Mondesi & Zimmer Top 100 Prospects
A pair of possible 2016 Storm Chasers players, one of whom has already worn an Omaha uniform, were recognized as two of the top prospects in baseball according to Baseball America. The rankings were revealed on MLB Network on Friday evening.
Raul Mondesi finished the 2015 campaign as a World Series champion with the Kansas City Royals and begins 2016 as the 29th-best overall prospect per Baseball America's ratings. The 20-year-old became the first player in MLB history to make his Big League debut in the World Series after posting a .243 average (74-304) in 81 regular season games with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, adding 36 runs, 11 doubles, five triples, six homers and 33 RBI, along with 19 steals.
Mondesi made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter in Game 3 of the Fall Classic, striking out in his lone at bat of the series. He has also been rated the top Royals prospect for this season, in addition to prior to the 2015 campaign, and has also been ranked the 28th & 47th overall prospect prior to the 2015 and 2014 seasons, respectively. The switch hitter is the son of 13-year MLB veteran and 1995 Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi, and was signed by Kansas City as a non-drafted free agent on July 27, 2011. He is expected to play at the Triple-A level for Omaha in 2016, and it is possible he begins the season with the Storm Chasers.
Kyle Zimmer was ranked the 85th-best overall prospect by Baseball America, and is also regarded as the top pitching prospect in the Kansas City organization. The right-hander pitched in four postseason contests for the Storm Chasers in 2014, which included earning the win in the Triple-A National Championship Game against the Pawtucket Red Sox, capping the franchise's Back-to-Back National Championships run.
The 24-year-old spent the 2015 campaign recovering from an injury that cut his previous season short, splitting the year with Low-A Lexington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He compiled a 2-5 clip and 2.81 ERA (15 ER/48.0 IP) in 15 outings (seven starts) with the Naturals, helping lead the club to a Texas League Championship Series appearance. Selected by the Royals as the fifth overall pick of the 2012 MLB Draft out of the University of San Francisco, Zimmer has also been previously rated as a top 100 overall prospect prior to each of the last three seasons, including 23rd and 24th leading up to the 2014 and 2013 campaigns, respectively. Like Mondesi, it is a good probability that Zimmer spends at least some portion of the 2016 season in a Storm Chasers uniform and could also begin the year with the club.
Both Mondesi (No. 37) and Zimmer (No. 65) have also been recognized by MLB Pipeline as top 100 overall prospects for this season, and were the only two Royals farmhands to represent the club in either rankings. Zimmer's brother, Bradley, is also considered a top 100 overall prospect by both publications, rated the 31st-best prospect by Baseball America and 26th-best by MLB Pipeline.
The full list of Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects rankings can be viewed by clicking here. MLB Pipeline's list is also available here.