ETA: 2025 (Debuted briefly in 2023 and 2024)

Bowlan made his Major League debut in 2023 and made an appearance in 2024 as well. The totem pole for pitchers has simply had him rather low compared to other options. Bowlan moved to more of a single-inning role at points last season and that’s his most likely path to the big leagues.

ETA: 2025

Sisk isn’t ranked on our list for a handful of reasons, but he was added to the 40-man roster this offseason by Kansas City. He’s a low-velocity reliever which limits his upside but pitched very well in 2024 at the Triple-A level.

ETA: 2025

Cameron was phenomenal last season and earned a well-deserved 40-man spot after the season. He’s still a starter and all signs point to that remaining the case, which slows his arrival timeline behind options before him such as Bowlan and Sisk. The Royals won’t call him up without a clear opening in the rotation.

ETA: 2025

Cerantola was added to save him from the Rule 5 draft, but he’s not quite big league-ready. His stuff is excellent but the command continues to be lacking. There were strong stretches for Triple-A Omaha last season but the Royals will likely want to see more command before they give him a chance against seasoned hitters.

ETA: 2025

Cross was once a Top 100 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Nowadays, he’s working to get back on track in the system and get more healthy. Back issues have impacted production of late but Cross still factors into the Royals’ immediate plans more than one might think. The front office has yet to add any notable corner outfield help, leaving the door open for Cross to wedge his way in.

ETA: 2025

Champlain wasn’t added to the 40-man roster this offseason but went unclaimed in the Rule 5 draft. After a strong 2023 season with Northwest Arkansas, Champlain started there again in 2024 before making his way up to Triple-A Omaha. The results weren’t nearly as impressive for the Storm Chasers but the pure stuff still offers a lot to like. It’s more of a sixth-starter profile with more bullpen impact, but Champlain could get the call as early as this coming season.

ETA: 2025

Rave is hardly a prospect, mostly due to age. He’s been in the system quite a while and hasn’t yet supplanted some more notable outfield prospects in the upper minor leagues. He could get the call as early as 2025 should a need arise due to injury or otherwise. It seems unlikely, however, with a 40-man stocked full of outfield options ahead of him. Rave is nearly big-league-ready now but seems more like a trade toss-in rather than a true prospect ready to arrive.

ETA: 2026

Guerrero is an intriguing arm but falls down our rankings due to reliever risk. It doesn’t seem likely that he will start at the next level. His slider is among the very best in the entire Kansas City farm system and leads the overall profile. He pairs it with a solid fastball. Some hopes that the heater can play up in shorter outings could raise his overall profile, but Guerrero looks like bullpen depth ready to arrive by 2026.

ETA: 2026

Zobac is the best pitching prospect in the entire farm system and should start 2025 again in Northwest Arkansas. By midseason, he should find his way to Omaha where he will be knocking on the door to the big leagues. Expect a similar path for Zobac to what we’ve seen from Noah Cameron. Zobac offers a higher ceiling, however, thanks to his electric fastball with a pretty similar above-average command. Zobac has all the makings of a mid-rotation starter if he can continue to develop at the pace we’ve seen.

ETA: 2026

Avila’s stuff could play in an MLB bullpen right now. Will he remain a starter? There’s no reason to change that outlook quite yet, which puts Avila behind some other options. He was added to the 40-man roster this offseason but has yet to get much time at Triple-A. If he were transitioned to a true relief role, his arrival timeline would be much earlier — perhaps higher than Sisk.

ETA: 2026

Vaz is a great utility man prospect who may have seen his short-term opportunity fizzle out with the addition of Jonathan India. The path forward for Vaz is likely in a utility role — a role also already filled likely by Maikel Garcia to some degree. He’s an elite contact bat but there’s little power potential to lean on both due to size and the hitter profile he offers. He’s perhaps the safest bet in the entire farm to eventually see the big leagues, but names ahead of him have plenty of team control and could make him more of a trade chip than true part of Kansas City’s future.

ETA: 2026

Caglianone looks advanced. As-advertised, as far as that’s concerned. He’s showcased elite exit velocity and double-plus power already for High-A Quad Cities and in the Arizona Fall League. Concerns remain, centering mostly around strikeouts and chase rate. The Royals will likely take their time working through those issues so that Caglianone can be as successful as possible once his big league debut finally rolls around.

ETA: 2026

Whatever can be said for Javier Vaz applies here as well. The difference is that Wilson then falls in behind Vaz on that same totem pole of infield options. Wilson is a prospect stuck in the middle. He was once a contact-oriented speed option who has shown some power in spurts. This last season, he struggled to hit for average and didn’t quite hit for enough power to overcome that either. He’s a utility prospect with less floor than someone like Vaz.

ETA: 2026

Kudrna needs to continue enhancing his arsenal but he’s been a model of consistency throughout his pro career thus far. His timeline falls in nicely with the eventual departure of starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha from the MLB roster. For that reason, there’s no reason for Kansas City to rush him along. They’ll give Kudrna a chance to prove himself at Northwest Arkansas to open 2025 and he could make it to Omaha by mid-season.

ETA: 2026

Jensen was extremely young for Double-A last season. He’ll almost certainly debut back there once again in 2025. There’s no current or even short-term need at catcher in the near future, slowing the debut timeline some for Jensen. Will he even remain at catcher? Who knows. Salvador Perez is still under contract for 2025 and carries a team option for 2026. With Freddy Fermin also controllable, the Royals can take their time with Jensen much like Kudrna. A move off catcher could signal an earlier arrival for one of the best young prospects in the entire system.

