Kansas City Royals 2025 top 20 prospects: Jac Caglianone, Blake Mitchell lead the way

Theres so much potential in the Royals system, even after they traded away a few prospects last year to make their playoff run, but a lot of it remains untapped, with a number of high-profile arms still waiting for their velocity to increase or some hitters to come into power or make adjustments at the plate.

I said in the farm system rankings that it feels like a big year for their system because so many guys are reaching an age or a point in their development where, if its going to happen for them, its got to be now.

That might apply to a half-dozen guys in their top 20.

(Note: Tools are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale; ages as of July 1, 2025.) Advertisement 1.

Jac Caglianone, 1B ( No.

60 on the top 100 ) Caglianone was a two-way star at Florida, hitting 35 homers as a junior while also making 16 starts, although his future is much brighter as a hitter than on the mound.

He has 80 raw power and did work to cut his strikeout rate from his sophomore year (18.1 percent) to his junior year (8.2 percent), missing less often on pitches in the zone.

He still chases pitches out of the zone way too often, doing so nearly 40 percent of the time last spring, and needs to develop more of a two-strike approach and work on going the other way on pitches outside, as hes very pull-heavy.

As a pitcher, he has been up to 99 and shows at least an average changeup, but its a cross-body delivery with a lot of effort to it, resulting in well below average control (15.4 percent walk rate in two years for the Gators), and hes already had one Tommy John surgery in high school.

The Royals have said so far that they intend to let him hit and pitch, which probably means hes going to stay at first base to protect his arm; Id love to see him just focus on hitting, given the 40-homer upside and the need for some big adjustments, which might also let him handle right field.

2.

Blake Mitchell, C ( No.

76 on the top 100 ) Mitchells first year in a full-season league was a mixed bag, a net positive at the end that didnt answer some of the concerns that dated back to when the Royals first drafted him at No.

8 in 2023.

Hes got power, nearly getting to 20 homers as a teenager in Low A, and the Royals have helped loosen him up a little by reducing the very wide stance he used in high school to a more typical one that has him back in the box to start, giving him lots of room to stride forward and get his hips rotating.

He showed excellent ball-strike recognition last year as well, and while he had some difficulty with offspeed stuff, hes laying off more of those pitches when theyre not strikes than he did before.

He seemed to wear down by the summer; he hit .257/.391/.468 in the first half, striking out too often (31.2 percent), then hit .195/.338/.372 from the All-Star break until a promotion to High A for the last two weeks of the season.

Advertisement Mitchell isnt much of a runner, at least not by the stopwatch, but hes improved his base running significantly and stole 25 bags in 32 attempts.

He has a cannon of an arm, with average to above-average receiving and blocking skills now that could end up plus.

Mitchell has already made some big adjustments since he signed, which is the best harbinger of a players ability to make further adjustments.

Im encouraged by the progress in his swing decisions; if he continues that trend, hes going to end up an above-average regular, even if it takes him another three or so years to get to the majors.

3.

Steven Zobac, RHP Zobac was the Royals fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Cal, pitching well in Low A the next year as a 22-year-old but getting hit around in High A.

He was still fairly new to pitching, converting full-time as a college junior from the outfield, so the Royals played it slow with him, and it looks like its paying off, as he was better in High A and then lights-out in Double A in his second full season.

His fastball backed up just slightly to 92-94, still touching 97, while his slider is still a 55 and his changeup improved significantly, giving him the three pitches hell need to be a starter.

Its a smooth, athletic delivery, with easy velocity, and he has thrown strikes at every stop, with a 5.6 percent walk rate across both levels last year.

The lack of a plus pitch limits his ceiling, so its more fourth starter upside than what the stat line might imply.

If the velocity comes back up, which may happen since he had so little pitching experience coming into the minors, he could surprise and end up a mid-rotation guy.

4.

Carter Jensen, C Jensens year was a modest success, as he went back to High A after spending all of 2023 there, boosted his batting average by 60 points while cutting his strikeout rate, then hit .233/.300/.480 in 41 games in Double A.

He was young for that level, turning 21 right before his promotion, and still showed good pitch recognition, just getting uncharacteristically aggressive with two strikes for the first time in his career.

Hes gone from unlikely to catch as an amateur to a solid-average defender with a 55 arm who has nailed 25-30 percent of runners at just about every stop so far.

