Royals' Latest Farm System Ranking Suggests Uncertain Future In KC
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It's hard to know what kind of stock to put into rankings of Major League Baseball farm systems, especially for a team like the Kansas City Royals.
Ultimately, rankings don't matter once a team builds its roster for the year, especially if rookies come up and perform above expectations. Plus, a low ranking could be an indicator that a team traded away some prospects to stack their current roster.
However, a team like the Royals that doesn't typically spend big on free agents often needs a steady stream of prospects to remain relevant. And as they teeter on the edge of the playoff race in 2025, it's not clear how bright this team's future is.
Royals rank just outside bottom five in MLB Pipeline's overall system rankings
The Royals farm system's biggest story this year was the fast promotion of slugger Jac Caglianone to the major league level, but there's an intriguing mix of talent behind him. The top two prospects, according to most rankings, are catchers Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen, aged 20 and 22, respectively. Plus, there are some younger minor leaguers with the potential to grow into Top 100 prospects.
On Tuesday, MLB Pipeline released its updated farm system rankings, and though they acknowledged many positive trends for the Royals, evaluators Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra ultimately ranked Kansas City 25th out of 30 teams.
"The system lost its brightest star when Jac Caglianone graduated in just his first full season, but there are some interesting things bubbling under the surface that could lead to future rises in the ranks for the Royals," wrote the evaluators.
"Jensen has put on a power show at Triple-A, for one. Behind him, Kansas City has one of the most interesting and dynamic international classes of 2025, headlined by right-hander Kendry Chourio, who is already riding a mid-90s fastball and above-average curveball to Single-A at just 17 years old. He, along with 2025 picks Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond, could give KC the prospect flash it lost when Cags became a Major Leaguer."
The most discouraging thing about the system right now is the lack of offense, particularly in the outfield. Royals outfielders have been the worst in the sport this year, and there's no single prospect (outside of Caglianone) who projects to be the savior anytime soon.
However, anything can happen once some of the youngsters earn their promotions, and the strength of the catching position could also help facilitate future blockbuster trades if neccesary.
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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
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