With the big league season in full swing, Minor League teams have finalized their rosters post-Spring Training. The 2024 Naturals bring a lot of talent from the Royals’ top 30 prospects list alongside some very interesting storylines
The Rotation
The Naturals’ rotation will look to establish themselves as the best in the system with four of the starters falling on the top 30 list. These five arms, in no particular order, are:
Chandler Champlain (12)
Mason Barnett (6)
Tyson Gurrero (30)
Noah Cameron (21)
Luinder Avila
Avila and Gurrero swapped the 30 spot on the list between this year’s and last year’s rankings. With that in mind, there are some system rankings out there with all five of these arms ranked in the top 30. An “arms” factory in Arkansas may lead to some swift promotions this season, especially with some other top 10 arms close behind on the High-A roster. Barnett and Cameron both struck out over 130 batters last season. Tyson Guerrero looks to be the next breakout pitcher after posting a 3.97 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 95.1 innings. Chandler Champlain also fanned over 120 batters but posted an even better 3.33 ERA. Long story short, these guys can chuck it.
The Infield
It looks like Javier Vaz is going to get a healthy dose of shortstop this season. Peyton Wilson is locked into second and Cayden Wallace will get the lion’s share of innings at third. Some other names are filling up the roster but none that will kick Vaz out of the everyday lineup. We’ll see some flexibility with him as we expect him to play an ultra-utility role at the next level, but he will be your shortstop to start the year. Those three all reside in the top 25 Royals prospects. They have also shown flashes of next-level potential at the plate, each having some work to do to fully flesh out that talent.
Rounding out this ultra-talented infield is Dillan Shrum, an under-the-radar first baseman with great on-base skills. My first article for the site was about a potential breakout year for Shrum. Given the lack of depth in the position, he looks to assume the role of “next guy up” at first base. This infield’s offense looks to be the second big strength of this roster. Each of the four guys mentioned will be a weapon at the plate. They also all look to make a statement this season with a marquee year to push for an MLB promotion in 2025. They’re all a year off in most scenarios, but big numbers in 2024 could mean big things for each of them.
The Best of the Rest
The outfield looks intriguing but there is a lot of waiting before we see what those guys will look like this year. Gavin Cross is looking to bounce back after a big down year in 2023. Diego Hernandez came back decently strong after an injury at the beginning of last year but needs to prove there’s a little pop in the bat to open some eyes. River Town has an all-world baseball name, but hasn’t played much AA ball and needs to show a tool off to be considered a legitimate big league prospect.
Eric Carentola will come out of the pen for the Naturals in 2024 after putting together a great season in 2023. 99 strikeouts in 76.1 innings and a .199 opponent batting average was more than enough to land him at 27 on the team’s top 30 list. Also in the pen is Beck Way, a 24-year-old with solid strikeout stuff but looking to bounce back from his 2023 campaign. He certainly has some work to do but may end up being one of the better pen arms by the season’s end.
Simply put, this roster has some dudes. There’s a lot of projectable talent mixed in with some guys that just may surprise you. Their output remains to be seen but the 2024 Naturals look to compete this season. In all respects, this team exemplifies the system as a whole. There may not be any top 100 prospects but the combined ability of these players will put them with just about any other AA team in the league.