The Home of Fantasy Sports Analysis

Fantasy BaseballFantasy Baseball Rankings

Kansas City Royals Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for Dynasty Leagues

By Trevor Hooth
Kansas City Royals Top 20 Prospect Rankings for Fantasy Baseball

It wasn’t expected at the start of the year, but the Kansas City Royals made the playoffs last year. Not only that, they beat the Baltimore Orioles, a favorite to make a deep playoff run, in the Wild Card in two games. They did it behind Bobby Witt Jr., who has turned himself into one of the best players in baseball at 24 years old. The future is looking very bright for the Royals based on how the 2024 season went.

The Royals farm system has a lot of really high potential, but that comes with a lot of risk. Kansas City has not be scared to go after high school pitchers early in the draft. Because of that, a lot of the prospects on this list are in the lower levels of the minors. It’s a fun farm system in many ways, and there are several future contributors to keep an eye on for dynasty leagues.

If you aren’t playing your dynasty leagues on Fantrax, you’re missing out on the deepest player pool and most customization around. Just starting out in a dynasty league? Then check out the Fantrax Top-400 Overall Fantasy Prospects and George Bissell’s Top-500 Dynasty League Rankings.

Kansas City Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Prospects

1. 1B Jac Caglianone, Age: 21

Kansas City selected Jac Caglianone with the 6th overall pick out of the University of Florida. He was a two-way player at the collegiate level, but only hit during his draft year introduction to affiliated baseball. That isn’t abnormal, and there hasn’t been any definitive decision made public about whether Caglianone will focus only on hitting or not. Even if he is a hitter only, his top prospect standing won’t change. He can absolutely demolish baseballs, something he showed off during an Arizona Fall League stint. So far Caglianone has shown he should be able to hit enough for the power to really play out. If he does continue his path as a two-way player, he can run his fastball up in the upper 90s. Control was an issue during his college days. It would seem that he’s farther along as a hitter, and the Royals prefer him to focus solely on becoming a cornerstone power bat in a future Kansas City lineup. His potential as a future thumper makes him a true asset in dynasty leagues, and if he can prove his hitting ability he may rise through the ranks quickly as a hitter-only.

2. C Blake Mitchell, Age: 20

Blake Mitchell was a very intriguing high school player with an impressive resume, but it was still a little surprising when the Royals selected him 8th overall in 2023. He was known for having a big arm behind the plate and power with his bat. During his first full season in 2024, Mitchell hit 18 home runs and stole 26 bases. Most of that game in Single-A, but he did end the year with a brief 5 games in High-A. With a strikeout rate north of 30 percent on the year, there are certainly swing-and-miss questions, but he did walk at a 17 percent clip in Single-A, so there are positive signs for his plate skills. Realistically, if he can put up near 20/20 seasons as a catcher, then his strikeout rate shouldn’t matter much to fantasy managers. The fact that it happened in the lower levels of the minors, however, might be more cause for concern. Hinging heavily on if he can hit enough, Mitchell’s skills from the catcher position are such that he becomes very intriguing for dynasty managers. Just be prepared for a slow burn.

3. OF Gavin Cross, Age: 23

It was a nice bounce-back season for Gavin Cross, who slashed .261/.342/.428 with 15 home runs and 30 stolen bases in Double-A. Even in the previous year that saw him hit .206 in High-A, Cross still showed power, speed, and good knowledge of the strike zone. For two seasons in a row, he posted a 10.3 percent walk rate. Perhaps the biggest positive of the season was a 3.7 percent dip in strikeout percentage. Cross was making more contact, and he was able to do a lot more at the plate. He could potentially get a chance in Kansas City in 2025 if he performs well in Triple-A. The reported mechanical changes prior to the 2024 season appeared to have worked, giving some confidence that he should continue to be an everyday outfielder who can add home runs, steals, and OBP to fantasy lineups.

4. C Carter Jensen, Age: 21

The Royals are flush with exciting catching prospects, including Carter Jensen. He was Kansas City’s third-rounder in 2021 and has since blossomed into a real offensive threat. In 2024 he slashed .259/.359/.450 with 18 home runs and 17 stolen bases. He continued his success in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .394 with 4 homers in just 8 games, and getting selected to participate in the AFL Home Run Derby. Throughout his career, Jensen has posted walk rates in the mid-to-upper teens. He hit just .233 in a promotion to Double-A with 8 home runs in 170 plate appearances. Of the Royals catching trio Mitchell has the most upside, but Jensen is no slouch. And he likely gets the first chance at the highest level.

