Kansas City Royals: Prospect to Watch, Khalil Lee

The Kansas City Royals number one prospect, Khalil Lee, has been moved up. He was called up to play for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Wednesday.

Khalil Lee sits atop the Kansas City Royals list of top prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. The 20 year old began the year with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Now, he has been promoted to Double A with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

The left-handed outfielder was drafted in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Royals. He’s small, standing at 5’10” 170, but he’s fast.

His Statistics

In 2016, he was the leader in runs scored, triples, and total bases in the Arizona Fall League. He grades out as a 50 overall player according to MLB Pipeline.

His Advanced A ball average was .270, knocking in 41 runs and stealing 14 bases in 71 games. He has a habit of striking out a lot, which isn’t great. But, that’s mainly a matter of plate discipline and being able to work the count.

Perhaps his strongest asset is his arm. He has a 60 grade arm, which is his highest ranking. So, he definitely has a lot of talent. With some more fine tuning in the farm system, he has the potential to play a vital role in the rebuild.

So, how long until he makes the big jump?

MLB Pipeline has his ETA listed as 2020. With the rebuild, it’s possible he will be given an opportunity sooner than that. He needs to keep moving through the system, gaining more and more experience in each tier.

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But, the good thing about Khalil Lee is that he is so young. For a team entering rebuild mode, it is refreshing to know there is already talented players within the Kansas City Royals organization. The farm isn’t completely bare, so they aren’t starting from scratch. And Khalil Lee is one of those players that has big play potential, he just needs more experience at the lower levels.