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Felix Arronde is a young prospect who has quickly made a name for himself in the Royals’ farm system as a starter with plenty of upside. He was signed by the Royals as an 18-year-old out of Cuba in 2021 for $100,000 and pitched his first full season in the States this year with Low-A Columbia. Standing at 6’3″/185 lbs., Arronde has the frame of an MLB pitcher and will continue to build muscle and strength over time, making him that much more effective. He has a good delivery and looks like a natural pitcher who throws with slightly above-average velocity.
Arronde has a solid pitch-mix for a guy who is only 21 years old in Low-A. He mostly sticks with his two primary pitches: a low to mid-90s 4-seam fastball which pairs well with a wicked changeup that has a ton of movement and grades as his best pitch. The fastball is not elite and tends to lose some bite as he gets deeper into his starts, making it much more hittable. The changeup sits around 84 MPH and could be the best changeup in the entire farm system. He also offers a low-80s slider and a curveball which are project pitches he has worked into his mix to help keep hitters off balance.
Arronde, still being a young pitcher, is a promising prospect and has plenty of time to continue to develop these pitches. He already has above average command of his two primary pitches, especially for someone in his stage of development, and has the stuff to make it to the majors. The development will really come with durability and adding some power and consistency. We have seen Arronde consistently go 5-7 innings but clearly loses a little bit around 60 pitches which makes him more hittable. The organization will likely look to add a little more muscle to add some durability and will also work with him to get some more touch on the slider and curve to expand his repertoire as a starter.
The numbers for Arronde have been very solid this year in Columbia, where he has proven to be a more than capable starter. Throughout this year in Columbia, he threw 110 innings (the most in his career by a factor of 2.5x) and posted an ERA of 2.94 and a 1.02 WHIP. He showed a ton of improvement with his ERA in the second half of the season with a 1.68 ERA and a .83 WHIP! Even pitching in Low-A, these are great numbers for a young pitcher in his first full season (over 50 IP) as a professional. Throughout his career, Arronde has been known for pounding the zone, something the Royals organization has pushed heavily to pitchers this season. Over the last few seasons, Arronde has had the following S%:
2021 – 66%2022 – 76%2023 – 72%
2024 – 67%