5. RHP Blake Wolters, Age: 20

The Royals are not scared of taking high school pitchers high in the draft. Blake Wolters was no exception to that, giving him an over-slot deal at $2.8 million to sign as the 44th overall pick. It was with good reason as Wolters already boasts an upper-90s fastball and a nasty high-spin slider. While high school arms present a risk, Wolters has the stuff to project to the middle of a rotation. In his first professional season, he threw 55.2 innings with a 4.20 ERA and 7.44 K/9 in Single-A Columbia. He’ll continue to develop his changeup, but he has the stuff to post high strikeout numbers. He’d be a good breakout candidate to buy low on heading into 2025 in dynasty leagues, but buyer beware of the risk associated with prep arms.

6. LHP Noah Cameron, Age: 25

This was an important season for Noah Cameron, who saw his prospect stock go down following a rough transition to Double-A in 2023. Beyond the stats, his fastball velocity was way down. He returned in 2024 and struck out 10.53 per nine before receiving a promotion to Triple-A. His good performance got better as Cameron posted a 2.32 ERA in 54.1 innings with a 10.27 K/9 and 1.82 BB/9. There are still concerns about his fastball, but his performance in Triple-A shows he should be ready to take the next step soon. Cameron has plenty of whiff potential if his fastball velo remains consistent. That being said, he will hopefully get a chance with the Royals in 2025.

7. RHP Ben Kudrna, Age: 21

After posting a 5.36 ERA in 40.1 High-A innings in 2023, Ben Kudrna returned there to start 2024 and turned in a much better performance. The former 43rd overall pick ERA dropped to 3.49 in 69.2 innings with 31 strikeouts. A promotion to Double-A saw his ERA spike back up to the wrong side of 5. In both of the short stints where his ERA inflated, his HR/9 was just above 1.5. There is a learning curve. Kudrna’s strikeout and walk rate remained consistent after the promotion. His two best pitches are his slider and changeup, while his fastball is a low-90s offering. There are a lot of positives with Kudrna. From a fantasy standpoint, he has some upside, though he may settle in as more of a fairly reliable streaming option.

8. RHP Drew Beam, Age: 21

A lot of dynasty baseball decisions can come down to the potential upside of a prospect. Drew Beam is a player whose value comes more from his floor. The Royals took Beam 76th overall in 2024 out of the University of Tennessee. His profile is that he does a lot of things well, but nothing exceptional. A jack of all trades kind of arm who can provide reliability and consistency. At least, that’s what he provided during his college days. With that, he’s a safe bet to be a big-league starter, albeit as a backend arm. Where he gets assigned to start 2025 will be very interesting.

9. C Ramon Ramirez, Age: 19

The third of the Royals catching prospect trio is Ramon Ramirez, who Kansas City signed during international free agency in 2023. After a standout performance in the Dominican Summer League, Ramirez started to make a name for himself. In 2024 he spent the entire season on the Complex, slashing .265/.379/.459 with 7 home runs and 7 steals in 170 at-bats. He showed good plate discipline, walking at a rate of 12.8 percent. He’s the farthest away from the majors of the three, but he also might have the best hit tool of the three to go along with his pop at the plate. He’s still far away and if Mitchell and/or Jensen take the starting catcher job, then Ramirez may have to find a new position. That’s not something to worry too much about right now for dynasty, though.

10. LHP David Shields, Age: 18

Yet another high school arm for the Royals. They selected David Shields with the 41st overall selection in the 2024 draft. He has a starter’s frame, listed at 6’2″ and 210 pounds. Shields is in the low-90s with his fastball right now, but he projects to add velocity as time goes on. He also already has the feel to spin breaking balls. With his current repertoire and high-level athleticism, there’s a lot to like. Shields reclassified to the 2024 draft class, so he’ll be 18 for the entirety of the 2025 season. There’s a lot of risk involved with Shields, particularly when taking into account that he’ll likely be a slow mover early on. That being said, there’s some exciting upside for dynasty managers.

11. 3B Austin Charles, Age: 20

Austin Charles is a player with, potentially, very loud tools. He’s physically imposing standing at 6’5″ and he has power all around. He can hit with power, and his arm is powerful on the infield. His first attempt at Single-A in 2023 didn’t go that well, so he wound up back there in 2024. This past season went a lot smoother, as he produced a 121 wRC+ on the year. Charles was able to hit 10 home runs for Columbia while also contributing 36 stolen bases. That power/speed upside is enticing, but the risk comes with his hit tool. If everything clicks, he could be a very good player down the road. It is likely he will start in High-A next year where he’ll face a new challenge as he tries to prove the 2024 improvements are real.

