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Three KC Royals prospects to watch in High-A Quad Cities

By Jacob Milham |
The shadows from the giant corn maze at Washington Farms in Bogart, Ga., on Wednesday, Sept. 29,
The shadows from the giant corn maze at Washington Farms in Bogart, Ga., on Wednesday, Sept. 29, / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The KC Royals are already through their first two series of the 2023 season with little to show in the win column. The major league club has struggled offensively so far, ranking in the AL's bottom third in many metrics. The pitching staff has been good at preventing runs so far, but other concerning signs remain with the Royals pitching. Overall, fan attendance has dwindled, and interest remains higher at the downtown stadium than with the on-field product.

The KC Royals farm teams are starting their 2023 seasons soon. What prospects in Quad Cities should fans be watching for?

The Royals' farm system is rife with intriguing prospects for fans that want to look toward the future. The minor-league season is just ramping up, with the Quad Cities River Bandits season beginning at home on April 7. The Royals' High-A affiliate is located in Davenport, Iowa, and plays in the beautiful Modern Woodmen Park. The River Bandits are a six-hour drive from Kauffman Stadium, but their players still have a long journey to the major leagues.

Nonetheless, several high-profile Royals draft picks will make their High-A debuts this season, with more to come from Low-A Columbia. Outfielder Gavin Cross, the ninth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is the marquee addition to the River Bandits roster in 2023. Cross made his spring training debut for the Royals and had some moments that should tantalize fans. The 22-year-old still has more development to do, but he is Kansas City's top prospect. Cross could outplay his High-A competition and move quickly on to Double-A affiliate Northwest Arkansas, where the competition level rises once again.

But, there are dozens more players who will represent the River Bandits this season. Outside of Cross, who are three prospects that Royals fans should keep tabs on?

Infielder Cayden Wallace
Royals Prospect Ranking: 5

The Royals' second-round selection in the 2022 draft is often overshadowed by Cross, but third baseman Cayden Wallace is progressing nicely in his own right.

The 49th overall pick last year tied the freshman home run record at SEC powerhouse Arkansas. The Razorbacks went to the World Series, and the Royals scooped up Wallace in quick fashion. He had some outfield experience during his collegiate career, but the Royals seem committed to developing him at third base. He logged nearly 250 innings there in his professional debut season, across High-A and rookie ball. MLB scouts give him one of the best arm grades in the Royals system, grading him at 65. His athletic profile fits well for the hot corner, and he has a 55 fielding grade as well. Kansas City has lacked a stable third baseman since Mike Moustakas left, and Wallace's profile looks promising.

Wallace was unhindered by Low-A pitching in his 27 games of action. He posted a .837 OPS, with 12 walks to 22 strikeouts. The power is not quite in Wallace's bat yet, but that will likely come as Wallace grows as a player. Watching some of Wallace's limited action in Columbia, there are few defensive issues for the young prospect. He still has time and room to grow at the position, one that would benefit the Royals' competitive timeline best.

There is not much to worry about regarding Wallace as a player right now. The bat looked great in 2022, and a full offseason with the Royals His progression for the River Bandits will be a key reason to watch the team, until his eventual promotion to Double-A.

Pitcher Noah Cameron
Royals Prospect Ranking: 22

He is not a highly regarded prospect, but pitcher Noah Cameron could make a sizeable jump in 2023.

The 23-year-old lefty is a local Royals prospect, hailing from St. Joseph, Missouri. He attended Central Arkansas, carrying a 6-2 record and 2.95 ERA as a freshman. The COVID-19 pandemic limited his collegiate opportunities after that. Then, Tommy John's surgery ended his pitching changes in 2021. The Royals still drafted him 199th overall in that year's MLB Draft, trusting Cameron's recovery process.

He made his professional debut in 2022, starting with the Low-A Columbia Fireflies. He only pitched 29 innings but logged 39 strikeouts and only nine walks. His impeccable control was an outlier among Royals prospects for their lack of it. By late May 2022, the Royals promoted Cameron to Quad Cities. Cameron had a rehab stint after his promotion, but he still started nine games for the River Bandits in 2022. his strikeouts and walks improved even more, recording 53 strikeouts and seven walks in 31 innings. All of those numbers jump off the page, saying Cameron is ready to progress even more in 2023.

He has one of the Royals farm's best changeups, a 60-grade pitch according to scouts. His fastball does not have the best velocity, but his control of it is what makes it good. He is still recovering from elbow surgery, making his path forward a shaky one. But, Cameron has performed well so far. Fans should tune in to see if he continues his trajectory in 2023.

Catcher Carter Jensen
Royals Prospect Ranking: 10

Blend together the locality of Cameron and the hard-hitting of Wallace, add a dash of flash and you get catcher Carter Jensen.

Jensen made his spring training debut with the Royals in 2023, less than two years after the team drafted him from Park Hill High School in Kansas City. The Royals pried him away from LSU and drafted him 78th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, following an exceptional pre-draft process. Jensen started the 2022 season in Columbia, at only 18 years old. Carter earned 2022 Carolina League All-Star honors in his professional debut season, anchored by a strong second-half performance.

Jensen had 11 home runs and 50 RBIs in 113 games, but his patience and eye development more later in the season. He drew 51 walks and struck out 38 times from July through September 2022. He sacrificed some of the raw-power production, but frustrated opposing pitchers and still hit six of his home runs in that span. His 22-game on-base streak was the third-longest streak among 2022 Fireflies' batters. That is hardly a feat you see prep-age catches doing professionally.

MLB scouts love Jensen's bat, but his arm behind the plate is a 55-grade tool as well. His long-term fit behind the plate is concerning, but Jensen "improved his receiving skills and conditioning skills considerably" during the 2022 season. At only 19 years old, Jensen is the eye-catching prospect to watch in Quad Cities this year.

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