Chandler Champlain has been a rapidly rising name within the Royals farm system. Last season, the Mission Viejo, California native made 25 starts between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Over those 25 starts, he amassed 135.1 IP with a 3.33 ERA. Champlain struck out 125 hitters — the fourth most among qualified pitchers in the system — while walking 43. Since joining the Royals, he’s become a rising prospect and now ranks as the team’s number 11 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. The journey hasn’t been simple for Champlain, but he’s made the most of it with an excellent work ethic and mindset to the game.
A look at Champlain’s past and how that’s shaped him today
Champlain attended the University of Southern California. His father, Jay Champlain, is also an alumnus of USC and played football there in the late 70s, including the 1978 National Championship team. Champlain credits his family for their limitless support throughout his youth that’s made him the player he is today. “I can’t thank them enough for all those travel ball games, all those high school games, all the flights we had to book. I would not be near the position I’m in today if it wasn’t for their help,” Champlain shared. His father Jay now runs a wealth management firm in Los Angeles. His mother, Robyn, is his biggest fan and they’ve both done a great job helping Chandler along his current path.
Much of Jay’s time at USC has been passed along to Chandler and helps to shape him today in his everyday life — and on the mound. “From a very young age, he’s always instilled the mindset of, you know, [competing] and hard work is going to get you where you want to be. You can’t survive on talent alone,” Champlain shared. “Not only can you take a competitive mindset to sports, but anything you do. If you’ve got to make your food, make the best food you can. If you’re going to brush your teeth, brush it the best you can. Everything you do, put 100% effort into.”
That mindset has fueled Champlain throughout his professional career thus far. Last season, Champlain became a dominant force on the mound. Night in and night out, he would flat-out bully hitters in the heart of the strikezone. His pitch mix features three above-average offerings and he utilizes them well. He spoke about some of that mindset from last season and who he’d like to be as a pitcher, speaking highly of his favorite pitcher.
“Not even arguably, the greatest pitcher of all time, and that is Nolan Ryan. Even though I don’t throw 108 or however hard he [threw], I loved the way he approached the game.” Ryan, of course, put together a monumental major league career. Over a 27-year career, he amassed 5,386.0 career innings with an MLB record 5,714 strikeouts. Beyond the statistics, Ryan was a fierce competitor on the mound and instilled fear in the hitters he faced. “Every time he stepped foot on that mound, hitters feared him,” Champlain continued. “I want to have that same vibe when I get on the mound. No one’s going to beat me. This is my game, my field, my mound, my ball.”
The tenacity from Champlain has led to success, especially in a 2023 season that saw him put together more than a dozen quality starts. Next up for Champlain, a trip to major league Spring Training for the first time in his professional career. He’ll be there with some friendly names as well. Teammates from last season, including pitcher Mason Barnett and catchers Luca Tresh, Tyler Cropley, and Carter Jensen will all be heading to Arizona with him. That familiarity will help Champlain to settle in some, but there’s still one end goal in mind. “It’s going to be nice having them around, but at the end of the day we all know what our goal is and what our dreams are, and that’s to be in the position that we’re going to be in come spring.”
From New York to Kansas City, the path hasn’t always been a straight line for Champlain
Another teammate joining Champlain in next month’s spring training has been with him for the ride much longer than last season. Beck Way pitched with Champlain last season in Northwest Arkansas and also was traded to the Royals’ system in the Andrew Benintendi trade. In late July of 2022, the Royals traded Benintendi to the Yankees for Champlain, Way, and lefty T.J. Sikkema. As he recalls, the day of the trade was hectic for Champlain. “I was in Fort Myers, Florida and we had a rain delay. So it was about 11 o’clock at night and I’m sitting in the dugout about the fifth, sixth inning. Then my head coach at the time, Rachel Balkovec, had her phone out and said ‘Hey, Chany, you need to take this.”
The call, of course, sent Champlain to the Royals. A few days later he joined the Quad Cities River Bandits on the road and has been on the rise ever since. That change came with some adjustments, but Champlain didn’t feel like he had to start from scratch. “The Yankees did teach me how to pitch and how to become the pitcher I am now. When I brought it to the Royals we talked about what we did well and we’re going to stick with and what needed to be worked on.” Champlain had to learn new coaches, meet new teammates, and otherwise shift his entire minor league life now to a new team in Davenport, Iowa. According to Champlain, the Royals organization made the transition extremely easy for him and helped him develop further as a pitcher.
After joining the organization, the path forward was different for Champlain. “For the Royals, it was much more of trying to find your role and what kind of pitcher you want to be,” Champlain said. He called the Yankees very good at developing athletic ability such as throwing harder from the mound, but the Royals were different. He continued, “I think the Royals are much more about something deeper than ‘throw harder, get more spin on this.’ They help you find the player you want to become.”
What’s next for Champlain heading into the 2024 season?
The pitcher Champlain has become is a welcome addition to a Kansas City farm system that’s struggled to develop pitching for some time. One of his best starts last season came in July, shortly after the All-Star break. Champlain took a perfect game into the fifth inning and finished his day with six innings pitched and no hits allowed. Many of the team’s free agent signings this season have been starting pitchers, which could throw some cold water on the chances we see Champlain in the majors this season. However, if he pitches again in 2024 as he did in 2023, it’ll be difficult to ignore. He’s not concerned with where he ends up. Instead, the focus now is on dominating and performing each and every day wherever that may be.
Even if a rotation spot doesn’t open up next season, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Champlain pitch out of the MLB bullpen at some point next season if the need arises. It’s possible he will head back to Northwest Arkansas to start his 2024 season. After his promotion there last season, he started to work on a new splitter. Champlain relies heavily on a three-pitch mix featuring a fastball, slider, and curveball. He’s toyed with a circle changeup and a splitter, and next season will work on implementing both into his game. With the help of Paul Gibson and the rest of the Royals’ pitching development staff, Champlain has a clear plan on where to attack and how to approach the upcoming season.
Heading back to Northwest Arkansas would give Champlain a chance to implement those new offerings more in live game action to help prepare him for the majors. With depth below him — Luinder Avila, Mason Barnett, Noah Cameron, Tyson Guerrero, David Sandlin, and Steven Zobac — the potential Naturals rotation is overflowing with talent. That talent could push Champlain to Omaha to start his 2024 season. Regardless of where he ends up, one thing is certain. Champlain is ready to go, excited for Spring Training, and well on his way to meaningful major league innings sooner rather than later.
