Which Royals' prospect will be the next to crack MLB's top 100? – Farm to Fountains

It is no secret that the Royals have lacked top-end prospect talent for the past couple of years. After graduating Bobby Witt Jr., Daniel Lynch IV, MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto, and Vinnie Pasquantino, the cupboard has been nearly bare. In 2023, the only Royals’ prospect to crack the top 100 was Gavin Cross (No. 62). Heading into the 2024 season, the only Royal on the list is Blake Mitchell (No. 94). Only four other teams in major league baseball have one or fewer prospect in the top 100: Angels (1), Astros (0), A’s (1), and Marlins (1).

The Royals have picked in the top ten of the MLB draft each of the past five seasons. They should not have had much trouble keeping a minimum of 2-3 prospects in the top 100. This seems to point to a lack of prospect development over the past few years. That, combined with the ambitious draft strategies the team has taken. The Royals’ top ten draft picks in the past five seasons include Bobby Witt Jr., Asa Lacy, Frank Mozzicato, Gavin Cross, and Blake Mitchell. Only one of those players has currently lived up to their draft status. However, I still believe there is hope for some current Royals’ minor league players. Which ones might take steps this season to catapult them into the top 100 prospects at the end of the 2024 season?

The Royals took Mitchell with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The pick is controversial, given the extremely small sample size of high school catchers turning into valuable major league players. The Royals decided to bank on Mitchell’s upside. It’s a risky move for a ballclub looking to infuse sure-fire high-end talent into their organization. Despite the questionable move, there is still a lot to like about Mitchell.

He is known for being solid on both sides of the ball, with some great hit tools and defensive ability. His 70-grade arm gives him some great upside defensively as a catcher. Despite a .147 avg. in 34 at-bats at the rookie ball level last season, he managed a .423 OBP because of his ability to draw walks (17 BBs to 14 Ks). Mitchell still has a long way to go, but he can build on his great plate approach in Columbia to start the season.

I believe Cross has the quickest path to finding his way back in the top 100. It was only last season that he was up at No. 62 on the list. Injuries and illness last year brought an abrupt stop to the progress he was showing during a great 2022 season. Nearly every hitting metric took a sharp downturn, including an ugly 31.9% strikeout rate. Should Cross get back to his college and 2022 ways, he could find his way back in the top 100 this season. He will be looking to find the safe floor as a hitter he was advertised to have out of college.

Youth and upside are why I have Mozzicato on this list. He was dominating in Columbia to start the season last year, striking out 85 batters in 56.1 innings. The move to Quad Cities was met with its fair share of struggles for Mozzicato. He saw his ERA more than double and his strikeout and walk rates go in the wrong direction. If he can see an increase in his fastball velocity this season combined with his already effective curveball, he could make some massive strides. At only 20 years old, he has age and upside on his side when evaluators decide where to rank him.

The Kansas City product has seen a mixed bag of results since being drafted in the 3^rd round of the 2021 MLB Draft. His career .223 avg is not very impressive in and of itself, but his .361 OBP points to his ability to draw walks and get on base. Jensen’s current calling card is his elite plate discipline at such a young age (20). Through 849 career at-bats, he has drawn an absurd 185 walks. If he can continue to build on the flashes of power he shows, and improve his batting average to even .240, he has the makings of a top-100 prospect. Evaluators have been impressed by his ability as a catcher, but he has the athleticism to potentially try his hand at an outfield corner spot if needed.

There seems to be quite a bit of buzz surrounding Ramirez heading into the 2024 season. He turned a lot of heads in the DSL last year and his prospect status is beginning to heat up. Although he is not currently ranked in the Royals’ top 30 prospects on MLB Pipeline, Prospects Live currently ranks him as the Royals’ #1 prospect. At Farm to Fountains, we have taken a more conservative approach and have him as our #15 overall prospect in the system.

At only 18 years old, he has shown some incredible plate discipline, drawing more walks than strikeouts, and has hit for power as well. In 122 plate appearances, he has hit 9 doubles and 8 home runs, culminating in an impressive 1.055 OPS. With average defensive play as a catcher and an impressive hitting profile, Ramirez may have the best chance of rising farther up the top 100 rankings than any other Royals’ prospect.