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KC Royals Prospects: Catching up with Pipeline's 5 best

By Mike Gillespie |
/ Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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If the first two games of their three-game home series with Baltimore are any indication, the KC Royals aren't getting older.

They're getting younger. As MLB.com KC beat writer Anne Rogers pointed out after the club's impressive 6-0 shutout victory over the Orioles, only one Royal who batted in those contests, 32-year-old Salvador Perez, was over 27.

Two games aren't sufficient to establish a tend, of course, but Kansas City's move toward youth was already obvious and necessary. Before too long, and with the exception of Perez, who shows no strong signs of slowing down and is in only the second season of his club record four-year mega-deal, older position players, like Hunter Dozier (31, 32 in August), Matt Duffy (32), and Jackie Bradley Jr. (33) will be gone. The same goes for pitchers Aroldis Chapman (35) and Amir Garrett (31), who'll likely be shopped at or before this summer's trade deadline.

The inconsistency of fellow hurlers Jordan Lyles (32) and Ryan Yarbrough (31) may mean they won't be back next year, either, and whether Zack Greinke (39, 40 in October) will seek or merit a 21st big league season remains to be seen.

That youngsters will soon take over is inevitable. Some are Royals now, one or two may become trade deadline fodder yet this season and move on, and some are in the minors. Let's catch up with the quintet of promising players who sit atop MLB Pipeline's list of Top 30 Kansas City prospects.

KC Royals top prospect No. 5: Third baseman Cayden Wallace

Kansas City chose Wallace, who hit 30 homers, drove in 104 runs, and slashed .289/.379/.528 in two seasons at Arkansas, in the second round of last year's amateur draft, and he went right to work for the organization. In his first 30 professional games (three in Rookie ball and 27 at Low-A Columbia), he had 17 RBIs, stole eight bases, and hit .293 with a .379 OBP.

The Royals bumped him up to High-A Quad Cities to start this season, and he hasn't missed a beat. Through 22 games, he's hitting .296 with three homers and a .921 OPS. He's also drawing walks at a 14.4% clip. Expect the organization to promote him to Double-A Northwest Arkansas before the season is out.

Who's next?

KC Royals top prospect No. 4: Utility man Nick Loftin

Loftin, 24, is in his third season with the Kansas City organization after it selected him with a Competitive Balance A pick in the 2020 draft. Because the pandemic canceled all minor league play that year, Loftin's pro career began in 2021 at High-A Quad Cities where he impressed with 10 home runs, a .289 average, and a .374 OPS. He started last season in Double-A and hit .270 with 12 homers before the Royals moved him to Triple-A Omaha.

Unfortunately, Triple-A hasn't been as kind to Loftin as High-A and Double-A. He batted only .216 in 38 games for the Storm Chasers last season and, after going 2-for-4 against Louisville Wednesday, is hitting just .219 this year.

Loftin is about as versatile a player as there is in the KC organization—he's done everything except pitch and play right field. Look for him to spend the rest of the 2023 campaign in Omaha.

KC Royals top prospect No. 3: Infielder Maikel Garcia

It might not be long before Pipeline has to remove Garcia from its prospect list. He replaced Nicky Lopez, forced to the Injured List after a weekend appendectomy, on the Royals' big league roster Tuesday and, if he hits well and fields like he can, he could very well take third base away from Hunter Dozier.

How's Garcia doing in the majors so far? He started at third Tuesday night against Baltimore and went 2-for-4, and was back at the hot corner Wednesday evening and had a single and an RBI in three at-bats.

Garcia has a career .270 minor league average. He's also stolen 126 bases.

Moving on to No. 2 and No. 1...

KC Royals top prospect No. 2: Pitcher Ben Kudrna

Kansas City baseball fans knew of Ben Kudrna even before the Royals picked him in the second round of the 2021 draft—the righthander pitched at nearby Blue Valley Southwest High School and was Gatorade's 2020-2021 Baseball Player of the Year for Kansas.

Kudrna began his minor league career last season and went 2-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 17 starts at Columbia. He returned to the Fireflies this year and is 1-2, 7.80 across three starts and a relief appearance. The Royals aren't likely to rush Kudrna's progress, so don't be surprised if he spends the entire season at Columbia.

KC Royals top prospect No. 1: Outfielder Gavin Cross

Kansas City's brass had to be excited, if not overjoyed, when Virginia Tech's Gavin Cross was still available when their first turn to pick came during last summer's draft. Cross, one of the top outfield and hitting prospects in the country, gave the organization a power bat and good glove.

Cross signed, reported for minor league duty immediately, and didn't disappoint. He hit .500 with a homer and three RBIs in three Rookie-level games, then .293 with a .423 OBP and seven homers in 26 Low-A contests. This spring, he played five Cactus League games with the Royals and went 5-for-9 with a double, triple, and home run.

His excellent first, but short, minor league season, and probably what he showed in spring training, earned Cross a promotion to High-A Quad Cities for 2023, but all is not well. Although he went 2-for-5 and drove in a run against Great Lakes Wednesday, he's hitting a disconcerting .173/.258/.321. Chances are it's a slump he'll soon break out of, but a full season with the River Bandits may be best for his development—like Kudrna, Cross isn't a player the organization is going to rush to the majors.

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