The Royals played in their first-ever Spring Breakout game yesterday, coming away with a “wild” victory. The final score ended up 4-3 after Milwaukee prospect, Josh Knoth, threw three wild pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning. One of them — to Blake Mitchell — got away and brought in the game-winning run. While coming away with the victory is always nice, the largest takeaways go well beyond the final score. Some of the Royals’ best minor-league talent was on display, and there were plenty of observations to be found.
The largest takeaways from the Royals’ Spring Breakout game
Chandler Champlain picks up right where he left off
Chandler Champlain was fantastic on Sunday. He went two full innings without allowing a baserunner. He notched one strikeout on the day. Beyond the box score, Champlain looked ready to go for the 2024 season. This offseason, he worked on newer pitches in his arsenal — a splitter and a circle-changeup. Both were in the mix today while his fastball touched 96 mph. The fastball plays well up in the zone and the new pitches add another wrinkle to keep hitters off balance. Champlain should start the season back in Northwest Arkansas but could quickly make his way to Omaha this season.
Trevor Werner continues his power dominance
Trevor Werner hit eight home runs in 2023, the most of any 2023 draftee. Fittingly, he hit a home run on Sunday in one of his two at-bats. Werner was a fifth-round pick by the Royals and should get a taste of High-A to open the 2024 season. His swing and profile remind a lot of Bobby Dalbec, and he’s a name who could quickly rise up the prospect rankings with a strong start to the season. Last season for Low-A Columbia, he slashed .354/.459/.699 with a 214 wRC+.
Carson Roccaforte does Carson Roccaforte things
Roccaforte is underrated by everyone in the world, save for me, Josh Keiser, and maybe his mother. In 2023, he showed off impressive defensive ability, a great eye at the plate, and good contact ability. On Sunday, the defense was again on display. Roccaforte made two great plays in center, including a diving catch in the third inning. At the plate, he finished his day 0/1 with two walks. Roccaforte rarely swings and misses, and he rarely chases outside the zone. That combination is going to take him a long way, especially if the power can start to tick upward as well.
Blake Mitchell looks the part
2023’s eighth overall pick didn’t do much in the box score on Sunday, but he looked the part regardless. Early in the game, he flew out to right field, which in itself isn’t too impressive. However, it was the first real glimpse into the swing. The swing looks smooth, and the ball flies off the bat. A handful of folks on Twitter mentioned the swing, thinking the ball was going to be out of the park when it left the bat. Behind the plate, Mitchell looked at home. There’s a lot to like for Mitchell, and he’s going to get a chance to prove it at Low-A Columbia this season.
Tweaks for Gavin Cross and Cayden Wallace
Gavin Cross had an awful 2023 season, fueled mostly by off-the-field sickness that directly impacted his season. He’s healthy now, and hoping to have a bounce-back 2024 season. He didn’t do much on Sunday at the plate, save for a strong swing on a fly-out to left-center. However, tweaks to his stance were apparent. Cross used an open batting stance all of last season but has it closed up as he enters 2024. His hands have also tweaked some, similar to what we saw MJ Melendez do last season. Third baseman Cayden Wallace looks to have tweaked his stance some as well, adjusting his front foot some. If Cross and Wallace can each take a step forward this season, the Royals farm system is going to look seriously improved.
Noah Cameron’s new cutter was on display and effective
Noah Cameron added a cutter this offseason in hopes of generating some east/west in his arsenal. He threw a handful on Sunday and they looked great. The pitch gives him a new look that breaks in on the hands of right-handed hitters. As for velocity, Cameron sat around 93 mph in his 2.1 innings of work. In 2023, Cameron touched 95 at times early in the year, but by the season’s end, he was more regularly in the low 90s. That’s been a focus for him this offseason. He hopes to maintain his velocity deeper into starts, and — more importantly — deeper into the season. He had Tommy John Surgery back in 2021 and feels the best he has since the surgery.