Kansas City Royals: Kyle Isbel named Arizona Fall League All-Star

Outfielder Kyle Isbel of the Kansas City Royals is tearing up the Arizona Fall League and is rewarded with a trip to the Fall Stars game.

A 5’8″ and 140 pound player (now listed a 5’11” and 183 pounds) in prep ball from Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Kansas City Royals prospect Kyle Isbel was named to the 2015 PG Preseason All-American and All-Region Teams. From there, he signed on to play with the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

After tearing up college pitching with 14 home runs, 18 doubles and .357 average with the Runnin’ Rebels in 2018, the Kansas City Royals selected Isbel in the third round of the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft.  He then proceeded to rake in the minors, hitting a .326/.389/.504 slash at two levels and was named a MiLB Organization All-Star.

After a red hot start at the Wilmington Blue Rocks this spring, Isbel was detoured by an injury that costs him around two months of playing time. His OPS at the time was 1.053 and he had swiped five bags. The time off affected the rest of his season, as Isbel finished with a .216/.282/.361 slash.

https://twitter.com/mlbpipeline/status/1146846686108631040

Isbel was still an integral part of Wilmington’s first Carolina League championship in 20 years.  He hit a home run in the Northern League-deciding game five, sending the Blue Rocks to the Mills Cup Finals and staving off elimination five times total in the playoffs.

Determined to make up for lost time and sub-par stats, Isbel has made the most of his experience with the Surprise Saguaros. In his first 13 games, he has pounded five extra-base hits, driven in eleven runs and stolen three bases. He is also batting .349 and slugging his way to a .949 OPS. Showing patience at the plate with ten walks is also a very good sign.

The left-handed hitter is fifth in the league with those eleven RBIs, tied for second in walks, and second in OBP if you look at players who have at least 40 at-bats.

The Fall Stars game takes place Saturday, October 12th just after 7:00 pm CST and will be streamed on the MLB.com website.  It would be worth your time to check Isbel and his offensive prowess, plus a chance to check out the other Kansas City Royals prospect in Daniel Lynch.