Rangers Sign Struggling Former 1st-Round Pick Away From Royals
In this story:
Before there was Vinnie Pasquantino or Jac Caglianone, there was Nick Pratto.
The Kansas City Royals love themselves a lefty-hitting first baseman. Pasquantino has established himself as the starter after four strong seasons to start his career, and Caglianone, who has converted to a right fielder, is a natural first baseman who could move back there at any point.
But in 2017, the Royals used their first-round pick (No. 14 overall) on Pratto, the high-schooler out of Huntington Beach, Calif. who once hit a walk-off single to win the Little League World Series. Eight-and-a-half years later, the 27-year-old's journey in a Kansas City uniform came to an end.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
According to a report from MassLive's Chris Cotillo, Pratto plans to sign a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers that includes a non-roster invite to spring training in Arizona next month. His Royals tenure comes to an end with just 144 games played at the major league level, and none since 2023.
Pratto's one shining moment in a Royals uniform, pictured above, was a walk-off home run against the Boston Red Sox in August of 2022. He hit just 14 home runs in total, putting up a .659 major league OPS and totaling negative-1.6 bWAR.
Pratto was out of options prior to last year and ended up being outrighted to Triple-A Omaha for the whole season. He didn't have a strong year there, with a .620 OPS in 114 games, so even if he wasn't blocked by Pasquantino, Caglianone, etc., a change of scenery always made sense.
It's very difficult to catch on as a first baseman at the major league level unless you absolutely mash, and at times, the Royals thought Pratto might be athletic enough to handle a corner outfield spot. But in either scenario, Pratto's pathway to the Rangers' major league roster is almost as tricky to spot as it was in KC.
However, never discount the power of a change of scenery for baseball players as talented as fringe major leaguers.
More MLB: Another Royals Star Commits to Play in World Baseball Classic
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
Follow jrobertsbsbl