Baseball America's new prospect rankings reshuffle the KC Royals farm system

Baseball is an American institution, and its influence has spawned countless subcultures, traditions, and analytical advancements. One of the most respected outlets within the baseball world is Baseball America, founded in 1981 and now regarded as a premier source for prospect analysis, draft coverage, and all levels of professional baseball. Their expertise runs so deep that they help select prospects for the annual Futures Game — a sign that their evaluations carry real weight.

Baseball America’s coverage spans from college action to in-depth farm system breakdowns, but one of its more unorthodox rankings is gaining traction in the prospect world. Analyst Dylan White’s RoboScout system brings a new level of complexity to projections, taking available data to analyze how well minor-league performance can predict MLB success. For now, White emphasizes that RoboScout remains "agnostic", focusing purely on 2024 production and how it projects forward. And according to RoboScout, Kansas City’s farm system looks different than most traditional rankings suggest.

When it comes to Royals prospect rankings, first baseman Jac Caglianone is often viewed as Kansas City’s top talent. His raw power and tantalizing upside have evaluators dreaming of his major-league future, with some believing he could reach Kansas City by 2025. However, RoboScout is far less bullish on the Florida slugger, leaving him outside of the top 100 prospects entirely.

The top KC Royals prospects, according to RoboScout

• Carter Jensen (45th overall)
• Chandler Champlain (68th overall)
• Blake Mitchell (95th overall)

This ranking differs sharply from what Royals fans have come to expect, but there’s plenty of logic behind it.

Jensen has been steadily rising after another step forward in 2024, capped by an impressive showing in the Arizona Fall League. He’s part of a deep Royals catching pipeline and could begin the 2025 season in Triple-A Omaha. As a Kansas City native, he’s one of the young players worth watching in big-league camp this spring.

Champlain is a borderline top-15 Royals prospect in most traditional rankings, especially after going unselected in the Rule 5 Draft this winter. His Triple-A struggles in 2024 hurt his stock, but a strong season with Omaha or a move to the bullpen could quickly change his trajectory. Given his existing arsenal, RoboScout sees big-league impact potential sooner than many other evaluators.

Mitchell, the Royals’ 2023 first-round pick, still has a long development road ahead but is oozing upside. He dominated Low-A Columbia in 2024, earning All-Star honors before a late-season promotion to High-A Quad Cities, where he understandably struggled. He’s likely to return there to start 2025, but a strong spring could accelerate his path. RoboScout identified him as one of the best projected power threats, tied for eighth with a projected 28-homer peak at the MLB level — a number on par with top-five prospects Michael Arroyo and Colby Mayo.

While prospect rankings aren’t gospel, RoboScout frames available data in an interesting way. Perhaps Royals fans should be more cautious about Caglianone’s immediate impact, while taking a closer look at Jensen and Champlain as potential real MLB contributors. If RoboScout’s data-driven projections prove accurate, Kansas City’s farm system may have more hidden gems than expected — and a few names worth re-evaluating in 2025.