The biggest question is whether hell hit for enough average to be a regular, as he has enough power and patience to make that work if hes hitting .230, but obviously not if hes hitting .190.

And if hes better than that, hes going to make an All-Star team at some point.

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Noah Cameron, LHP Cameron can flat-out pitch, throwing everything for strikes, changing speeds, mixing in a cutter to keep guys off his fastball, with his changeup maybe his only plus weapon.

Hes just 90-91 sometimes, sometimes 92-94, topping out at 96 all year, and at that lower velocity level the fastball is vulnerable to hard contact.

The cutter might help mitigate that, giving a different look from the four-seamer and the changeup.

He walked just 5.1 percent of batters in his 54 1/3 innings in Triple A, with the ABS (automatic ball-strike system) in place, the best test yet of his ability to locate.

He should be a capable fifth starter right now, but there is some risk hes going to be too homer-prone because the fastball is light and hell have to be a swingman or bulk reliever.

6.

Ramon Ramirez, C Ramirez made his U.S.

debut last year in the Arizona Complex League, hitting .265/.379/.459, showing he could handle good fastballs, and continuing to improve behind the plate.

Hes a former outfielder who signed with the Royals two years ago for just $57,500.

He has a plus arm and good athleticism for the catcher position, showing average defense now with a chance for more.

He hits the ball hard enough to project the power to continue, as he hit seven homers in 49 games in a hitters league in Arizona, although the length in his swing might make him a lower batting average guy whose offensive value is in his power and willingness to take a walk.

Thats still an above-average regular given the state of catching today.

Hell get his first taste of full-season ball this April.

7.

David Shields, LHP Shields was one of the top high school pitching prospects in last years draft, but not for the usual reasons.

He doesnt throw that hard (low 90s) or have a wipeout breaking ball (its a 55, maybe a tick above).

Hes an old-fashioned sort of teenaged pitching prospect athletic, projectable, with a good delivery and what at least appears to be good command.

He was a quarterback as well as a pitcher before giving up football and reclassifying from the 2025 draft class to 2024, then developed mono in the spring and didnt pitch as much as most of his peers.

If he gains velocity and holds that command, while also showing the fastball can miss some bats, hes got No.

2 starter upside.

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Ben Kudrna, RHP Kudrna reached Double A last year, three years after the Royals took him in the second round out of a local high school.

He has an inability to miss bats with his 92-94 mph four-seamer; hitters in Double A slugged .587 off the pitch, according to data from Synergy Sports, including five of the eight homers he allowed in 45 2/3 innings.

His changeup is plus and his slider is close to it as well, so when he can get to those pitches, he can put hitters away, but he throws first-pitch fastballs about half the time and still leans on it too much when hes behind in the count.

The odds are pretty high that he ends up in the bullpen at this point, although its possible trying another fastball (two-seamer? cutter?) would alleviate the issue.

9.

Hunter Owen, LHP Owen took the ball every time for the Royals High-A affiliate last year, a welcome development after hed missed time with elbow issues as a junior at Vanderbilt in 2023.

His velocity backed up some to 90-94, taking his slider from maybe plus to a little above average, although his changeup was still a 55.

Right-handers hit him way too well, as he overused the fastball and didnt use the changeup enough.

His deliverys fine, hes built like a workhorse, and he throws strikes, with just a 7.6 percent walk rate last year.

If his stuff comes back this year in Double A, which would be his second full season and not the same kind of jump in his workload, hes a fourth or even a third starter.

As is, hes more like a fifth starter and has to change his approach against righties.

Im still pretty bullish here.

10.

Spencer Nivens, OF Nivens started very slowly last year in High A, as the Missouri State product and 2023 fifth-round pick hit just .177/.299/.296 through the All-Star break with a surprising 28.5 percent strikeout rate.

He was a different man in the second half, though, hitting .321/.384/.668 with a 24.6 percent strikeout rate, still higher than expected, but lets not be too picky.

He started trying to pull the ball much more often, and it worked all 14 of his homers in the second half were to right or right-center.

His pitch selection, his swing rates, everything was the same; he just decided to shut up and pull the ball, and it worked.

He took some pitches the other way, if they were middle-out, but hes looking for stuff to pull.

As long as its working, whos going to stop him? Anyway, its corner outfield for sure, more likely left, but no worse than average there.

He could be a solid regular if he hits lefties enough (he didnt last year, but in just 94 PA).

