Royals Infield Depth: From Farm System to the Major Leagues

Photo credit: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

The Kansas City Royals’ improvements at the plate started at the heart of the team with Bobby Witt Jr. breaking out in his superstar season. Their star and other key contributors like Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez were RBI machines. The major league roster also had a lot of young hitters who had huge ups and downs. Guys like MJ Melendez, Maikel Garcia, and Freddy Fermin flashed signs of being great hitters, but also had long cold streaks that raised concern. In the 2025 offseason, they will look to add talent at the plate and have already added Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer. More is likely to come as well.

The bats in the farm system are thin for the Royals. Outside of catcher, they have struggled with the development of top-tier offensive talent. There are a lot of examples of young players in the Royals farm that are raw and show a lot of athletic upside but have a ways to go. In the past, the team was very active in the international market but has struggled to develop those players. The Royals have had success developing catchers and have fielders with elite defense. It has shown that while the Royals can find athletes well, they have struggled to improve the approach of some of their prospects and improve their skills at the plate.

In this series, we will take a closer look at the organization’s depth, from the Major Leagues down to the bottom of the farm system.

Major league guys: Vinnie Pasquantino

Top prospects: Jac Caglianone, Nick Pratto

First base isn’t a deep part of the Royals organization but a very strong one. Vinnie is one of the Royals’ young stars who has been one of their top hitters since being called up. He’s the best left-handed bat in the Royals organization who comes with a ton of power. Batting behind Bobby Witt Jr., Pasquantino piles up RBIs with his great approach at the plate. Vinne rarely strikes out and makes contact consistently with one of the lowest whiff rates in baseball. He also slashed .262/.315/.445 in 2024 with 19 home runs and 97 RBIs before an injury kept him out. He is also a plus defender at first base and has shown immense improvement with the glove. I hope to see an extension for him soon and he should be a part of the Royals organization and a staple at the three-hole for years to come.

When it comes to the farm system, there are two primary guys. Both were once first-round picks in the Royals organization. Nick Pratto was drafted by the Royals with the 14th pick in the 2017 draft and has been up and down in the organization. Pratto is a great defensive first baseman winning a Minor League Gold Glove but also has potential at the plate. His 6-1/225 frame gives Pratto some natural power and he has a smooth swing. He has had an issue with strikeouts when he’s been in the majors but with some improvement could still contribute to an MLB roster someday.

Jac Caglianone was the Royals first-round pick in the 2024 MLB draft and fans are excited, to say the least. The NCAA leader in home runs and likely the best power bat in the draft offers a very solid skill set at the plate. He does tend to chase pitches, and he strikes out quite a bit, but with his power at the plate if he can even cut that down a little bit he will be a quality player at first. Jac and Vinne have a similar frame and while Vinnie has much better numbers avoiding strikeouts, I think you can expect to see similar power from Cags as he moves through the Royals minor league system.

Major league guys: Michael Massey, Jonathan India, Nick Loftin

Top prospects: Javier Vaz, Peyton Wilson

Second base has quickly become one of the stronger positions for the Royals after they made a big trade to acquire Jonathan India. The team already had Michael Massey, but they made it their priority to find a leadoff hitter and they went out and got one with India. Massey now can move back to the middle of the order where he is most successful and is set up to have another big year. Adding India also allows them to give Massey some days off because of his injuries and keep his valuable bat in the lineup.

Nick Loftin was on the Opening Day roster after being a top prospect but was up and down throughout the year between the Majors and Triple-A. Loftin is a super utility guy who can play every position but catcher. He struggled with the bat in 2024 but could find a major league role as a utility man in the future.

Down on the Royals farm, Javier Vaz has a similar ability defensively and can play second base and the outfield as well. Vaz has great on-base ability, takes long at-bats, and is willing to walk often. He has a quality glove with speed in the field and on the bases. He is one of the top prospects for the Royals and projects as a future leadoff hitter.

Peyton Wilson spent the last two years in Double-A but had a bit of a down year at the plate in 2024. Despite that, he has a small frame that brings a big arm and great speed and has played some center field as well. He has struggled to fix his approach at the plate and find consistency but if Wilson can develop his hit tool a little bit more, he could easily have an MLB role.

With several young players in the MLB and quality prospects in the minors on their way up, second base is a strength for the Royals and should be set for a few years to come.

Major league guys: Bobby Witt Jr

Top prospects: Yandel Ricardo, Daniel Vazquez

This should be quick… Bobby Witt Jr. is the star of the Kansas City Royals, and he will be with the team into the 2030s. He played just nearly every game this season for the Royals at shortstop and has been elite in every facet of the game. I wouldn’t expect to see anyone taking his spot anytime soon.

Depth at shortstop is not great but isn’t the biggest deal. Maikel Garcia and Nick Loftin can play there if needed. Guys in the farm like Ricardo and Vazquez show upside but are a good way away from reaching the show and will likely change positions in the majors. Ricardo is a young international signing with a lot of upside and Vazquez is one of the best defenders in the Royals’ minor league system. If the bat can come around, Vazquez will be a very valuable player. As of now, there isn’t a major need for much depth as long as Bobby Witt Jr. is with the team.

Major league guys: Maikel Garcia

Top prospects: Austin Charles, Trevor Werner, Jhonayker Ugarte, Jose Cerice

Third base for the Royals is not exactly a strength of the organization and has been something they have expressed interest in improving this offseason. After being a top shortstop prospect and moving over to third because of Bobby Witt Jr., Garcia has had flashes of success at the plate. However, he was moved down the lineup last season due to a lack of consistency. Garcia came into 2024 as a lock to be the Royals’ everyday third baseman and their leadoff hitter. He will likely be back in 2025 and moved to more of a utility role to keep him in the lineup.

The organization has several prospects at third base but not many guys who are close to the majors. They have a long list of guys who are elite athletes with potential through the roof but haven’t put it together. Werner is the closest to the majors and had a good 2023 after being drafted out of Texas A&M. In 2024, he failed to follow up on that strong showing and now seems like a bit more of a project than we thought.

Austin Charles was a high school pick in the 20th round who the Royals paid well over slot value to get him into the system. He is an electric athlete who has struggled with his approach at the plate but has shown the athletic skills to make it. Cerise and Ugarte are both young international prospects, 19 and 17 years old respectively. Both are around 6-2/190 and have flashed signs of being great athletes with all the tools to be high-quality players.

As of right now, I would call third base a bit of a weakness in the Royals farm system, and the Royals have yet to prove to me their ability to develop raw talent like this. It does take time and with the new staff the Royals have brought in, we may see change with that. If the Royals can develop some of these young players, third base could go from a weakness to a strength for them very quickly.

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