KC Royals Prospects: 3 lefties who could surprise

Another left-handed hurler might get a call from the KC Royals in 2022.

Need a young, up-and-coming left-handed pitcher with good control and a penchant for strikeouts? Then check out Drew Parrish, a former Florida State Seminole who the Royals took in the eighth round of the 2019 amateur draft, and who might earn a trip to Kansas City before the season is out.

Parrish wasted no time making his mark in the Royals’ system. He signed soon after the draft, headed directly to the team’s Burlington Rookie team, and in four starts and five relief appearances went 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA. And in a sign of things to come, he struck out 39 in 25 innings (14.0 SO9) and walked only four (1.4 BB9).

Missing the 2020 season didn’t hurt Parrish. Dividing his 2021 season between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha, Parrish went 6-4, 2.83 in 22 games; in 98.2 innings, he fanned 118 batters (10.4 SO9) and walked 28 (2.6 BB9).

Triple-A Omaha is probably Parrish’s initial 2022 destination. But can the southpaw, currently ranked 30th among MLB Pipeline’s top Kansas City prospects, pitch well enough to warrant a call to the majors late in the season?

That, of course, remains to be seen and depends on how he, and the Royals’ incumbent hurlers, fare. But if he pitches as well this season as he has so far in his short career, a shot at Kauffman Stadium, while unlikely, isn’t completely out of the question.

Three Kansas City left-handed pitching prospects might break into the majors in 2022.