KC Royals Minor League News: Prospect check-in

A little over a month into the 2022 season, the KC Royals are stumbling. They begin their three-game series at Texas tonight 9-17 and in fourth place in the American League Central. The team is on pace for just 56 wins, which would certainly disappoint Royals fans hoping for much better.

As Kansas City struggles, it’s easy and natural to shift focus to the organization’s minor league teams.

What help might be on the horizon, especially considering the only big offseason splash the club made was signing Zack Greinke? KC seemed confident its lineup was good enough to compete and the front office appeared content with organizational depth.

Now, we see the lineup was not good enough. Through Monday’s 6-1 loss to the Orioles, the Royals have averaged just 3.02 runs per game, a mark better than only Detroit.

Adalberto Mondesi and Carlos Santana are both on the Injured List. Whit Merrifield’s .135 average is the second-worst among qualified hitters in the majors. Andrew Benintendi has cooled off over the last two weeks and Salvador Perez fought through an 0-for-26 streak before getting four hits in Sunday’s doubleheader against Baltimore and two more Monday.

Do the KC Royals’ minor league teams have anything to offer the big club?

The Royals’ problems won’t improve overnight. In order to score more runs, the lineup needs to change. This might mean changes to the roster and changes to the team’s approach at the plate.

So, is there help in the minors? And how are key players performing on the farm?

Some scorching bats in Omaha could soon be a boost to the KC Royals’ lineup.

The Omaha Storm Chasers have fared better than their major league counterparts, at least in the win column. Through Monday, they’re 15-14 and in fourth place in the International League West.

On offense, the team has some promising pieces that could kickstart the Kansas City lineup. The headliner remains Vinnie Pasquantino, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the organization’s fifth best prospect.

The Royals’ first base hopeful leads Omaha with a .918 OPS and is slashing .260/.387/.567 with 12 extra-base hits (including six home runs), 19 walks, and just 13 strikeouts in 96 at-bats.

Behind Pasquantino are other potential reinforcements for Kansas City. Outfielders Brewer Hicklen and Dairon Blanco have been hot—Hicklen is slashing .302/.375/.488 over the last 15 days and Blanco has a 1.074 OPS in that span. Both could find their ways to Kansas City soon if Edward Olivares’ stay on the Injured List is prolonged.

And Nick Pratto, who’s on the IL after taking a pitch to the helmet last week, has improved from his early season slump—he’s slashing .250/.323/.477 and has five homers and 17 RBIs in 23 games.

Three pitchers are trying to make cases to return to the KC Royals’ rotation.

The Storm Chasers also have plenty of good young arms headlined by Jon Heasley, Brady Singer and Foster Griffin.

Heasley has an 0.95 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in just 26.1 innings. With Kris Bubic’s move to the KC bullpen, Heasley could get the call back to Kansas City sooner rather than later. He has stumbled some, however, with an 8.31 ERA in the last 15 days.

Singer has been outstanding since his demotion to Omaha late last month. He pitched five shutout innings, struck out four, and allowed just three hits and one walk against Toledo May 5. He’s 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA and his changeup, a pitch he needs to develop, has been excellent.

Griffin, still on the road to recovery from his 2020 Tommy John Surgery, has a 2.25 ERA with 19 strikeouts and just two walks in 16 innings. He’s pitched only in relief but has started in the past. His versatility could come in handy for the Royals.

Hot bats in Arkansas could make for a good future outfield for the KC Royals.

Northwest Arkansas is 14-13 in the Double-A Texas League. Thanks in great part to their bats, the Naturals are in third place in the North Division but only 2.5 games out of first place.

Leading the way has been infielder Michael Massey and his .320/.368/.544 line. Among qualified Texas League hitters over the last 15 days, he ranks first in RBIs, third in average, ninth in on-base percentage and seventh in slugging.

Outfielder Seuly Matias is slashing .259/.340/.469, but his .259 average would be the highest of his career should he sustain it for the entire season, and his .340 OBP would be his best since 2016.

Infielder Nick Loftin’s early-season struggles have disappeared. Less than a month into the season, Loftin was hitting just .250 but, over the last 15 days, he’s slashing .319/.353/.511. His OPS is up to .793.

KC Royals pitching prospects are having mixed results at Northwest Arkansas.

Alec Marsh and Asa Lacy have not been elite this season. On the surface, their ERA’s—5.95 for Marsh, 4.66 for Lacy—reflect a story of two struggling pitchers.

Marsh has given up his share of runs but his strikeout total, 30 in 19.1 innings, is promising.

Unfortunately, Lacy, 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA in two starts, is on the shelf with back tightness but, per mlb.com KC beat writer Anne Rogers, the Royals are optimistic he’ll return soon.

Although some top arms in the system have struggled, Drew Parrish hasn’t—he has a 2.61 ERA, including a microscopic 1.00 ERA over his last 18 innings, and is 3-1 in six starts. He might make the jump to the Royals before the season ends.

A KC Royals pitching prospect is starting to stand out at Low-A Columbia.

Low-A Columbia is 10-17, in fifth place in the Carolina League’s South Division, and struggling at the plate.

Although he’s MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 KC prospect, outfielder Erick Peña is among the worst in the organization at the plate. He’s slashing just .095/.091/.095 over the last two weeks. On the season, he’s hitting .141 with a 46.2% strikeout rate.

Catcher Carter Jensen hasn’t fared much better. He owns a 17% walk rate and .320 OBP, but over the last 15 days is slashing just .091/.231/.152.

Pitcher Ben Hernandez started 2022 well—in his season debut, he pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four. In 13.1 innings since then, his ERA is 8.10 and his OBA is .377.

This 20-year-old KC Royals infield prospect deserves more of our attention.

Despite Columbia’s struggles, one name stands out above the rest. Infielder Enrique Valdez, 20, has been outstanding so far.

The Royals signed Valdez to a contract in 2017; since then, he’s spent most of his time in the Dominican Summer League and Arizona Fall League.

In 2021, Valdez made his first appearance at Columbia where he appeared in 26 games with just a .552 OPS. But he’s improved this year. Although his .250/.291/.431 and 34% strikeout rate may not seem like much, Valdez is slashing .357/.345/.607 in his last eight games.

That’s it for this minor league update. We’ll be back soon with more.