Kansas City Royals: Offseason Prospect Watch, Janser Lara

The 27th ranked prospect on the Kansas City Royals top 30 prospect list according to MLB Pipeline is Janser Lara. He began the 2018 season in the 29th spot.

Janser Lara is a 22 year old right handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic. He signed with the Kansas City Royals in 2015 as part of an international spending spree by the Royals. According to MLB Pipeline, he is one of the quickest arms in the organization.

The Statistics

Lara spent the 2018 season with the Lexington Legends in A ball. With Lexington, he threw for a 4-3, tossing for a 3.41 ERA. He appeared in 23 games, starting eight. His total ERA sat at 3.41 through 66.0 innings pitched. His WHIP was 1.24 through the 2018 season.

Overall in his minor league career, he has played mainly in the rookie leagues. Lexington was his first taste above that level. His overall career ERA from 2016-2018 is 4.02 through 50 games played, totaling 156.2 innings. He has started just over half of his appearances and has a record of 9-8.

Scouting Report

MLB Pipeline grades Lara out as a 45 overall player, grading his fastball out the highest at 65. That is followed by his curveball at 50, and his changeup and control both sit at 45’s.

When will he hit the majors?

MLB Pipeline predicts that Janser Lara will hit the major league level with the Kansas City Royals in the 2021 season. They also predicted that he will be an upper-90s reliever in the future even though he still will most likely see time in the starting rotations in the minors for a while.