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Gavin Cross, OF The good news for Cross is that he stayed healthy all of 2024 after a tick-borne bacterial infection ruined his 2023 season, sapping him of a ton of strength when he was able to play.

The less good news is that he might be a platoon guy, after hitting just .211/.230/.284 against lefties in 2024 with 30 strikeouts and two (2!) walks in 100 PA.

He hits righties well, .278/.375/.476, with a better approach top to bottom and plus power, and hes a 55 defender in an outfield corner.

Id bet on further improvement against right-handers with another year behind him, especially in the power department.

That line against lefties is so far from playable that I cant reasonably project him as a regular.

12.

Asbel Gonzalez, OF Gonzalez is a plus defender in center, maybe a 70, and a 70 runner as well, and could end up a good leadoff hitter if he shows he can make enough hard contact to keep his OBPs up.

He hit .295/.398/.384 in the ACL last year, hitting zero homers on the season after he hit one in the DSL the year before.

Hes tall and has some projection to his body, but the swing is all hands, very short to the ball, slashing through it to put it in play without much loft or any help from his lower half.

He struck out just 20 percent of the time in the ACL, so the contact skill is there.

Id love to see him just try to use his hips a little more so that he can continue to hit for average as the pitching hes facing improves.

Its a classic leadoff profile if he does.

13.

Hiro Wyatt, RHP Wyatt signed for well over slot as the Royals third-round pick in 2023 out of a Connecticut high school, debuting in the ACL and finishing up with a solid six-start run in Low A.

He worked mostly at 90-94 last year and does it very easily, with a tight, slurvy breaking ball.

He has a changeup with solid arm-side fade, but doesnt throw it to his glove side at all, so he had a wide platoon split last year.

He was a low three-quarters guy as an amateur but is closer to three-quarters now, losing some deception and fastball life but giving him a better chance to get something other than the breaking ball inside to lefties.

He didnt come into pro ball with a ton of experience and still looks like a guy whos learning how to pitch.

He also threw a bit harder in high school, getting up to 97, and may see that come back in year two as he gets used to the pro schedule.

He finished strongly, with more strikes and better results in Low A than hed had in the complex league (where he had a pair of disaster starts that ruined his line), a good harbinger for when he starts this year back in full-season ball.

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Blake Wolters, RHP Wolters made his pro debut last year, throwing 55 2/3 innings across 14 starts in Low A, with a lower strikeout rate (18.6 percent) than expected given his stuff.

He sat 94-95, getting some ride and run to the pitch, with an average slider that would occasionally flash plus, lacking much consistency with the pitch, and is working on a straight change that shows good separation from the fastball without much action.

Hes got a starters build and repeatable arm action, still not using his legs as much as he could.

He developed some mild shoulder inflammation in mid-July, so the Royals shut him down for precautionary reasons.

Hes a wild card, as this wasnt quite the Wolters scouts saw when he was in high school, and he didnt pitch all that much last year, so 2025 will be telling on multiple fronts.

15.

Drew Beam, RHP Beam was the Royals third-round pick out of national champion Tennessee, where he was mostly the Saturday night starter, throwing strikes with a four-pitch mix but without a clear out-pitch.

His four-seamer is 92-95, while his upper-80s cutter is the closest thing he has to a plus pitch and could get there in time.

His game is really location and limiting walks, which works if you also limit the hardest contact.

He was homer-prone last spring, with 15 allowed in 100 innings, in a somewhat homer-friendly park.

Hes a fifth starter as is who could get to a fourth starter if he develops just one pitch to miss more bats.

16.

Yandel Ricardo, SS Ricardo signed last January for a $2.4 million bonus, then debuted in the DSL, hitting .213/.330/.366 but with a strong contact rate, striking out in 17.3 percent of his PA.

Hes a switch hitter with a better left-handed swing, where his hand acceleration is ridiculous and his path is very short to the ball, while his right-handed swing is fine but definitely longer to the ball and can get a bit loopy, like me after two Manhattans.

Hes athletic and twitchy and moves well enough to play somewhere in the infield if its not at short.

He has to get a lot stronger, though; pre-signing reports talked about all of this raw power but that obviously didnt show up in games, and you can see he needs some more hand and forearm strength to really rip the bat through the zone for hard contact.

The contact numbers are very promising, though.

