Royals: Prospect Rewind, John Rave

A fifth-round draft pick in 2019 out of Illinois State, John Rave quickly became a top prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization.

The Kansas City Royals selected John Rave after a very successful career with the Redbirds that included his 2018 season in which he slashed .347/.402/.571, led the team in home runs with eight and finished second on the team in average.  He was named an All-Missouri Valley Conference 2nd team player.

Although his average went down by 50 points, Rave’s power increased with 12 bombs and he stole seven more bases in 2019.  He was the leadoff batter for the team and played in all games manning centerfield.

"“I’m proud of and happy for John,” ISU head coach Steve Holm said. “I think he has been drafted by an organization that has excelled in developing outfielders with similar skill sets to John’s. He has been one of the best players ever to wear a Redbird uniform and he has earned this opportunity to chase his dream of being a big leaguer.” – goredbirds.com"

Rave signed within a couple of weeks of being drafted and after a couple of dozen games with the Rookie League Burlington Royals, he finished the season with the Lexington Legends in the South Atlantic League.

He put in nearly 200 plate appearances with the class-A team and batted an encouraging .271 against right-handed pitching.  He also showed off a strong arm in the outfield combining to throw out three runners at both levels of the minors and showing great jumps on balls.

MLB Prospects believes he could produce seasons of around .270 with 15 home runs and lists Rave as the #22 prospect.  His speed scouting grade is the best at 60 but he also fields and hits for contact very well.  With the Kansas City Royals still searching for consistency in the outfield, Rave could fit in well to spacious confines of Kauffman Stadium in the near future.