The Royals saw major steps forward in their organizational pitching success across the board last year. Opposite to the bats, the Royals’ new staff has shown an elite ability to develop pitcher talent and has worked incredibly effectively with their young pitchers. Arms such as Cole Ragans, Alec Marsh, and Kris Bubic showed major improvements in 2024 despite struggles in the past. They also improved the team with the additions of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, John Schreiber, and other veteran players who made immediate contributions to the team and provided guidance for the many young pitchers.
In the minor leagues, the Royals had several pitchers take massive steps forward and provided a lot of hope for the future. From the top down the Royals’ new staff pushed the message of throwing strikes and making hitters swing the bat and it has proven effective. The Royals also addressed their thin pitching situation in the draft, bringing in a plethora of college arms who they hope will provide more depth for the team. Developing pitchers was once a major struggle for the Royals, with multiple first-round picks not panning out as hoped, but the tides have turned, and we hope to see these results continue.
Starting Pitcher Depth in the Kansas City Royals’ Organization
The Opening Day Five: Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh
Depth: Noah Cameron, Daniel Lynch IV, Jonathan Bowlan
Starting pitching is where the Royals organization saw the most improvement from top to bottom. In the majors, Cole Ragans was added at the trade deadline in 2023 and had a career-defining year in 2024. He went 186.1 innings with 223 strikeouts and a sub-3.00 ERA. Ragans finished fourth in voting for the Cy Young Award. Behind him, the Royals made two major additions in free agency, picking up Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. Lugo also had a career year, pitching over 200 innings and finishing second in the AL Cy Young voting. Wacha came on in the second half of the season and signed a big extension with the Royals this offseason.
The “Big Three” guys changed the trajectory of the Royals almost immediately and will be a big part of the team going forward. Behind them, Alec Marsh was the fifth starter for the team last year and had a solid year in his first season as a full-time starter. Kris Bubic is currently slated to be in the rotation next year after a great 2024 year in the bullpen after returning from Tommy John Surgery. These two young guys should get a chance to define themselves and hopefully will have success in 2025.
Elsewhere on the 40-man roster, the Royals have Daniel Lynch IV, Jonathan Bowlan, and Noah Cameron who will provide depth for the top five arms. Cameron is a top prospect who broke out last year and flashed high-quality, low-velocity stuff, attacking hitters and pounding the zone. That’s exactly what the staff wants from their starters. Lynch was once a top prospect for the Royals and was once a first-round pick but has not developed his stuff as some had hoped and has struggled to find a permanent role. Bowlan has flashed some in the minors and had a short stint in the majors in 2024 but couldn’t hold down a role. This is one of if not the best rotations in major league baseball, and while the depth is thin, I expect to see great results from them going into 2025.
Top Starter Prospects in the Royals Farm System
Ben Kudrna, Drew Beam, Chandler Champlain, Steven Zobac, Frank Mozzicato, Hunter Owen, Tyson Guerrero, Ryan Ramsey, Ethan Bosacker
The Royals don’t just have good starting pitching at the major league level, they have depth all through the organization with several guys on their way up who will contribute in the bigs. The top prospects are Kudrna and Beam. Both are all but locks to be major league starters at some point. They’re also fairly similar pitchers: big guys who have a quality fastball as well as a good delivery. They both have the stuff and good command on the mound to make it to the majors with a little bit of work.
Chandler Champlain is one of the prospects the Yankees included in the Benintendi trade. He has shown good stuff in the minors but has struggled to get results. Champlain might get some major league time soon if he isn’t taken in the rule five draft this winter as he wasn’t added to the 40-man. Zobac and Guerrero are other guys who I think will be starters at the major league level. Both have good control which will help them as they move up in the organization and have shown good enough stuff to get results.
In the lower parts of the farm, the Royals have guys like Frank Mozzacatto who was once a first-round pick and has flashed success at times but has struggled to develop his fastball.
Hunter Owen, Ethan Bosacker, and Ryan Ramsey are succeeding at the high A level and have shown signs of being successful future starters. Ramsey has great strikeout numbers and should move quickly if he can be consistent with his expanded pitch mix. Owen is a big guy who showed flashes in his first major league season but struggled to strikeout batters and Bosacker is a bit smaller but has had similar struggles so far. But there is depth all through the organization at the starting pitcher role for the Royals that will make an impact and set them up for success with a lot of options for the future.