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Jhonayker Ugarte, 3B Ugarte signed in January 2024 for over $1 million, and wont even turn 18 until this March, after which hell head to the ACL after a successful debut in the DSL where he hit .299/.423/.395 with a 16.4 percent walk rate.

Hes a strong kid who should get to power and has the swing to drive the ball, taking a big stride forward but possibly landing too early to get the full benefit of his lower half.

He showed good feel for the strike zone already, at least in the wild west of the DSL, where the league-wide walk rate is 14 percent.

Its third base or right field depending on where the body goes from here.

18.

Austin Charles, 3B/SS Charles was the Royals last pick in the 2022 draft, coming in the 20th round out of a California high school, a small bet on big tools.

Hes progressing, slowly, but clearly getting better, and theres a lot of untapped potential, especially in the power department.

Hes a tremendous athlete with a lot of quick-twitch movements, running 55/60 out of the box and better underway.

He can get to good velocity and covers fastballs in the zone well; his breaking-ball recognition still needs work, and he sets up with his hands so far from his body it might be creating some extra length that his 6-5 frame does not need.

Hes played mostly shortstop and third, but hes really tall for the infield other than first base, and he may fit best in center.

He repeated Low A last year, walking a lot more and driving the ball more, so its progress just slow, and he may be a level-a-year guy from here on out.

19.

Frank Mozzicato, LHP It still looks right Mozzicato has a good body, a good delivery, a plus curveball but the velocity hasnt come on at all, as hes still 86-90 most of the time, and works out of the zone far too often, probably because the fastball isnt going to play at that speed.

He was the No.

7 pick in 2021, receiving an under-slot bonus so the Royals could also sign Kudrna and another high school arm, right-hander Shane Panzini.

Mozzicato could touch 94 in high school and hitters in his home state of Connecticut couldnt touch him, as he threw several no-hitters in a row, toying with them with the curveball.

If the velocity does come, his changeup will be at least average, as it just lacks the separation to be truly effective.

Maybe hes Trey Ball, who was also a No.

7 pick, taken by the Red Sox in 2013 as a highly projectable high school lefty who was an excellent athlete.

Balls velocity just never came on, and even though his delivery was good and he had some secondaries, he couldnt get past Double A.

Mozzicato is still young enough to avoid that fate, but the clock is ticking.

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Chandler Champlain, RHP Champlain is all fastball/breaking ball, spinning a curve and slider, but hes never had a pitch for lefties, trying a change and a split-change over his four years in the minors without much success.

He should go to the bullpen this year and be a righty specialist, maybe trying to see if a little more velocity on the fastball and slider are good enough to get one lefty out in an outing.

Others of note The Royals have a ton of catching depth, including one more who didnt make the top 20, South Korean backstop Hyungchan Um , who can really catch and hit well in the ACL and this winter in Australia but scuffled in Low A.

He turns 21 in April so he was old for the complex league last year and has to hit in Low A to have a shot.

...

Javier Vaz might be a Tony Kemp type of player, handling second base and left field, getting on base some, just with no power at all; he hit .263/.376/.379 as a 23-year-old in Double A last year.

2025 impact Cameron probably debuts this year, although I hesitate to predict real impact from him given the uncertainty around his fastball.

Champlain should get some relief work.

I wouldnt be shocked to see Cross debut, even if its just as an extra outfielder.

The fallen Peyton Wilson was their compensation round B pick in 2021, after they took Kudrna and Mozzicato (who is going to be their fallen guy next year if he doesnt turn things around).

The Alabama alum hit .228/.339/.380 while repeating Double A, and he played more left field than second base.

Sleeper Ramirez looks like a future 55 at catcher between his defense and potential power.

A strong full-season debut will increase everyones confidence in his projection.

He was my sleeper pick for them last year, though, so if you would like a new name as you should, its a reasonable request Id pick Shields, who could boost his perceived value quickly if he shows the command scouts saw from him in high school.

Additional top prospect coverage GO DEEPER Top 100 MLB prospects 2025: Keith Laws rankings, with Roman Anthony at No.

1 GO DEEPER MLB prospects who just missed Keith Laws top 100 ranking: Caissie, Saggese and more GO DEEPER MLB 2025 farm system rankings: Keith Law ranks all 30 teams, Mariners are new No.

1 (Top photo of Caglianone: Travis Berg / Four Seam Images via Associated Press).

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