3 hot prospects the KC Royals must check out before season's end

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The KC Royals are going to lose at least 100 games and have a shot at dropping more than any other modern era club. They'll also finish last in the American League Central for the second straight season and third in the last six. And they rank at or near the bottom in too many categories.

It is, to be sure, a completely lost season for a franchise that, because it made it to the World Series in 2014 and won it in 2015, convinced too many fans it was a dynasty in the making.

So it is that these current Royals, indisputably one of the worst teams Kansas City has ever fielded, have only pride to play for down the stretch, making it an ideal, low-risk time to take a look at some of their better prospects, especially some who'll be exposed to this December's Rule 5 Draft if left off the 40-man roster.

Here are three (but certainly not all) of those players.

We'll say it again: The KC Royals should give Logan Porter a big league shot

We at Kings of Kauffman haven't been shy in our opinions about Logan Porter. I pointed out his virtues before last winter's Rule 5 Draft, our Jacob Milham did the same earlier this season, and I wondered why the Royals didn't give Porter his big league chance when they could have last month.

Now, with a little more than two months left in the season, Kansas City should bring Porter up to the majors. He deserves a look, the Royals need to see if he can hit big league pitching and, because he can catch, play first, and DH, and has a bit of experience at third base, they can give him a lot of playing opportunities. It is, after all, and by the club's own admission, an evaluation season.

Moving on, how about a starting pitcher?

The KC Royals have a pitcher they need to squeeze into their rotation

Fans who keep a close eye on Omaha, the Royals' Triple-A affiliate, probably know what happened there Sunday evening. But for those who don't, a promising starting pitcher turned in an excellent performance.

Anthony Veneziano, a lefthander who's been in the Royals' system since they chose him in the 10th round of the 2019 amateur draft, started against St. Paul and held the Saints to a single run in the six innings he worked. He also struck out five and didn't walk anyone. But although the Storm Chasers won 3-1, Veneziano didn't get the win because that one run he gave up tied the game and the Chasers didn't score the eventual winner until after he'd left the contest.

The effort wasn't an outlier. Veneziano is now 4-0 with a 3.19 ERA in nine Omaha appearances (eight starts) after getting a mid-May bump up from Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he went 5-1, 2.13 with a 1.06 BB/9 and 10.2 K/9 in eight starts. His overall 9-1, 2.66 record is commanding attention.

And although he's striking out fewer batters (7.65 K/9) and walking more (4.46 BB/9) at Omaha, unsurprising results considering his move to a higher level, Veneziano is definitely a starter the Royals should fit into their rotation, at least for a look, before they conclude the season Oct. 1 against the Yankees. He's dominated opponents at the minors' two highest levels this year, making it time for Kansas City to check him out against big league hitters before the postseason deadline to set their 40-man rosters for Rule 5 purposes.

He just might be a hurler the club wants and needs to protect.

And then there's this infielder-outfielder...

The KC Royals ought to bring up versatile Nick Loftin before this season ends

Omaha's Nick Loftin set Triple-A on fire in May. He slashed .341/.410/.582 with five home runs and 27 RBIs that month, good numbers even for the utility-type player MLB Pipeline rates as the third-best prospect in the Kansas City system. His torrid month gave him a .281/.332/.489 line headed into June. But a knee injury unfortunately intervened and sidelined him for the entire month.

The organization deemed Loftin healthy enough to return to action three weeks ago and he started the road back in the Arizona Complex League where he went 8-for-17. He's had no such luck since, though—in eight games after returning to Omaha, Loftin is 7-for-30 (.233) and searching for that hot stick he wielded in May.

Expect him to find it. Loftin, playing in just his third professional season, boasts a career .273 average and .350 OBP and last year hit 17 homers (he has 10 so far in 2023) between Double-A and Triple-A. So his bat isn't a problem. (Nor is his speed—he stole 29 bases last season).

His hitting alone makes auditioning Loftin in the big leagues worth Kansas City's while, especially if they do what they shouldn't do and trade Nicky Lopez, their most defensively-versatile infielder, before next week's MLB trade deadline.

Loftin, after all, can and has played many positions. As a pro, he's put in time at shortstop, second and third bases, center field, and left field, versatility for which he laid the groundwork in college and with Team USA by playing second, shortstop, left and right fields, and pitching a few times.

He needs to get an opportunity to display his wares in Kansas City this season.

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