Royals 1st-Round Pick Could Be Done In Kansas City After 8 MiLB Seasons

The Royals certainly hoped they'd have a starter on their hands by now

Aug 30, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Kansas City Royals hat lays in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Two years after winning a World Series title, the Kansas City Royals drafted a left-handed slugger they thought had the potential to eventually take over as the club's starting first baseman.

Nick Pratto, who is still probably best-known to this day for hitting a walk-off single to win the 2011 Little League World Series for Southern California, was the 14th-overall selection by the Royals in the 2017 draft. He put together a couple of promising seasons in the upper levels of the minors, but every time he got a shot in the big leagues, he couldn't seem to find his footing.

At some point along the way, Pratto got passed up by Vinnie Pasquantino as the obvious heir to the first-base throne. And after his eighth season in the Royals' farm system this year, the 27-year-old made an obvious decision that could result in the end of his time in Kansas City.

Pratto elects free agency

Sep 13, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Royals first baseman Nick Pratto (32) singles against the Chicago White Sox during the fifth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Pratto elected minor-league free agency on Thursday, according to the transactions log on his official roster page. He could still re-sign with the Royals, but he'll play the field this winter and assess whether there might be a club that offers him a better opportunity to crack the big-league roster.

After back-to-back seasons of failing to record a single appearance at the major league level, the writing was somewhat on the wall for Pratto to at least test the open market. He managed just a .620 OPS in 114 games for Triple-A Omaha this year, his lowest-ever OPS in any MiLB season.

For the big-league club, Pratto totaled 145 games between 2022 and 2023, batting .216 with a .659 OPS and 14 homers, the most notable of which was a walk-off shot against the Boston Red Sox in August of 2022.

With no minor-league options remaining, Pratto would have to spend the entire season on the big-league club after a theoretical call-up to avoid being placed on waivers.

The market for 28-year-old first basemen coming off bad Triple-A seasons probably isn't robust, to put things bluntly. But perhaps Pratto's first-round pedigree will still be enough for some team to take a flier.

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