Royals: 5 prospects who could join big league club in 2020

With the Kansas City Royals still at least one season away from being legitimate again, it could be time to see how some rising stars perform.

One of many successful ingredients into the rise of the 2013-2015 seasons for the Kansas City Royals was the patience they exhibited with their core group of younger players. As we have the next batch of talented stars working through their way through the minors (and collecting titles along the way), it is important to not rush them. However, they also need to start getting their feet wet at the major league level.

Unless there is a combination of injuries, horrible spring trainings by current 40 man players, and/or over the top performances by the young stars, I do not see any of the players on this list starting out with the big league club. As the season progresses though, a lack of winning on the field could be the perfect opportunity to bring them in and see what they can do.

Since it is rare to see the jump from Single-A to majors, the players selected here have had at least part of a season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and spent at least two years playing college baseball or a few minor league seasons under their belt. This gives them a leg up as they are slightly more mature and ready to handle the expectations.

None of the following players are now on the 40-man roster either so it will take a long-term injury, trade or a designated for assignment to have them added and eligible for promotion. Since pitching is a large problem, a majority of these players are hurlers as well.

The list is not presented in any particular order, it is meant to address what the needs are of the Kansas City Royals and players who would be ready for the transition.  All players were selected from MLB’s list of top prospects for each team.

One player who has a laundry list of accomplishments plus great success in his first season of professional ball could not only get experience in Kansas City but also shut down big league hitters.

The junior year at the University of Florida for Brady Singer was extremely successful for Brady Singer.  A 12-3 record, 0.938 WHIP and striking out one batter for every one of his 113 innings pitched were part of the impressive stats.

Singer could already be a few years into his minor league development or on a big-league roster.  He was the #56 overall pick in the 2015 Major League Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Instead of chasing the pro ball dream first, he decided to play for the Gators.

The Kansas City Royals then selected Singer with the 18th pick in the 2018 draft.  Due to the workload he put in pitching late into the season as Florida made it to the College World Series, the team did not have him join a minor league affiliate.  This allowed Singer to rest his arm for the rest of the summer.

Assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks to kick off 2019, Singer quickly mowed through the Advanced-A league in 10 starts posting a 1.87 ERA and a 5-2 record. A promotion to Northwest Arkansas was next and what followed was a 7-3 record and 3.47 ERA. At both levels, he was very close to punching out a batter per inning.

The Kansas City Royals will have to debate whether to start him off back at Double-A or send him to the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Pacific League is notorious for being a hitter-friendly league but Singer has the character to shake that off. He is also a well-rounded young man as the story of him paying off his parent’s debt they built up for his baseball career showed.

While the hope is the Royals will not need to rush him next year, the lack of pitching, the likely elimination from the playoff race early, and Singer’s poise may make it an easier decision to give him valuable big league experience.

There is another University of Florida hurler that could potentially receive service time in the big leagues in 2020.

A college teammate of Singer’s, Jackson Kowar is 6-foot, 5-inch dominating presence on the mound.  Kowar was also selected in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft, coming in at #33.

While his record his last year at Florida dropped from 12-1 the 2017 season to 10-5, all of his important metrics improved.  His strikeouts per nine innings exploded from 7.0 to 9.2, his WHIP dropped .20 points, and the hits per nine innings decreased by 1.6.

Assigned to the Lexington Legends that summer Kowar made nine starts with relatively short stints and continued to improve on the numbers he produced in college.  In 2019 he gave an equal amount of starts to both Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas.  His performance with the Blue Rocks earned him a Mid-Season All-Star bid.

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Paired with his college teammate was beneficial to both players as they adapted to the grind of a full minor league season.  Even though his winning percentage went from .625 to .222 with the jump from Advanced-A to Double-AA, he pitched better than at the beginning of the year.

The shakiness of the Kansas City Royals pitching staff could easily create an opportunity for Kowar to make his way to Kauffman Stadium in 2020.  Having just turned 23 and with a year and a half of profession ball under his belt already, he has a chance to handle the duties.

Depending on injuries or trades, filling a hole at second base could be necessary next season.  A slugger from Puerto Rico could be the answer.

A seventh-round pick in 2015, Gabriel Cancel already has five seasons of professional ball under his belt.  He was highlighted in former Royal Carlos Beltran’s Academy Class that year prior to Kansas City drafting him.

Since the 2016 season, he has moved up a level of minor league ball each year.  Playing mostly second base for the Travelers in 2019, Cancel powered up with 30 doubles and 18 home runs.  One of his highlights this past season is hitting a walk-off homer in a game that featured Danny Duffy making a rehab start.

As of now, it would seem that Nicky Lopez has the first chance at second base with Whit Merrifield roaming the outfield.  Another slow start by Lopez, a trade of Merrifield, or another injury to Aldaberto Mondesi could create a spot to bring in another young bat.

He will need to cut down on his strikeouts but another gap power and occasional home run hitter in the middle infield would be a nice addition.  A start back in Northwest Arkansas or even with Omaha would be the best fit for Cancel at this time, but the above scenarios could see him receive the call to come up to the big leagues.

Cancel would probably be a long shot to show his face in Kansas City this year, but as the season progresses the right opportunity could present itself.  He was a MILB.com Organizational All-Star and Mid-Season All-Star in the Texas League so the talent is there.

After a move to the bullpen, this southpaw could help shore up a relief corps that was one of the worst in the majors last season.

A great all-around athlete, he was named Mr. Basketball his senior year of high school, Daniel Tillo has recently switched to the bullpen and could give the Kansas City Royals a boost.

After struggling in the minors as a starter, Tillo produced nice numbers out of the ‘pen in a short stint.  That included 11 strikeouts and no walks in 8 frames.  A big improvement for a guy who walked nearly four batters per nine innings throughout his professional career.

He was also named to the Premier12 for Team USA and produced a solid eight punchouts, one walk and only two hits in four and a third innings in appearances against Mexico and Australia.

As a franchise, the Royals produced a -5.0 WAR last year for relief pitchers, the third-worst in Major League Baseball.  Obviously there is a huge opportunity for Tillo to come in and claim a spot.  At 6-foot, 5-inches, he can bring the heat with an upper 90’s fastball with a nasty slider to boot.

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While he should start the season back in Double-A or Triple-A, the fans may grow restless if the team continues to bring in pitchers who throw gasoline on the fire. He could be a nice swingman to eat up innings and with the new rule about facing a minimum of three batters, Tillo should have no problem lasting at least that long.

In a perfect world, another season of minor league could be the best scenario for the above players, a taste of big-league action may not be a bad strategy.  And if the Kansas City Royals are floundering anyway, let’s give the fans a glimpse of the future.