Off-radar Royals prospect earns Rookie of the Year honors in Mexican Winter League

For most Kansas City Royals fans, baseball comes to a grinding halt in late September, only to resume each spring as the days warm back up. But, the same cannot be said of all baseball players.

There can be lulls or some time off to recuperate from the long season, but there are so many avenues that include players continuing playing baseball before the MLB season starts up again. The Arizona Fall League is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to baseball after the 162-game MLB season wraps up

Catcher Salvador Perez and third baseman Maikel Garcia were just a couple of big-league regulars in the Venezuelan Winter League, a chance for the Venezuelan-born ball players to return home.

There are leagues throughout Latin America where baseball continues with a difference flavor, one more of the love of the game and entertaining fans rather than winning a championship.

That isn't to say that accolades are nothing in the abbreviated seasons, especially after highlighting previously unknowns like Royals prospect outfielder Ángel Ramírez.

Which Royals prospect earned international honors this winter?

Ramírez, a 20-year-old outfielder in the Royals system, won Rookie of the Year honors in his first foray into the Mexican Pacific Winter League.

The Chihuahua native earned the "Baldomero 'Melo' Almada" Trophy after leading a crowded voting field for the best first-time player in the league, garnering 30% of the vote.

He appeared in 61 of the 68 possible games with the Naranjeros de Hermosillo. His .290/.337/.385 slash line was not otherworldly, but it did fuel Ramírez rising from the bottom of the batting lineup to the top and being a contributor in the playoffs.

Ramírez is not a highly regarded prospect in Kansas City's system, but his strong winter could change that trajectory. After all, it was MVP honors in the Venezuelan Winter League that really propelled former catcher Freddy Fermin forward into the big-league plans.

While Fermin and Ramírez are years apart in age and baseball development, that gives Ramírez more time to ride this momentum if he so chooses. He made his way stateside to the Arizona Complex League in 2025 for the first time, and ended his season with a .289/.406/.382 slash line, plus one home run and seven stolen bases in 25 games.

Jumping from the complex league to affiliated ball, much less projecting a big-league future, is no easy task. But Ramírez is at least heading into the 2026 baseball calendar red hot with the momentum that can help push through an unforgiving learning curve.