KC Royals pair of prospect hurlers take home weekly MiLB honors

Any organization's prospect pipeline is lovingly referred to as the “farm system” for a reason. It’s where teams grow and develop players from a wide range of backgrounds, all with the ultimate goal of contributing to the major league club—whether as stars, depth, or trade chips.

That journey can take nearly a decade or, in rare cases like Jac Caglianone, less than a year. But more often than not, it takes seasons of consistent production before a prospect becomes a name casual Kansas City Royals fans recognize.

Two KC Royals farmhands earn league-wide accolades to kick off July

This week, Royals fans got a glimpse of that growth. Two pitching prospects—Double-A Northwest Arkansas’ Henry Williams and High-A Quad Cities’ Félix Arronde—were named Pitchers of the Week in their respective leagues to kick off July.

Williams earned the Texas League honor after dominating the Springfield Cardinals on July 2, tossing five shutout innings with just one hit and two walks allowed while striking out seven. It was his best outing of the season and his first scoreless start since April 19.

Williams briefly debuted with Triple-A Omaha earlier this year, but two rough outings sent him back to the Naturals, where he’s refining his craft.

Acquired from the San Diego Padres in the 2023 Scott Barlow trade, the 23-year-old right-hander is still viewed as a potential back-end starter. Baseball America described him as such earlier this season, noting he has room for growth.

Arronde, meanwhile, represents a more homegrown development story. Signed out of Cuba for $100,000 in 2021, the 21-year-old has quietly built a strong campaign in his second full season above the Arizona Complex League.

Across 15 starts for the River Bandits, Arronde holds a 2.79 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. His July 3 outing mirrored Williams’ dominance: five scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. It marked his second shutout start of the season and helped solidify his spot as the No. 17 prospect in Kansas City’s system, per MLB Pipeline.

Together, Williams and Arronde represent encouraging progress in the Royals’ pitching development pipeline—especially at the lower levels, where past inconsistency plagued organizational depth. While the Triple-A rotation is currently hampered by injuries, arms like these provide hope that the next wave of reinforcements isn’t far behind.