Royals high-flying prospect arm still looked incredible in worst start in months

David Shields might be in his first year with the Kansas City Royals organization. Still, he's impressed plenty of onlookers with the way he's handled his first tastes of professional baseball. That was demonstrated in spades most recently in how well he pitched, but just how good he was still able to play even when he didn't have his best stuff.

Selected in the 2nd round of the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Mount Lebanon High School, the 18-year-old is showing a veteran presence on the mound, belying the fact that it will still be several years before he's allowed to rent a car on his own. That was demonstrated at the start of the season when he struggled in Rookie-level ball but shook that off and impressed with his stuff enough that he was still promoted to the Single-A Columbia.

Why David Shields’ latest outing matters for the Kansas City Royals’ timeline

The Kansas City Royals prospect has absolutely dominated with the Fireflies, making 17 starts, posting a 3-1 record, and a 1.61 earned run average. While his record might seem odd in so many appearances, the Royals have been careful with his workload, removing the teen hurler before he's pitched five innings several times, even when he's blanking the opponent.

But it was his most recent outing that shows that Shields is growing into someone who will see the majors before too long.

In four innings, Shields got hit around a bit, allowing 7 hits, including a home run; however, he only allowed two runs. He was able to limit the damage, thanks in large part to not walking a single batter and still striking out five. There's also the fact that this was just the second time since July 1 that the prospect allowed any runs at all.

His control has been a key weapon in Shields' arsenal all season. In 67 innings with Columbia, the young fireballer has only walked 12 batters and struck out 77.

Most around the Kansas City Royals organization will absolutely tell you that if his August 26 outing is his worst in Single-A, they will absolutely take it.