KC Royals Farm Futures: Carlos Santana deal raises questions

This week’s Farm Futures features how a recent big signing may impact the future of a prospect and covers a KC Royals player in winter ball.

The big news Tuesday was the signing of Carlos Santana to a two-year contract. While it gives most KC Royals fans more optimism for competitiveness in 2021, it does present some difficult realities for a handful of players.

Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom certainly are questioning how they fit into the roster. One obvious observation is that the team believes Nick Pratto still has a couple of years of seasoning before he is ready for the majors.

Pratto was part of the alternate site this last season, which was viewed as a good indication he was getting closer. With Santana manning first base for the next two seasons, though, it looks more likely that Pratto will be in the minor leagues through at least 2022.

Given his drop-off in performance in 2019, it is understandable the Royals want to see more out of Pratto before determining if he is a long-term fit. This will buy more time for him to develop and show he is ready to handle big league pitching.

Outfielder shows off power in Dominican

Off to a slow start with Leones del Escogido in the winter leagues, Franchy Cordero came alive recently with a moonshot off Hansel Robles. Not a bad at-bat against a reliever who saved 23 games for the Los Angeles Angels back in 2019.

Cordero is off to a slow start this winter, posting a .182/.308/.318 slash in seven ballgames.  Perhaps this will be the turning point for better results. This is definitely the power people would love to see from another lefthanded hitter in the Royals’ lineup.

Rival completes minor league affiliations

An American League Central Division competitor has reportedly finalized its minor league teams. The Minnesota Twins will have, in order from Triple A to Low A, these cities: St. Paul, Wichita, Cedar Rapids, and Fort Myers.

Wichita is the interesting one to note. The affiliation was awarded to the Miami Marlins Triple A franchise that would have played 2020 in a brand new $75 million stadium. Now, Wichita drops to Double A and, on top of that, is a farm team for a rival of the KC Royals despite being a three-hour drive from Kauffman Stadium.

That’s certainly another blow for a town that used to be in the Royals’ affiliation family. As much as I love to support my local teams, you may find me cheering on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals when they visit the Wind Surge next summer.