, I’d have laughed in your face, but everything I’ve seen is matching up with everything I’ve heard that I thought was the organization blowing smoke about a guy they want to be good. Pratto’s swing looks shorter and so much smoother and the results are really talking, spring training or not. The good with Pratto even aside from the offense we’ve seen this spring is that he’s a very good defender at first and he really knows the strike zone well. I think he’s being a bit more aggressive to not get himself into tougher counts, but he still knows a ball from a strike, so if the offense is real, the Royals once again have a first baseman of the future. 
   ETA: 2023

10. Jonathan Bowlan, RHP - I’ve been a big fan of Bowlan for a long time. He’s a big, big dude and has a fastball that sits 93-95 or so but can touch 97 or 98. It gets a lot of grounders. The issue with Bowlan is that he doesn’t even truly have a consistent second pitch just yet. His slider and changeup both flash plus at times, but they just aren’t always there. If he can get to count on one of them, he could be an elite reliever. If both come, add another starter to the future rotation that is starting to look like it could go eight or nine deep. The plus here is that he repeats his delivery well, so the command is sharp. 
    ETA: 2023

11. Nick Loftin, SS - This is another pick I didn’t love, but I’m ranking higher than expected based on reports I’ve seen and heard. I think there is some more power in him, but it’ll depend on development. For now, he’s more contact focused and knows what he’s doing on the field. He can also play all over, so if he reminds you of a certain player on the team who has played all over and is currently ticketed for right field, I can get behind that as a ceiling. If the power comes, that’d be great. If not, the Royals could have a nice utility man.
    ETA: 2023

12. Ben Hernandez, RHP - I am a sucker for a good changeup. It’s just beautiful when executed properly. And Hernandez has a great one, maybe even challenging Kowar for best in the system. He also has a very good fastball that has gotten up to 96 and some believe there’s even more in there. His third pitch is a curve, and like Kowar, he needs to get better there. I sort of wonder if they might try to give him a cutter at some point to round out the repertoire, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re talking about Hernandez in the top six or seven next season.
    ETA: 2024

13. Seuly Matias, OF - Matias has gobs of power. That has never not been true, but he just swings and misses way too much. But now, his swing appears to be a bit shorter while not sacrificing power, which is pretty scary. He needs to stay healthy and what I’ve seen in spring still shows me there might be too much swing and miss for him to be able to get to the power in games at higher levels, but the power is so amazing that I can’t ignore him here. This is a truly pivotal year for him. If he’s good, he’s on the 40-man next season. If he’s not, well, that might be it for him.
    ETA: 2022

14. Yohanse Morel, RHP - I’m very curious to see Morel this season. The stuff is legit with a mid-90s fastball that can reach higher, a plus changeup, a potentially big-time slider and curve that could also be plus. It’s about command for him. If he can consistently put the ball about where he wants it, he’ll move fast. If not, I don’t know that there’s much there as plenty of guys have the stuff, but he’s worth finding out about.
    ETA: Late 2023/Sometime 2024

15. Sebastian Rivero, C - MJ Melendez has fallen out of the top catcher spot in this system. Rivero could always really catch, but the bat is starting to catch up with the glove. His swing is shorter (which seems to be a trend in the organization) and it’s allowing him to access power a bit more than we’ve seen in the past. He’s a solidly built catcher and the bat will determine if he’s a backup or something more, but he’s entered the conversation as a legitimate big league prospect over the last few months.
    ETA: 2022/2023

This is an organization that is in much better shape than they were just a year or two ago, which is a testament to a couple very good drafts. One name to watch this season is Daniel Vazquez, the shortstop just signed out of the Dominican Republic. My good friend Clint Scoles has heard that he might be better regarded than Peña, and can play up the middle. They’re a little light on the bats, but I could see that changing this year with Vazquez, Peña, Pratto and a few others having big seasons in 2021. It’s certainly a better system than we’ve seen with the Royals for a bit, so we’ll soon find out if it will pay off at the big league level.