3 KC Royals prospects who should be on the 2025 Opening Day roster

Devin Mann should be a Royal on Opening Day

Like Sisk and Devanney, Kansas City can't claim Mann as homegrown. The Los Angeles Dodgers picked him in the eighth round of the 2018 amateur draft, then shipped him (and infielder Derlin Figueroa) to KC to get reliever Ryan Yarbrough for their 2023 playoff chase stretch run.

A work in progress, Figueroa homered 13 times but hit only .223 for Single-A Columbia, but the Royals have to be excited about what Mann did this season at Omaha. While batting a pedestrian .257, his OBP was an excellent .358, and he hit 13 homers and drove in 52 runs in 101 games. Mann also reduced his 30.5% strikeout rate from 2023 to 22.3%.

What should make Mann even more attractive to the Royals is the defensive versatility he shares with Devanney. He may have played only at first and second bases this season (he also served as the Storm Chasers' designated hitter 25 times), but he's spent time at third and shortstop, as well as every outfield position over his six-year minor league career.

Mann, then, is uniquely suited to combine with Devanney for a utility duo capable of doing everything Hampson and Frazier could defensively, and hit better than them at the same time.

And that would be good for the Royals.

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