Kansas City Royals Announce Arizona Fall League Roster

One current and five former Blue Rocks to play in league this autumn

By Jackson Baird

September 1, 2015

WILMINGTON, Del. - With the end of minor league baseball's regular season rapidly approaching, all 30 MLB organizations are gearing up for autumn baseball in the Arizona Fall League. This year, the Kansas City Royals have named six men to the club who spent time with the Blue Rocks this year. The list includes current Rock Andrew Edwards, as well as former members of the squad Zane Evans, Kevin McCarthy, Brooks Pounders, Bubba Starling, and Ramon Torres.

Edwards has spent his entire 2015 season with the Blue Rocks after playing parts of 2013 and 2014 on the riverfront. His first go-around with the Rocks saw him pitch to a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA in four contests in 2013. The righty saw action in 11 games with the Blue Crew a season ago, producing a 0-4 record with an ERA of 5.79. The Benton, Kentucky native has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this year, notching a record of 0-2 and an ERA of 4.12 in 27 games thus far.

Evans played all of 2014 with the Blue Rocks, when he recorded a .226 average with five home runs and 36 RBIs in 101 games. This year, the Georgia Tech product spent a little over a month on the riverfront before getting the call up to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on May 12. Evans batted .271 in 28 games as a Rock in 2015, to go along with four homers and 15 RBIs.

McCarthy has actually traversed three levels this year, beginning 2015 with the Low-A Lexington Legends before receiving his promotion to Wilmington on May 9. In 16 games out of the 'pen with the Rocks, McCarthy went 3-3 with a 1.64 ERA. On August 1, the New York native earned himself a promotion to Double-A, where he has been ever since.

Thanks to a brief stint with Wilmington in late July this year, Pounders has now seen action with the Blue Crew in three separate seasons. The first time the righty called himself a Blue Rock was 2012, when he pitched in 16 games with 15 starts on the riverfront. Pounders worked to a 6-4 record and a 4.32 in 2012, then rejoined the Rocks for three starts last year, when he recorded a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 4.02. Pounders made two starts with the Blue Crew this season, going 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA before departing for Double-A on July 28.

Starling, the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, played his entire 2014 campaign as a Blue Rock. The Gardner, Kansas native hit .218 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs last year. Starling was with Wilmington only briefly this season, destroying Carolina League pitching to the tune of a .386 batting average with two homers and 12 RBIs in 12 games. On April 22, the outfielder got the call to the Double-A ranks.

Torres, a Carolina League Mid-Season All-Star this season, produced a .257 average in 71 games with the Blue Rocks in 2015. His most prolific offensive game took place on June 10 at Winston-Salem when he tied a franchise record with five hits in a single contest. Born in the Dominican Republic, Torres also played 44 games with the Rocks in 2014, hitting .248 along the way.

The Arizona Fall League is designed to let prospects showcase their skills for MLB coaches and scouts. The league kicks off shortly after the conclusion of the Major League Baseball regular season in early October. The season lasts until mid-November, and is capped off by a championship game between the winners of the East and West divisions. The Royals prospects will play for the Surprise Saguaros of the West division.