3 KC Royals pitchers who've taken full advantage of spring training opportunities

Steven Zobac, RHP

If there’s a case study for Kansas City’s evolving approach to pitching development, it’s right-hander Steven Zobac. The 24-year-old California native entered the Royals’ system in 2022 as a moldable, projectable arm, but he ended 2024 as the Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year — awarded to the organization’s top minor-league pitcher. His rapid ascent has been one of the best success stories in Kansas City’s farm system, and his positive trajectory continued this spring. Even in limited action, Zobac showed why he’s turning heads and making a case for an MLB debut in the near future.

To truly appreciate what Steven Zobac has accomplished — and the speed at which he’s done it — fans need to understand his college trajectory. A California native, Zobac stayed in-state for his collegiate career, attending the University of California. Unlike many pitching prospects, he was a true two-way player, logging 86⅓ innings on the mound while also stepping to the plate 229 times across his three-year tenure. He continued to thrive as a dual-threat in the California Collegiate League, where he posted a .985 OPS and made 12 relief appearances during summer ball.

However, Zobac didn’t fully transition to a full-time pitching role until 2022, when he made 10 starts in 20 total appearances. In that season, he posted a 4-4 record with a 4.09 ERA and 72 strikeouts, but most notably, he sharpened his command — cutting his BB/9 from 5.1 in 2021 to 2.9 in 2022. His blend of raw potential and production caught the attention of scouts, earning him a spot as Baseball America’s 251st-best prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft. But the Royals were even higher on him, selecting Zobac 115th overall, betting on his upside and rapid development — a bet that is quickly paying off.

Steven Zobac may not have logged any affiliated innings in 2022, but once he debuted with Low-A Columbia, he hit the ground running. Kansas City eased him into a starter’s workload, but his dominant relief performances quickly caught the attention of evaluators.

Across stints with Columbia and High-A Quad Cities, he posted a 3.47 ERA, striking out 98 batters (9.7 K/9) while issuing just 24 walks (2.4 BB/9). Despite those strong numbers, Zobac had more experience than many of his peers, so his prospect stock didn’t surge immediately.

Then, after the 2024 season, everything changed.

Zobac continued his steady ascent, starting the year at High-A Quad Cities and posting a 3.95 ERA across 13 starts, consistently going deeper into games while improving his walk rate even further. That earned him a midseason promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he took another major step forward. In 10 starts for the Naturals, he posted a 3.25 ERA, saw a significant jump in strikeouts (10.6 K/9), and pitched a career-high 126 innings overall. His dominant August earned him the team’s Pitcher of the Month award, solidifying his status as one of the Royals' fastest-rising arms.

His 2024 by the numbers only showcase where Zobac stands in Kansas City's system.

• 11-8 record (3rd-most wins among Royals prospects)
• 3.64 ERA (5th-lowest in the system)
• 123 strikeouts, tied with Tyson Guerrero for 2nd-most (trailing system leader Noah Cameron’s 149 Ks)

Steven Zobac entered spring training as one of the hottest arms in Kansas City’s system, quickly climbing prospect boards. Baseball America ranked him as the Royals’ ninth-best prospect, while MLB Pipeline had him even higher at seventh. He also earned his first non-roster invite to big-league camp, a major milestone in his rapid ascent.

Though he pitched in only two games for the Royals, his results were promising. Across four innings, he allowed just one run while striking out seven, issuing only two walks. While his sample size was small, a strikeout-heavy approach will always play well at any level.

There aren’t many advanced metrics available for Zobac yet, but one eye-catching stat from spring training was the evolution of his changeup. Between his February 24 outing against the Athletics and his March 1 appearance against the Cubs, his induced vertical break (IVB) on the pitch nearly tripled — jumping from 2.4 inches to 7.1 inches. That kind of separation from his fastball and slider is a huge sign of progress in developing a legitimate third offering. If this trend continues, his changeup could become a true weapon, giving him a much stronger arsenal for a long-term rotation role.

Zobac clearly maximized his limited game action by absorbing information from the major league staff and making in-game adjustments ahead of the 2025 season. Whether he returns to Northwest Arkansas or gets an immediate promotion to Triple-A Omaha remains to be seen, but one thing is clear — his meteoric rise in Kansas City’s system isn’t slowing down, and spring training only put an exclamation point on that fact.