Kansas City Royals Top 30 Prospects To Target In Dynasty Leagues

The next stop on our journey through my Organizational Prospects Rankings keeps us in the AL Central and diving into the Kansas City Royals. It seems the Royals have been in a rebuild for quite some time now and the lack of production with past picks in Kowar, Bubic, and Singer in the rotation has dragged this on. Regardless, the Royals have had five top-10 picks in the last five years, and with the exception of Bobby Witt Jr., none have popped to this point. Let’s dive into the Kansas City Royals’ top 30 prospects to target for dynasty leagues.

Top 10 Royals Prospects

Gavin Cross, OF

(96 GP, .203/.298/.378, 12 HR, 49 R, 58 RBI, 23 SB)

Drafted out of Virginia Tech by the Royals ninth overall in 2022, Gavin Cross impressed in his first taste of pro ball. In 26 games at Low-A, Cross slashed .293/.423/.596 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs, and four stolen bases while walking 17.9% and striking out 25.2 percent of the time. The 2023 season did not go as well for Cross as he spent the majority of the season in High-A. In 94 games, Cross slashed .206/.300/.383 with 12 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. The walk percentage stayed high at 10.3% while the strikeout rate climbed to 27.8%.

Love to see KCR OF Gavin Cross on 🔥 this week! It’s been a slow start to the season but it’s all turning around now! #WelcomeToTheCity @QCRiverBandits @GavinCross24 @RoyalsFarm https://t.co/wSoCzdHFCU

— Richard Haake (@Mustbethehawk) May 20, 2023

Gavin Cross had a low .262 BABIP while in High-A and could be a bounce-back candidate in 2024 where he will more than likely start the season back in Double-A. Cross profiles as a 25-plus home run bat that can contribute 15-20 stolen bases at the major league level.

Frank Mozzicato, LHP

(21 GS, 93 IP, 130 K, 12.6 K/9, 4.65 ERA, 1.473 WHIP)

Selected seventh overall in 2021 out of high school, Frank Mozzicato has had a slow rise to this point in his professional career. The Royals had Mozzicato in Low-A the entire season, limiting his innings to just 69.0 across 19 starts. In 2023 however, Frank Mozzicato ascended two levels, starting back in Low-A where he had a 13.58 K/9 across 12 starts totaling 56.1 innings pitched and finishing with a 3.04 ERA. Once he was promoted to High-A things didn’t go as well for Mozzicato.

🎯🤺It’s a pitchers duel in Columbia! LHP Frank Mozzicato has put up big strikeout numbers in Columbia. 34 Ks in 19 IP good for a 16.11 K/9, .123 AVG and 1.42 ERA in four starts. #Welcometothecity @ColumbiaProBall @FrankMozzicato @Royals @RoyalsFarm https://t.co/6WmVJyVUOa

— Richard Haake (@Mustbethehawk) May 4, 2023

Across nine starts Mozzicato had an 11.05 K/9 in 36.2 innings pitch which was good. What was not great was the rise in walks from an already high 5.43 in Low-A to an 8.10 BB/9 in High-A. Add to that his batting average against rose from .179 to .236 in High-A and he finished the season with a 7.12 ERA. Mozzicato has a filthy curveball that gets the majority of the strikeouts and weak contact, but the fastball, slider, and change-up are miles away developmentally. For dynasty purposes Mozzicato could be a back-end rotational arm if he can get the walks and control right, otherwise, he is bound for the bullpen.

Tyler Gentry, OF

(129 GP, .253/.370/.421, 16 HR, 69 R, 71 RBI, 14 SB)

One contributor to the 2024 Royals team could be Tyler Gentry. In 2022 Gentry came off a stellar season where he ascended from High-A to finish the season in Double-A, slashing .321/.417/.555 with 16 home runs, 63 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in 73 games played. This past season was similar for Gentry who started the season in Triple-A. Over 129 games, Gentry slashed .253/.370/.421 with 16 home runs, 69 runs scored, 71 RBIs, and stole 14 stolen bases. The major difference was the average and OBP taking a hit in 2023 which might be due to a lower BABIP of .309 (down from .362 in AA) and a drop in his HR/FB rate dropping 6%.

The rest of Gentry’s numbers align with what he was doing in his successful 2022 campaign and set him up to compete for a spot on the Royals’ Opening-Day roster. For dynasty purposes, Gentry could potentially be a 20-20 outfielder at the major league level and that could be useful in deeper dynasty formats as a starter or a flex in shallower 12-team leagues.

Cayden Wallace, 3B/OF

(130 GP, .255/.331/.414, 13 HR, 75 R, 84 RBI, 18 SB)

Drafted 49th overall in the 2022 MLB draft, Cayden Wallace put together a solid short season after the draft. In 27 games at Low-A, Wallace slashed .294/.369/.468 with two home runs, 16 RBIs, and eight stolen bases while walking 9.8% and striking out 18%. The Royals started Wallace in High-A for the 2023 season where the 21-year-old slashed .261/.341/.431 with 10 home runs, 64 RBIs, and stole 15 bases in 97 games played.

👀 Royals 3B Cayden Wallace went 1-5 in the opener for the River Bandit’s. The power hitting 3B should be on radars this season as a sneaky grab in the second round in 2022. Wallace is ranked 252 on Fantrax HQ top 400 rankings. #WelcomeToTheCity @QCRiverBandits @cayden_wallace pic.twitter.com/E4p0zSxNa0

— Richard Haake (@Mustbethehawk) April 8, 2023

Once promoted to Double-A Wallace showed some of the struggles he had early on in the season back in High-A slashing just .236/.300/.362 in 33 games played. What is encouraging was that Cayden Wallace did not change his approach walking 8.6% while cutting his strikeout rate to 16.4% down 5.6% from High-A. Cayden Wallace’s BABIP of .265 indicates he might have just gotten a bit unlucky after the call-up to Double-A making him a prospect for me to target this off-season.

