MLB Pipeline Reveals Royals' Top Prospects

MLB Pipeline announced their list of the top 30 Kansas City Royals prospects on Thursday, with several former Storm Chasers players recognized, in addition to possible future Storm Chasers players.

 

Former Omaha right-hander Kyle Zimmer was rated the second-best farmhand in the Royals organization by the publication, in addition to the top rated hurler in the system. According to MLB Pipeline, Zimmer "still has the stuff to be a frontline starter if he can stay healthy. His fastball usually sits at 92-95 pmh and reaches 97 as a starter, and he has hit triple digits in the past. His hammer curveball can make hitters look absolutely silly", adding he is "a quality athlete who repeats his delivery well and fills the strike zone". Selected in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of the University of San Francisco, the 24-year-old split the 2015 campaign between Low-A Lexington (1-0, 1.13 ERA) and Double-A Northwest Arkansas (2-5, 2.81 ERA), and could wear a Storm Chasers uniform again in 2015 after pitching for the club in 2013.

Fellow righty Miguel Almonte was also tabbed a top Royals prospect, ranking as the fourth-best Kansas City farmhand, along with the third-best hurler in the organization. In breaking down the 22-year-old, MLB Pipeline stated Almonte "has one of the best changeups in the Minors, and its combination of deception and sink earns plus-plus grades from some evaluators...has a ceiling of mid-rotation starter and a good chance to become at least a late-inning reliever". The Dominican Republic native pitched for both Omaha (2-2, 5.40 ERA) and Double-A Northwest Arkansas (4-4, 4.03) in 2015, and figures to possibly make a return to Werner Park in 2016.

Coming in at No. 12 in MLB Pipeline's rankings is infielder Cheslor Cuthbert, also the system's fifth-best position player prospect. The 23-year-old is "one of the Royals' most advanced hitting prospects" according to the publication, and "has a compact right-handed stroke and good hand-eye coordination...He makes consistent contact". Cuthbert spent the majority of the 2015 campaign with the Storm Chasers (.277 AVG, 11 HR, 51 RBI), while also playing in 19 games for the Royals, tallying a .217 average with one homer and eight RBI.

Other former Storm Chasers players recognized in the top 30 were outfielders Reymond Fuentes (No. 19) and Brett Eibner (No. 23). Among the top rated players who could play in Omaha for the first time in their careers in 2016 are infielder Raul Adalberto Mondesi, ranked the No. 1 Royals farmhand by MLB Pipeline, and outfielder (and former Nebraska football commit) Bubba Starling (No. 7).

Mondesi "has some of the best all-around tools among shortstop prospects" and "does possess impressive offensive upside for a shortstop. He's a switch-hitter with well above-average speed and 15-homer potential". The 20-year-old also became known world-wide as the first player to ever make his Major League debut in a World Series game after appearing as a pinch hitter in Game 3 of the 2015 Fall Classic. Prior to his history-making debut, the son of former National League Rookie of the Year and All-Star Raul Mondesi played in 81 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, posting a .243 clip (74-304) with six homers, 33 RBI and 19 steals.

Starling is rated the second-best position player prospect in the Royals organization behind only Mondesi, and was selected by Kansas City fifth overall in the 2011 MLB Draft, bypassing a scholarship to play quarterback for the Cornhuskers to sign with the Royals. MLB Pipeline states Starling is "a solid runner with good instincts, he could steal 20 or more bases per season", while also calling him "the best defensive outfielder in Kansas City's system...Starling can play all three positions well thanks to quality reads and routes and a strong arm that delivered 95-mph fastballs in high school". Starling spent a large majority of the year with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, compiling a .254 average (84-331) with ten homers and 32 RBI, while also recording the first cycle in the Naturals' history on July 28.

The full list of rankings and scouting reports for MLB Pipeline's top 30 Royals prospects can be viewed by clicking here.