Annual Baseball America poll proves Royals fans have plenty to be excited about at High-A

It is tough to think that even though the Kansas City Royals season's end is within sight, that reality is much closer for the minor league players. Soon the weekly road trips and wishing for normalcy will turn into retrospective reactions on the season, and preparing for the season ahead with MLB labor negotiations serving as a dark cloud hanging over anything past December 2026.

Baseball America has been around for decades, but the historical polls and network the publisher keeps rival any writing or podcast it puts out. One of their polls, dating back to 1983, asks minor league managers at each level which players have the best tool. If you don't know, a tool is a fundamental physical or athletic skill used by scouts to evaluate a player's ability. If Royals fans need an example of the ultra-rare five-tool player, there is one usually penciled in, batting second and playing shortstop.

The Royals were well represented in a the major league portion of the annual tools poll, but in a poll stretching from Low-A to Triple-A at each league, Kansas City only had representatives from High-A Quad Cities River Bandits. That should not surprise many, given the lacking top-tier talent at Triple-A and Double-A, and the fact that three of Kansas City's top five prospects are currently playing for Quad Cities.

Catcher Blake Mitchell and pitcher Kendry Chourio each had two appearances as having the respective best tool in the Midwest League. Mitchell, the polarizing 2023 first-round pick, earned "Best Strike-Zone Judgement" and "Best Defensive Catcher," while the rise of Chourio only continues with him earning "Best Fastball" and "Best Pitching Prospect" in the Midwest League.

Blake Mitchell, Kendry Chourio aren't only Royals High-A prospects to monitor

Mitchell's prospect stock has slid in recent months, but the Texas native still has a rare 20/20 season for a catcher. And despite the atrocious 34% strikeout rate, his 22% walk rate and 0.65 walk-to-strikeout ratio led all qualified Midwest League batters.

Chourio came on the scene in a big way last season, and the 18-year-old had a sterling 2.70 ERA in eight starts. That ERA was fourth-best among primary Midwest League starters this season, while Chourio walked less than 5% of the batters he faced and fanned 28.2%, a 5.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranked third among that same group.

Meanwhile, managers said another young pitching prospect in David Shields had the "Best Control," and it is hard to disagree with that statement. Kansas City's fourth-best prospect only had 28 walks in 106.2 innings pitched, good for a 6.5% walk rate. That is a marginal increase from his 5% mark in 2025, but still among the best in minor league baseball.

The last Royals prospect named, this time as the "Best Reliever," is one most Royals fans have not heard of in pitcher L.P. Langevin.

The Canadian is older than many prospects in High-A in his age-22 season, but the righty had a dazzling first full professional season, racking up 100 strikeouts in only 52.1 innings pitched. He is the only pitcher in all of the minor leagues with at least 100 punchouts in fewer than 60 innings pitched.

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