ETA: 2027

Langevin sports an impressive fastball tied up in a relief package. That could make him a quick mover through the farm system with a chance to debut as early as 2026. More likely, he looks like a 2027 addition to the ‘pen. Langevin was a 2024 draftee and is yet to make his professional debut to this point.

ETA: 2027

Drew Beam was seen by many as one of the safest pitching prospects in the entire 2024 Draft class. He didn’t debut in the farm system in 2024, but likely heads to High-A Quad Cities to open 2025. He’s an advanced arm out of the SEC, but the Royals will still take their time to continue developing his abilities to raise his ceiling further.

ETA: 2027

Kyle Isbel enters his third season of Arbitration in 2027, making him a free agent after the season. Barring a serious breakout, it seems unlikely that Isbel will find an extension with the Royals. Instead, Roccaforte plays as good defensively if not better. He also offers a higher ceiling offensively, especially if the power output we saw in last season’s second half turns out to be a long-term impact.

ETA: 2027

Gonzalez is 23 and just reached Double-A for the first time in 2024. He was selected by the Royals in the minor league Rule 5 draft this past December. For a variety of reasons, Gonzalez looks more like Organizational Depth than anything. He struggles with strikeouts. It’s a very similar profile to Nelson Velázquez, a player who hasn’t been able to stick in the big leagues himself. If the Royals can make something click, he’s an intriguing minor leaguer but not really a true prospect.

ETA: 2027

Ackenhausen was a money-saver selection in the 2024 MLB Draft but Brian Bridges spoke highly of him nonetheless. He’s a depth, lefty reliever who didn’t allow a run in five appearances last season. 2025 will mark his first full professional season, putting him on track to offer bullpen depth by 2027. Barring a massive breakout, it may always be more of a depth piece than a true fixture in the big league bullpen.

ETA: 2027

Nivens was incredible to end his 2024 season, quickly erasing memories of his rough start due to injury. A batted-ball darling out of Missouri State, the ability shined through in the Midwest League last season. He’ll get a chance to test Double-A in the new year and could quickly skyrocket up these rankings with even 60% of what we saw to finish last season. With Roccaforte set as the center fielder of the future, Nivens can develop the bat and play excellent defense in left field.

ETA: 2027

Owen has taken some time to progress since being drafted out of Vanderbilt. The Royals have taken their time and the strikeout ability hasn’t been present. Despite that, the raw arsenal that Owen brings gives the front office great clay to work with. He offers fifth-starter intrigue but could end up in a big-league bullpen as well. With three above-average offerings, he’s a solid prospect with multiple paths to Major League success.

ETA: 2027

Causey was a strikeout force for Tennessee and his funky delivery makes him a solid relief prospect at the next level. He was a fifth-round pick for the Royals in 2024 after striking out 125 batters in just 91.1 innings of work for the Volunteers. Can he start? Not likely, but it doesn’t look like a completely forgone conclusion either. The strikeout stuff was among the best in the entire draft, perhaps only second to the big names at the top: Hagen Smith and Chase Burns.

ETA: 2027

The stretch between Salvador Perez and Blake Mitchell will be something to navigate for the Royals. For as long as Carter Jensen is playing behind the dish, he’s the bridge (if not the future) at the position. Tresh is an older prospect than Jensen and factors in more as a backup catcher at the next level. By 2027, Perez will possibly be in retirement and Freddy Fermin could be elsewhere. Tresh isn’t going to wow anyone with his bat or his defense, but he’s serviceable enough with both to make a solid backup for a handful of seasons.

ETA: 2027

Ramsey is a name that’s fluctuated in our rankings across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He limits contact at elite levels and doesn’t walk too many batters either. Will his stuff play the same way at the higher levels? That’s something we will see for the first time in 2025. Ramsey was slowed by injury in 2023 but set the Columbia franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings. At times, he reminds me quite a bit of J.P. Howell. As a starter, he could be a back-end swing starter by 2027 when the Royals could be looking to add a bit more depth from the system.

ETA: 2027

He could be ready even sooner, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Blake Mitchell in 2026. He’s the best prospect in the system not named Jac and there’s a noticeable gap between Mitchell and the prospects behind him. The raw power is immense, and he has the tools to become an above-average defender behind the plate. Plus offensive value and defensive value are hard to come by at any position, especially catcher. Mitchell is the backstop of the future even with Jensen surging as another promising young option.

ETA: 2027

Mozzicato has fallen behind in many eyes if he remains on their prospect radars at all. The 2024 season was great in many ways, but there were plenty of opportunities left unchanged as well. The fastball velocity is often the first question and it hasn’t changed much. It still averages 88-92 mph. It remains effective thanks to a great approach angle and shape, but without more oomph, there’s less margin for error. What has worked well is limiting contact as well as rounding out the arsenal. Mozzicato’s slider addition was a nice point in his favor, but it’s reached the point where fastball change is necessary, otherwise the command needs to take serious steps forward.

ETA: 2027

Rayo is a reliever type in a similar vein to Angel Zerpa. He’s started at times in the system, doing a great job limiting walks and hard contact. It’s a full four-pitch mix that relies more on movement and command than velocity. That limits the ceiling somewhat for Rayo, but by 2027 he figures to be ready to test the waters as a solid rotation depth piece at best, or a specialist reliever at worst.

ETA: 2027

Squires is the lone notable true first-base prospect behind top prospect Jac Caglianone. Squires himself may end up playing in a corner outfield spot once it’s all said and done. He was a consistent contributor for Low-A Columbia in 2023. In 2024, he burst further onto the scene with great results in High-A before an injury took away most of his season. It’s still to be seen if Squires will hit a wall in Double-A and beyond. The expectation is probably so, which leads to this more conservative arrival estimate. Even still, he’s an intriguing depth piece in the organization with still some upside to move up the ladder.