The Royals went into today’s deadline to protect Rule 5 Draft-eligible players with quite a bit of roster flexibility. They only carried 34 players on their 40-man roster prior to today and have now raised that number to 37. It was a great year to have more flexibility because of the slew of talented prospects becoming Rule 5 eligible this offseason. Some notable prospects who were eligible to be protected today included Noah Cameron, Chandler Champlain, Luinder Avila, Eric Cerantola, Peyton Wilson, Beck Way, Devin Mann, Cam Devanney, John Rave, Tyler Tolbert, Noah Murdock, and Anthony Simonelli, among others. Let’s take a closer look at who the Royals decided to protect by adding them to their 40-man roster.
LHP Noah Cameron – Royals’ No. 12 prospect
Draft (2021): Round: 7, Overall Pick: 199, Kansas City Royals
2024 season stats: 128.2 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .243 OBA, 149 K, 36 BB, 4.14 K/BB
Career stats: 301.2 IP, 3.97 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .251 OBA, 380 K, 87 BB, 4.37 K/BB
Cameron had his best professional season in 2024, particularly after his promotion to Omaha, where he held a 2.32 ERA in 54.1 IP. A native of St. Joseph, MO, just an hour north of Kauffman Stadium, Cameron has stated that pitching for his hometown team has been his dream. After his addition to the 40-man roster, he is one step closer to accomplishing that dream as he competes for a spot in the Royals’ starting rotation during spring training.
RHP Luinder Avila – Royals’ No. 26 prospect
International signing by the Royals in 2018.
2024 season stats: 87.0 IP, 4.14 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, .232 OBA, 85 K, 47 BB, 1.81 K/BB
Career stats: 418.0 IP, 4.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .236 OBA, 377 K, 184 BB, 2.05 K/BB
Avila was signed by the Royals out of Venezuela at 16 years old, and he has steadily climbed through the Royals’ system over the past four seasons. He ended 2024 in Omaha and pitched well in the Arizona Fall League, which just ended its short season. Avila has incredible upside, especially with the development of his fastball, which has topped out at 97 MPH this fall. He projects as a starter in the big leagues but may not get an opportunity until 2026 while he gets more experience in Omaha next season.
RHP Eric Cerantola – Royals’ No. 29 prospect
Draft (2021): Round: 5, Overall Pick: 139, Kansas City Royals
2024 season stats: 72.2 IP, 2.97 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .185 OBA, 101 K, 50 BB, 2.02 K/BB
Career stats: 184.0 IP, 3.62 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, .207 OBA, 245 K, 117 BB, 2.09 K/BB
Cerantola has made strong improvements over the past three seasons, lowering his ERA and OBA in each season. He has the stuff to be a legitimate major league bullpen arm: a fastball that touches 99 MPH on occasion with a devasting curveball and slider to round out his profile. The only thing lowering his incredibly high ceiling is his command issues. If he can improve his command in 2025, he has a real chance of being in the big-league bullpen by the end of the year.