12. 2B Javier Vaz, Age: 24

Proximity is something to take into account in fantasy leagues and that is something Javier Vaz has more so than most of the prospects listed to this point. He spent all of 2024 in Double-A where he slashed .263/.375/.379 with 8 home runs and 16 stolen bases. More impressive is that he walked more than he struck out with a 60:73 K:BB ratio. His appeal to fantasy leagues would be that he can hit well, has speed, and there’s a chance to see him at some point in 2025. Vaz will likely be assigned to Triple-A to start the season.

13. OF Spencer Nivens, Age: 22

In a fantasy-slanted list, Spencer Nivens gets a big boost because of his power. He was able to hit 20 home runs in High-A while slashing .243/.333/.475 with an 11.7 percent walk rate. He did strike out at a 26.9 percent clip. While the swing and miss may stay there long-term, the power and discipline will make him someone to watch in fantasy leagues if he can continue this in the majors. It’s likely he’ll start in Double-A, where if the power surge continues he will find himself climbing up organizational rankings. Nivens has the tools to become a name to watch in OBP leagues because of his ability to draw walks and hit bombs.

14. RHP Steven Zobac, Age: 24

One of the more interesting cases in the Royals farm is Steven Zobac. At the time he was drafted in 2022, he hadn’t been a full-time pitcher that long. Fast forward to 2024 and he was able to throw 55.1 innings in Double-A. He has a fastball and slider that are above average and he keeps walks low. Zobac saw his strikeout numbers rise from 7.39 K/9 in 70.2 High-A innings to 10.57 in Double-A. He can generate whiffs and not walk many batters. Because of that, he may pitch his way to Kansas City at some point in 2025, but his role might be in question.

15. SS Yandel Ricardo, Age: 18

Yandel Ricardo was one of the top overall international prospects in the 2024 class and he decided to sign with the Royals. He debuted in the DSL, slashing .213/.330/.366 with a pair of home runs and 14 stolen bases. Ricardo is a switch hitter who is projected to be power-over-hit in the long run. While there is plenty of potential with Ricardo, there’s a lot of risk as well for those who choose to spend a FYPD pick on him, as well.

RHP Felix Arronde, Age: 21

Thanks to an impressive Complex performance in 2023, Felix Arronde announced himself as a name to watch in 2024. He responded by putting up a 2.94 ERA in Single-A with an 8.4 K/9 and 2.61 BB/9. That is his lowest strikeout rate of his young career, but also by far his lowest walk numbers. Arronde has a plus pitch at his disposal, his changeup. If he can add another solid weapon then his whiff numbers should go up, and his prospect stock will be on the rise once again. He should start 2025 in High-A Quad Cities.

17. RHP Eric Cerantola, Age: 24

There are a lot of positives with Eric Cerantola. He finished 2024 in Triple-A, but overall he threw 72.2 innings with a 2.97 ERA and 101 strikeouts between two levels. He has a fastball that gets into the upper-90’s that pairs up with a plus breaking ball. On top of that, he’s posted K/9s north of 12 regularly. With all that being said, his walk rates in 2024 were extremely high. On top of that, in 37 appearances last season, only 7 were starts. It appears the Royals are content with Cerantola as a bullpen arm, but his ability to generate whiffs he could be a high-leverage reliever at one point if his command will let him.

18. OF Asbel Gonzalez, Age: 18

As an 18-year-old Asbel Gonzalez was hitting .285 with 22 stolen bases on the Complex and then he was promoted to Double-A. It was only for 4 games and he did secure a hit in his debut. It’s most likely he won’t get assigned right back to Double-A to start 2025. Gonzalez is a speed threat with a good hit tool. With his strike zone knowledge and bat-to-ball skills, he looks like a future table-setting-type profile. While his promotion was weird, he handled it pretty well all things considered. For fantasy, Gonzalez isn’t an extremely powerful hitter. His biggest value will be in average leagues.

19. RHP Hiro Wyatt, Age: 20

As Kansas City’s third-round pick in 2023, Hiro Wyatt represents another high school pitcher taken by the Royals over the last few years. He made is professional debut in 2024, throwing 50.2 innings while striking out 62 batters and walking 25 between the Complex and Single-A. He’s equipped with a fastball that tops out in the upper 90s with a good slider and developing changeup. There’s still a long road filled with risk, as with any high school pitcher. Wyatt will continue his development in 2025, probably starting in Single-A once again since he only threw 27 innings there in 2024.

20. SS Jhonayker Ugarte, Age: 17

One of the Royals’ top performers in the DSL was Jhonayker Ugarte, who hit .299 while stealing 11 bases and adding a home run. He’s projected to be more of a power hitter as he gets older. Ugarte gets high marks on his baseball skills and he will look to continue to build on his performance heading into 2025.

Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping any time soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
More fantasy goodness More from author
Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.