All around the industry, some of the top prospect evaluating outlets in the game have been publishing refreshed versions of their prospect rankings. Baseball America has posted theirs, MLB Pipeline's is out now as well, as is Just Baseball's Kansas City Royals top 15 list.
Of course, we all know who's featured at or near the top of said lists. Jac Caglianone reigns supreme, while catchers Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen typically find themselves in second or third. The Royals' system as a whole is extremely top-heavy, with the aforementioned trio getting all the love while others generally fly under the radar.
It's hard to match the deep prospect knowledge that some of these other outlets provide, but there are a few Royals prospects who could find themselves in an updated version of, say, MLB Pipeline's Top 100, when it comes around at this time next year.
Catcher Ramon Ramirez, who came in as the Royals' No. 10 prospect in MLB's last update, is certainly a player to watch. However, he's still just 19 and is extremely raw. His bat and sense of pitch recognition at the plate is very intriguing, so don't forget that name.
That said, there's still one player, a pitcher, that prospect evaluators will likely be coming around on at this time next year.
KC Royals prospect Ben Kudrna should make MLB Pipeline's next Top 100
Originally drafted in the second round by the Royals in the 2021 MLB Draft, Ben Kudrna has made a gradual ascent through the system that should result in his first look at the Triple-A level in 2025.
The right-hander is certainly not much of a strikeout artist, but he makes it work. He's never struck out more than 9.5 batters per nine innings at any of his minor-league stops, yet his ERA has remained respectable, sitting at 4.04 for his professional career.
Kudrna boasts a four-pitch mix highlighted by a two- and four-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup. His fastball(s) leaves a bit to be desired, as there's little movement on the four-seamer, which makes it easier for hitters to square up. His two-seamer is a pitch that he's found success with, but he still isn't throwing it as often as he maybe should.
Both of Kudrna's secondary pitches are considered "above-average" and have a ton of movement. This leads to quite a few groundball outs, which is where he retires batters the most. He doesn't need to be a strikeout pitcher as long as his changeup and slider are functioning as top-tier out pitches.
Kudrna has already secured a spot in big league camp coming up soon, so the Royals are clearly high on him. He needs to bring his walks down a bit, but there's clearly a talented pitcher here, and it's only going to be a matter of time before he begins to get the national recognition he deserves.