Blake Mitchell, C

(13 GP, .147/.423/.177, 8 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB)

The Royal’s first-round selection in 2023 Blake Mitchell was drafted out of high school as a two-way player but it seems the Royals are going to develop him as a catcher long-term. The 19-year-old Mitchell profiles as an above-average bat with potential for plus power as he adds muscle to his 6’1” frame. The short sample size left much to be desired with Mitchell as he slashed just .147/.423/.176 with 17 walks in 34 at-bats. Developing a catcher can take a while and moving through the royals system might take a while for Mitchell who could get his start in Low-A in 2024.

Ben Kudrna, RHP

(22 GP, 21 GS, 108.2 IP, 104 K, 8.6 K/9, 4.22 ERA, 1.509 WHIP)

With most of the attention on Frank Mozzicato coming out of the 2021 draft Ben Kudrna has quietly pieced himself together two solid seasons. Coming out of the draft Kudrna had one of the best change-ups in the high school class and that has carried him to this point as his fastball sits 93 mph and can touch 97 early in starts. The work in progress will be the slider going forward which could increase his strikeout ability if he can repeat his mechanics. Across 14 appearances (13 starts) in Low-A in 2023 Kudrna struck out 70 batters in 68.1 innings pitched finishing with a 3.56 ERA.

The jump to High-A saw Kudrna’s strikeouts take a step back to a 7.59 K/9 and the ERA jumped to 5.36 across 40.1 innings pitched and eight starts. Kudrna has a good approach on the mound but will need one of his three offerings to take a step forward in strikeouts to potentially profile as an SP 5 long-term.

Noah Cameron, LHP

(24 GS, 107.1 IP, 132 K, 11.1 K/9, 5.28 ERA, 1.398 WHIP)

Taken in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft Noah Cameron has largely gone under the radar until 2023. Cameron started the season repeating High-A where he started seven games striking out 58 batters in 35 innings pitched (14.91 K/9) with a .215 average against and finished with a 3.60 ERA. Once he was promoted to Double-A Cameron’s numbers took a bit of a step back. Across 17 starts Cameron struck out 74 batters in 72.1 innings pitched (9.21 K/9) with a .296 average against and finished with a 6.10 ERA and a 5.41 FIP.

So Noah Cameron got hit more once he got to Double-A but as the FIP indicates he could have been affected by the defense behind him a bit. The low walk rates have stood out to me over his first two seasons in the minor leagues. In 2022 Cameron had a 2.79 and 2.03 BB/9 in Low-A and High-A respectively, this past season was 2.31 and 3.24 BB/9 at High-A and Double-A. Noah Cameron profiles as a back-end rotational arm that should continue to move quickly through the Royals system as the major league club is starved for arms at the moment.

Nick Loftin, 1B/2B

(19 GP, .323/.368/.435, 10 R, 10 RBI, 2 SB)

One of the most consistent infield bats in the Royals’ minor league system has been Nick Loftin who got his big league call-up in 2023. Loftin slashed .323/.368/.435 with the Royals with 10 runs scored, 10 RBIs, and two stolen bases in 19 games played. What impressed me with Loftin in his short sample size was that his approach did not change from what he was doing in Triple-A before the call-up. In 82 games played at Triple-A Loftin hit .270/.344/.444 with 14 home runs, 56 RBIs, and stole six bases all while walking 9.5% and striking out just 13.1% of the time.

The last bit is what I want to focus on here. Loftin’s 9.5 BB% and his 13.1 K% in 358 plate appearances at Triple-A set Loftin up when he debuted and walked 5.9% and struck out just 17.6% in 68 plate appearances. With the ability to play second and first base for the Royals as a super-utility type, Nick Loftin fits in with the type of players I like to build a dynasty team around.

Blake Wolters, RHP

(Did Not Pitch In 2023)

The Royals continue to go the high school prep arms route early in the draft as they selected Blake Wolters in the second round of the 2023 MLB draft. Blake Wolters stands 6’4” and is 210 pounds so he already has an advanced body to this point at just 19 years old. Wolters has a three-pitch mix featured by his high 90s fastball that has already topped out at 99 mph. The slider is an 84-86 mph slider that has good spin rates and a mid-80s change-up that will need some refining as he progresses. The Royals did not pitch Blake Wolters after the draft so our attention will be on the flame thrower in 2024.

Chandler Champlain, RHP

(25 GS, 135.1 IP, 125 K, 8.3 K/9, 3.33 ERA, 1.145 WHIP)

Selected by the Yankees in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB draft and traded to Kansas City a season later, Chandler Champlain seems to have solidified himself in the Royals organization in 2023. Champlain ascended two levels last season starting the year in High-A where the 23-year-old struck out 61 batters in 62.1 innings pitched with a .213 average against and finished with a 2.74 ERA across 11 starts.

The Royals then promoted Chandler Champlain to Double-A where he started in 14 games with a 7.89 K/9 across 73 innings pitched finishing with a .234 average against and a 3.82 ERA. Chandler Champlain does a good job limiting the walks and keeping the ball on the ground. With high spin rates on the fastball and curveball, Champlain gets solid movement and weak contact. The slider has a tight spin coming in at 83 mph and is developing a change-up that needs more work to be an effective pitch. For dynasty purposes, Chandler Champlain has the potential to be a backend rotational arm in deeper dynasty leagues.

Kansas City Royals Top 30 Prospects Rankings