Three Kansas City Royals Prospects Who Could Make Big Impact in 2018

Not to beat a dead horse, but the Kansas City Royals are going to be looking at a much different roster in 2018. The team will need to look for answers down on the farm as cheap options to fill roster spots.

Free agency is no way for a small-market team like the Kansas City Royals to build a roster. Sure, guys like Ryan Madson and Alex Rios helped KC to a World Series title in 2015. I’ve written more than one article detailing my desire for KC to bring back Eric Hosmer, but that’s hardly building a team through “free agency.”

No, the Kansas City Royals built a championship team from the ground up. They drafted young players, signed more in the international pool and raised them to be champions. That’s exactly what they’ll have to do if they want to win another title in the future.

Luckily for Kansas City, that future can start as early as 2018 for a few key prospects. There are a number of different guys who I think could make their MLB debuts in 2018, but there are three in particular that I think have a chance to make some serious noise at the MLB level.

There may be others who debut and make impacts that no one predicted. Whit Merrifield set the world on fire in 2017 after starting the year in Omaha. Scott Alexander turned into one of the Kansas City Royals’ most valuable relievers. Sometimes those guys come out of nowhere; sometimes they are top prospects.

Here are three of KC’s prospects that I think have the chance to make a big impact on the team in 2018. Remember, guys like Jorge Soler and Raul Mondesi don’t count as prospects anymore—or they’d surely be on this list.