2025 MLB Farm Review: Kansas City Royals

We’ll start with the offense, which had several standouts this past year.

Twenty-year-old catcher Ramon Ramirez recorded 26 extra-base hits over 70 games, 11 of which were home runs. Ramirez (27.1% Whiff%) was a steady performer in rookie ball the seasons before 2025.

Asbel Gonzalez, now 20 years of age, ran all over opposing teams and made an offensive impact despite little power (16 XBH, one HR over 115 GP). Gonzalez stole 78 bases to pace the Fireflies.

Then, there was switch-hitting prospect Yandel Ricardo, the high-prized Cuban import from several years back. Ricardo slashed .212/.279/.268 over 50 games, not hitting for too much power. However, that’s sometimes par for the course when it comes to unpolished teenagers (Ricardo will play all of 2026 as a 19-year-old) at the pro levels.

There was some swing-and-miss in Ricardo’s game despite the fact that he didn’t strike out a lot. Ricardo whiffed north of 30% in Low-A.

Moving on to the pitching staff, David Shields and Kendry Chourio were among the big-name pitching prospects to work in South Carolina.

Shields was a second-round pick by the Royals in 2024 as a Pennsylvania prepster. The left-hander passed his first test in pro ball this past year, as Shields struck out 81 over 71.2 IP, and walked just 15 in Low-A. His 26.7% Whiff% ranked middle of the pack among pitchers with at least 400 induced swings.

The left-hander doesn’t throw very hard; his fastball sat in the low-90s. Yet, he was very adept at getting outs.

Chourio (22% Whiff%), meanwhile, didn’t get as much work in Columbia this past season. The right-hander, who was signed as an international free agent in January 2025, mowed through the DSL and ACL. Chourio struck out 39 and walked just one over 28.2 combined innings before he moved to the Fireflies. With Columbia, he still struck out 24 over 22 despite an ERA over 5.00, pitching as a 17-year-old.

The now-18-year-old showed polish and pro-level stuff, as well, all at a young age. A 93-94 MPH fastball with visual run, coupled with a changeup, are among the weapons that Chourio was working with.

Quad Cities River Bandits

We mentioned this in our Midwest League numbers recap, and it’ll be mentioned here again: Blake Mitchell had his swing-and-miss problems in High-A.

Yes, it was a tough year for Mitchell, as an injury forced him to start his High-A run in July. Nonetheless, a Whiff% north of 35% and a slash line of .218/.390/.320 wasn’t ideal, even though he took his walks (53 in 60 games).

It doesn’t change too much in the grand scheme of things for now. Mitchell is still a premium power-hitting prospect, one who hit 18 home runs in 2024. Nonetheless, a step back.

As for other notable hitting prospect performers, Daniel Vazquez slashed .260/.336/.349 over 105 games. Carson Roccaforte, a former second-round pick, hit 18 combined home runs. Thirteen of those came in High-A. But like Mitchell, Roccafore had a lot of swing-and-miss, with a Whiff% of 32.7%.

As for the pitching staff, it included relievers Dennis Colleran and A.J. Causey, plus starters L.P. Langevin and Drew Beam, all pitchers who were part of the Royals’ 2024 draft class.

Colleran, a hard-thrower from Northeastern who had trouble with command in college, posted a Whiff% of 28.1% and limited opposing hitters to a .126 average. Causey, meanwhile, had one of the best Whiff% (34.7%) in the Midwest League. He punched out 44 over 40 innings.

Langevin only threw 15 innings in High-A, as he missed most of the year due to injury. Beam, a heavy ground-ball pitcher (48.2% GB%), struck out 110 over 131 innings.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Carter Jensen didn’t need much time in Double-A this year. Jensen spent 68 games at the level before he moved to Triple-A, where he did considerably more damage (more on that in a bit).

Jac Caglianone also tore it up, as he slashed .322/.394/.553 with 17 extra-base hits over 38 games.

The rest of the hitting group was a mixed bag.

Sam Ruta had one of the most egregious swing-and-miss rates in the Texas League. Gavin Cross (29.4% Whiff%) wasn’t as egregious. However, Cross, a former first-round pick, only slashed .241/.297/.413 on the season. Cross hit for power, as he picked up 43 extra-base hits in 114 games. But despite that, he put up a paltry on-base percentage.

Cross didn’t walk a lot, as he took a free pass just 33 times last season. The 24-year-old, who wasn’t placed on the 40-man roster in November and went undrafted in the Rule 5 phase, will look to be aggressive at the plate. He took at the plate around 50% (not counting HBP or pitchouts), below the league median.

Carson Roccaforte (.862 OPS) hit well in Double-A upon moving up from Quad Cities. However, he too had his own swing-and-miss problems (33.9% Whiff%).

As for the pitching staff, Ben Kudrna and Hunter Owen were among the big names who pitched for the Naturals this past season. Owen was a fourth-round pick by the Royals back in 2023, while Kudrna has been a notable name in the system for years.

Both pitched fine. Owen struck out 107 over 94.2 IP, along with a Whiff% of 29.7%. Kudrna, who will throw six different pitches, including two low-to-mid-90s fastballs, walked 33 and struck out 96 over 94 innings. Like Owen, Kudrna also missed (28.3% Whiff%) a good amount of bats in the Texas League.

The other notable pitching prospect to talk about is Frank Mozzicato, who, like Cross, was also left unprotected in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. It was a tough season for Mozzicato, who walked 53 over 56 innings, struck out just 48, and conceded 10 home runs for Northwest Arkansas.

It didn’t help that Mozzicato often found himself behind in the count; his First-Pitch Strike% was just a tad above 52%, well below the median. But given his numbers, it wasn’t hard to figure that out.

Omaha Storm Chasers

As is usually the case with Triple-A teams, there were a lot of ex-Major Leaguers on the Storm Chasers, as well as players now in Kansas City.

One was Jac Caglianone, who had 17 extra-base hits in 28 games. Caglianone forced his way to the Majors with that performance. However, as we noted in our Royals season recap, it was a different story for him at the MLB level.

Shortstop Cam Devanney hit 18 home runs and 34 total extra-base hits with the Storm Chasers. Devanney, who will be 29 years old in April, eventually got the call to the Majors this past year. However, he was traded to the Pirates in the summer for Adam Frazier.

Noah Cameron had a sensational run in Omaha, as he struck out 38 over 32 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .202 batting average. Cameron was promoted to Kansas City and didn’t look back, as he was arguably the Royals’ most impactful rookie this past season.

Lastly, Carter Jensen continued his Minor League reign of terror with Omaha. Jensen slashed .288/.404/.647 with 14 home runs and 26 extra-base hits over 43 games for the Storm Chasers. He also posted one of the highest Barrel% in the International League before the Royals summoned him in September.

Early Projected Top 5 for 2026

1. Carter Jensen
2. Blake Mitchell
3. Sean Gamble
4. Josh Hammond
5. David Shields

Two 2025 first-round picks, both of whom did not play in the pros last summer, are in the top five. And ahead of them are the two catchers, Carter Jensen & Blake Mitchell, who will make things very interesting from a depth chart management position.

However, Jensen is the clear #1. Jensen can hit power, and that pop played both in Triple-A and the Majors. Mitchell has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, despite the lofty profile.

It’s also worth noting that the Royals have a lot of young talent at the MLB level, like Noah Cameron and Jac Caglianone.