Minor League Baseball

Former Top Prospect Who Hit For Cycle Earns Triple-A Honor For Kansas City Royals

Drew Waters, who plays for the Omaha Storm Chasers, hit for the cycle back on April 2 and owns a robust .455 average so far in Triple-A.
Brady Farkas|
Kansas City Royals left fielder Drew Waters (6) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium in 2024.
Kansas City Royals left fielder Drew Waters (6) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium in 2024. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

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Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals minor leaguer Drew Waters took home the International League Player of the Week on Monday after putting together a big week for the Omaha Storm Chasers.

Waters, 26, hit for the cycle back on April 2. That is the first cycle hit in the minor leagues this year. The outfielder is hitting .455 in the early going (10-for-22) with two homers, seven RBIs and three stolen bases.

Waters was ranked as the No. 26 prospect in baseball back in 2020 as a member of the Atlanta Braves. The Royals acquired him just before the trade deadline in 2022. He has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Royals. He's a .229 big-league hitter with 13 homers and 16 stolen bases. A solid runner, he's also produced a .306 on-base percentage.

In parts of eight minor league seasons, Waters is a .285 lifetime hitter and owns 61 home runs. Waters is on the 40-man roster, which means that he's got a solid chance of getting called up should the Royals have an injury or issue. Kyle Isbel, MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe are the three outfielders currently on the major league roster.

Kansas City is coming off a year in which it got to the American League Division Series. After losing 106 games in 2023, the Royals finished second in the American League Central. They boast one of the best young pitchers in baseball in Cole Ragans and one of the game's best players in Bobby Witt Jr.

The Storm Chasers are off on Monday but will resume action on Tuesday when they travel to St. Paul.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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