3 underrated Kansas City Royals prospects flying under the radar for 2026

Who was the first Kansas City Royals prospect you hitched your wagon to? Was it a prep player who matured into a future superstar like shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.? Maybe it was a local draftee who became a franchise folk hero like outfielder Alex Gordon. Adalberto Mondesi was a popular choice after his meteoric rise through the system.

Mine was a much more conventional pick and it ended the same way so many Royals pitching prospects in the 2010s did: pitcher Kyle Zimmer.

As a then-16-year-old trying to deepen my baseball knowledge, the fifth overall selection in the 2012 MLB Draft felt like the safest bet imaginable. Big arm. Big pedigree. Big expectations. But time tells all truths, and plenty of Royals fans had their hopes dashed by the injury-derailed career Zimmer never really had a chance to fulfill.

Still, that never stopped me or most fans from finding “their guy” on the farm. The success stories might be few and far between, especially in Kansas City, but the process is still the fun part.

I also love hearing other people’s answers to that question. I remember Alex Duvall of Royals Farm Report putting me onto a late-round first baseman out of Old Dominion that he wouldn’t stop praising. Years later, that was Vinnie Pasquantino making his Kauffman Stadium debut to a roaring home crowd and carving out a real role in the middle of the lineup.

Now, as prospect lists start rolling out ahead of spring training, there will be plenty of players who get shorted for one reason or another. Too young. Too little track record. Too old. Too niche. There’s a buffet of reasons evaluators won’t buy in on a player yet.

From what I’ve seen so far, these are three players I believe are already being overlooked heading into 2026. This isn’t to say they’re destined to follow Pasquantino’s path or repeat Zimmer’s cautionary tale, but they do have more momentum than several outlets seem willing to credit.

They might not be my guys, but with a strong season, they could absolutely become someone’s.

3 underrated Kansas City Royals prospects flying under the radar for 2026

C Moises Marchán

The Royals’ inroads with Venezuelan prospects remain strong, both at the major-league level and in recent international free-agent classes.

Catcher Salvador Perez is one of the game’s best Venezuelan-born players, and third baseman Maikel Garcia just earned himself a lengthy extension after hailing from the same country.

While plenty of other Venezuelan stars have built Hall of Fame-worthy careers elsewhere, Kansas City clearly has a type on the international scene. One player who fits that mold from the 2025 international class is catcher Moises Marchán.

Marchán joined the organization on a sub-$1 million deal last winter, a steal for MLB Pipeline’s 31st-ranked prospect in that 2025 class. The backstop spent his age-17 season in the Dominican Summer League and quickly showed he can stick behind the plate for the foreseeable future. His receiving skills are highly regarded for his age, and he threw out nearly a third of attempted basestealers across 31 games.

Marchán’s .296/.369/.388 slash line isn’t going to stop anyone in their tracks, but the early signs are encouraging when you zoom out. He’s athletic for the position, he controls the strike zone well enough to get on base, and he’s already giving you defensive value that can buy him time while the bat develops. There’s plenty of physical projection left, and if that strength comes along the way scouts hope it will, the doubles-and-contact profile could start turning into more impact.

He’s still a long way from the 40-man conversation, but in an organization with a crowded catching crop, Marchán has a chance to separate himself in 2026. If the glove holds and the power takes even a small step forward, he’ll start showing up on a lot more radars by midseason.

OF Nolan Sailors

Kansas City went prep-heavy early in the 2025 MLB Draft, taking position players in the first and second rounds, and that means Royals fans will have to wait a bit for the affiliated debuts of Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond.

But there were still a handful of 2025 draftees who hit the ground running. Pitcher Bryson Dudley posted a 1.35 ERA in Low-A after the Royals grabbed him in the seventh round, and outfielder Luke Nowak was swinging it in Columbia, slashing .446/.554/.585 in 19 games after being a 17th-round selection.

Still, the guy who really made the loudest “I belong” statement in his pro debut was outfielder Nolan Sailors, who jumped from the draft straight to High-A and delivered.

Sailors, a Creighton alum, stole 17 bases in 32 games for Quad Cities. That total was the second-most among 2025 draftees and led all Royals selections by a comfortable margin.

The .283/.412/.368 slash line tells you exactly what kind of player he is. Sailors can work a walk, he puts the ball in play, and his plus speed turns soft contact into singles while forcing the defense to rush throws and decisions.

It’s not an eye-popping skill set, and it’s not the type that automatically earns a top-10 prospect ranking. But it plays especially when a player does it as consistently as Sailors did in his first taste of pro ball. His game has that familiar Royals feel: grind at-bats, take the free base, get into scoring position, and keep the line moving.

The defense adds another layer. Sailors is proving he can handle center field after spending last season in left for Creighton, and that matters in an organization that values outfield range as much as any.

Kansas City already has legitimate center field prospects in Carson Roccaforte and Asbel Gonzalez, but Sailors can hold his own there and should get plenty of chances to show off the quick reads and closing speed that make his profile work.

Sailors may not have a sky-high ceiling, but heading into his age-23 season, he has a chance to establish 2025 as the baseline and force his way to Double-A sooner rather than later. The hit tool fits with the speed and glove, and if he finds even a little more impact at the plate, he’ll go from organizational depth to real prospect in a hurry.

INF Luis Steven King

The Royals’ 2025 international class keeps aging well, but it became downright historic the moment pen hit paper for the King twins.

Luis Ramon King and Luis Steven King, two Dominican brothers, became the first pair of twins to sign with the same MLB organization during an international signing period.

Ramon King landed the larger bonus and came with the louder present power, which gave him a bit more shine entering the summer. By the time the Dominican Summer League wrapped, though, it was Steven King who looked like the better bet.

Steven didn’t put up earth-shattering power, but he was a strong overall performer, posting a 133 wRC+ with a .287/.436/.410 slash line in 43 games. His walk and strikeout totals were nearly one-for-one, and he added 13 stolen bases for good measure. He also earned Royals' DSL Player of the Month honors in August thanks to a 10-game stretch where he racked up five doubles, a home run, and seven runs scored.

It’s not easy to find consistent film on DSL players, but in the two games I was able to watch, Steven stood out for how comfortable he looked.

Players that young can feel jumpy, visibly second-guessing swing decisions or rushing throws, and Steven didn’t give off that vibe. Some of the takes were still head-scratchers, and not every throw to first was chest-high, but he played with a steadiness that you don’t always see at that level. More often than not, he looked like he knew what he wanted to do, and he did it with conviction.

Steven is still a work in progress, both in the field and as a hitter, but the foundation from his first season is hard to ignore. He carries real momentum into 2026, while his twin will be looking to rebound after a shorter DSL stint.

If Steven can either unlock a bit more power or simply replicate his 2025 approach and results, a jump to the Arizona Complex League feels very much on the table this season.