Spring training continues to approach quickly. We’re now just barely a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting. This week, the Kansas City Royals announced 23 non-roster invitees for this year’s Surprise Royals. Among them are a handful of notable prospects including Chandler Champlain, Mason Barnett, and Carter Jensen. Not long into spring training, we’ll start to see players get optioned to the minor league as the organization starts to put the pieces in place for next season. Which prospects will go where? For the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers last season, much of the roster operated as depth for the major league club. That won’t change much this season — as is the nature of the minor league’s highest level. However, standout prospects such as Nick Loftin and Tyler Gentry spent most of last season in Omaha, and there should be a handful of notable prospects to do the same in 2024.

Here’s a look at our early projection for the Storm Chasers’ opening-day roster. Triple-A teams can roster up to 28 players.

Catchers:

Logan Porter, Tyler Cropley, Rodolfo Duran

This is a solid group that makes up good catcher depth for the big league club. Both Porter and Cropley found their way to the big leagues late last season and could be there again in 2024 should Salvador Perez or Freddy Fermin hit the shelf with an injury. In mid-December, the front office inked Duran to a minor league contract. He spent the bulk of last season with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. In his time there, he slashed .252/.329/.444. He’s certainly a post-hype late-blooming talent. I’m not sure any of these three are more than organizational depth, but having a guy like Logan Porter in your back pocket is great depth to have.

Infielders:

Dillan Shrum, Peyton Wilson, Tyler Tolbert, Devin Mann, CJ Alexander, Mike Brosseau, Ryan Fitzgerald, Angelo Castellano

There’s a mixed bag here between some return visitors to Werner Park and some newcomers making the trip north from Springdale. After spending the full 2023 season in Northwest Arkansas, I expect Shrum, Wilson, and Tolbert to debut in Omaha to start next season. All three had strong showings last season and should be major league-ready should a need arise. Devin Mann will get a chance to prove himself in spring training, along with minor league signee Mike Brosseau. Those were the only two out of this list given an invite to big-league camp next month.

Outfielders:

Tyler Gentry, John Rave, Tucker Bradley, Nate Eaton

Seeing Gentry on this list seems like a travesty, but it’s difficult to see where he fits in on Opening Day. Barring a major trade involving someone such as MJ Melendez, there simply isn’t a clear opening to start next season. Nelson Velazquez, Hunter Renfroe, MJ Melendez, and Drew Waters have the corners covered. Kyle Isbel and Dairon Blanco can handle center field. Beyond those six outfielders (which already seems like one too many) it’s difficult to find room for Gentry. Rave is an intriguing name. He slumped hard after an impressive start following a mid-season promotion in 2023. He played great defense but might struggle a bit more to cover the expansive reaches of Kauffman Stadium. Bradley and Eaton are great clubhouse guys but unfortunately, look more like organizational fillers than anything.

Starting Rotation:

Jonathan Bowlan, Chandler Champlain, Andrew Hoffmann, Anthony Veneziano, Alec Marsh

Three of these arms pitched in the big leagues last season. Granted, the sample was basically non-existent for Veneziano and Bowlan. Marsh compiled 74.1 MLB innings but struggled with the long ball and couldn’t quite carve himself a path. The results looked better out of the bullpen, but Kansas City would certainly like to see if Marsh can become the starter we’ve always imagined. With the new signings of Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, the need for these arms to fill the MLB rotation was all but erased. Hoffmann finished last season stronger than the ERA would show, and Chandler Champlain looks more than ready for his first stab at Triple-A. He settled in well down the stretch for the Naturals last season, including a six-inning no-hit performance in late July.

Bullpen:

Christian Chamberlain, Jacob Wallace, Anderson Paulino, Sam Long, Keylan Killgore, Evan Sisk, Jonah Dipoto, Walter Pennington

It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see every single one of these pitchers make their way to Kansas City at some point in 2024. Last season, the organization treated Omaha’s relievers as an extension of the major league bullpen. That doesn’t figure to change much in 2024 — although they may be needed less with the heavy lifting J.J. Picollo has done to rebuild the team’s pen. Pennington, Killgore, Sisk, and Long have a leg up on the rest as lefties. There’s not much left-handed pitching depth on the 40-man roster. The most deserving on this list looks to be Walter Pennington or Jonah Dipoto. Pennington owned a 3.69 ERA over 61.0 innings at AAA last season. Dipoto struggled with walks but struck out more than ten batters per nine innings.