Royals May Have Struck Gold, 2024 Draft Pick Turning Heads in Best Way
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The Kansas City Royals have a lot to be excited about this spring. Their best players, like Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Bobby Witt Jr. have dominated the World Baseball Classic, representing the Royals on the biggest stage in baseball. All three infielders should have crucial roles in building out the future of the team.
But there's a lot more to be excited about than just the players dominating in the WBC. In fact, there are plenty of players still in camp with the Royals who have been much better than advertised. The Royals are full of young talent and spring training has given some of these players an avenue to shine.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently highlighted prospect reliever Dennis Colleran as a player in the Royals organization who was turning heads in the best way possible this spring.
Royals have a hidden gem in reliver Dennis Colleran
"Colleran was the Royals’ 2024 seventh-round pick out of Northeastern and in his first year of professional ball in 2025, he went from Low A to High A and even pitched in one game at Double A, going a combined 9-0 with a 2.85 ERA in 66 1/3 innings with 72 strikeouts," Bowden wrote. "He was so dominant that he represented the Royals in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted an impressive 1.17 ERA over seven relief appearances. He’s on a fast track to the majors and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes his major-league debut sometime this year once his slider becomes more consistent and he throws more strikes."
Colleran was originally drafted in 2024 after a roller coaster ride of a college career. But once the Royals got their hands on the young reliever, they took him to the next level, slicing his ERA in half from his final year of college ball to his first year of pro ball.
Since then, the righty has dominated in the minor leagues, quickly working his way to Double-A. This spring, he's been very impressive in four games. The righty has tossed four innings and allowed one hit, no walks, no runs, while striking out three batters.
Colleran is only getting better. The fact that he's been able to dominate so much in spring camp and spring training shows that he's nearly ready for a leap to the big leagues. There's a chance he works his way to Kansas City this year.
