After losing the World Series in 2014 to the San Francisco Giants, the Kansas City Royals not only made it back, but they won the title in five against the New York Mets. The Royals did it with a formula of flawless defense, an offense driven by making consistent contact, a decent pitching rotation, and an absolute shutdown bullpen. And though the Royals lost Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist, it would be foolish for anyone to write off the Royals just yet as they always seem to have some magic up their sleeves. Let’s not forget that most people said they had no chance to repeat in 2015 after losing James Shields.

In order to get the World Series win, the Royals were forced to part with a number of prospects to improve their team. During the regular season, they dealt away Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, Cody Reed, and Sean Manaea in order to make some big acquisitions. This does not mean that they are lacking in Minor League depth however. The Royals still possess quite a bit of pitching talent and a few bats to help keep their homegrown dynasty alive for a couple more years.

If you are interested in more MLB prospects columns, head on over to our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. You can find the rest of my team prospect breakdowns, fantasy baseball prospect rankings, tiered positional rankings, keeper values articles, and more - all in one easy place.

 

Kansas City Royals Top 10 Dynasty Prospects

These are the top ten prospects for the Kansas City Royals in terms of fantasy production for fantasy owners in the next few seasons.

 
1. Raul Adalberto Mondesi (SS, AA)
Stats: 338 PA, .243/.279/.372, 6 HR, 19 SB, 5.0% BB rate, 26.0% K rate
ETA: 2017
The Royals have enviable shortstop depth right now with the All-Star Alcides Escobar locked up until 2018 and a talented prospect like Raul Mondesi waiting behind him. Mondesi is a very similar player to Escobar and dynasty owners should expect almost identical production between the two. Mondesi strikes out too much right now, but scouts believe that he should be able to correct that before too long. Don’t expect much power from the 20-year-old, but he should be able to hit for a respectable average and steal his fair share of bases. Though he likely has a few years until he can take over the shortstop position, Mondesi will benefit both himself and dynasty owners by working on his discipline in the minors.

 

2. Kyle Zimmer (SP, AA)
Stats: 48.0 IP, 2.81 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 9.56 K/9, 2.63 BB/9, 0.75 HR/9
ETA: 2016
The older brother of Indians’ outfield prospect Bradley Zimmer, Kyle Zimmer has the stuff to be a top of the rotation starter, possibly an ace. Zimmer’s fastball constantly sits in the upper 90s and his wipeout curveball gives him a lethal one/two combo. He rounds out his repertoire with a slider and a changeup, two pitches that show potential to be above-average, though not quite as lethal as his fastball and curveball are. As if this guy couldn’t get any better, he has also proven that he has some of the best command in the minors. Why is this guy not number one on this list? Because he has spent much of his Minor League career dealing with injuries. If he can stay healthy, Zimmer could be an elite option for fantasy owners and I recommend him as a high risk/high reward stash candidate for dynasty owners.

 

3. Miguel Almonte (SP, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 36.2 IP, 5.40 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 10.06 K/9, 3.68 BB/9, 0.74 HR/9
ETA: 2016
A case could be made that Miguel Almonte has just as lethal of a repertoire as Kyle Zimmer, but he doesn’t quite possess the same potential. With that said, Almonte has avoided injury in his young career and could still be a two or three starter in the future. Where Zimmer has an elite fastball/curveball combo, Almonte has a lethal fastball/changeup combo. Their fastballs are nearly identical in that they both range up in the upper 90s, but where Zimmer possesses a wipeout curve, Almonte wields a changeup in the low 80s with heavy sinking action. Both his curveball and command need improving before he can reach his full potential, but dynasty owners could consider stashing him since he is so close to the majors and has such high upside.

 

4. Ashe Russell (SP, R)
Stats: 36.1 IP, 4.21 ERA, 6.22 FIP, 5.94 K/9, 3.22 BB/9, 1.98 HR/9
ETA: 2019
Before you look at his numbers and panic, it is important to keep in mind that Ashe Russell was just drafted last year and so that was his first taste of professional baseball from high school. Russell has the highest potential of any of the Royals’ pitching prospects and would be higher up this list if he didn’t have to wait a while before pitching in the majors. Armed with an upper-90s fastball, low-80s slider with serious break, and a decent changeup, Russell has the repertoire that scouts look for in a top of the rotation starter. To make things even better, Russell’s arm action adds some deception and extra movement on his pitches which makes him all the more lethal. Because he is so far off, dynasty owners in need of Major League ready talent could wait a little bit before stashing him, but teams with some room for a high upside pitcher who will be ready in a few years are advised to take the chance on Russell.

 

5. Jorge Bonifacio (OF, AA)
Stats: 536 PA, .240/.305/.416, 17 HR, 3 SB, 7.8% BB rate, 23.5% K rate
ETA: 2016
Jorge Bonifacio put together a very promising 2013 campaign in which he went all the way from Rookie League to Double-A, tearing up every level that he passed on his way. Then 2014 came and he found himself unable to repeat his success. And though he hit more home runs in 2015, Bonifacio still underperformed. Bonifacio fits the profile of a prototypical right-fielder: 20 home run power, plus arm, and limited range. Scouts believe that he could eventually put everything together and hit for a decent average to go along with his plus power and eventually take over right field for the Royals, but he will need to cut down on the strikeouts and start to spread the ball around the field. Dynasty owners lacking in outfield depth could stash him if nothing else than it least for the fact that he is probably not far off from the majors, but owners may not want to have him take up the roster spot until he can prove that he can play.

 

6. Bubba Starling (OF, AA)
Stats: 366 PA, .254/.318/.426, 10 HR, 4 SB, 8.2% BB rate, 24.9% K rate
ETA: 2017
There was a time when Royals’ fans had high hopes of seeing the deadliest one/two punch in the outfield with Wil Myers and Bubba Starling, but then Myers was traded to the Rays and Starling took some major steps backward in his development in 2013 and 2014. After a solid campaign in 2015 though, it looks as though all is not completely lost with Starling. Though Starling may no longer be headed towards the 20/20 potential that he once seemed to have, Starling still possesses the ability to hit low double digit home run totals per season and the speed and baserunning awareness to steal 20 per season. He still strikes out a bit too much, but he has at least shown improvements in that area. Dynasty owners are not yet advised to stash him as still has a little bit more to prove, but he could at least be worth following up on to see if he continues to build on his strong 2015 season.

 

7. Chestor Cuthbert (3B, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 438 PA, .277/.339/.421, 11 HR, 5 SB, 8.4% BB rate, 13.7% K rate
ETA: 2016
Chestor Cuthbert made his long-awaited Major League debut in 2015 after having spent six years in the minors. He profiles more as a first-baseman in the future, though with Eric Hosmer currently occupying that base, it seems more likely that he will spend some time at DH. He doesn’t have much power, but he will hit around 10 per season; he won’t hit over .300 in a season, but he won’t hit below .260. The one thing he doesn’t do well is run. Cuthbert is remarkably slow and any stolen bases should be considered a complete anomaly. Because of his underwhelming skillset, he could be avoided for dynasty leagues unless owners are desperate.

 

8. Scott Blewett (SP, A)
Stats: 81.1 IP, 5.20 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 6.64 ERA, 2.66 BB/9, 0.66 HR/9
ETA: 2019
Taken in the second round of the 2014 draft, Scott Blewett has the ceiling of a top of the rotation starter, but also a relatively low floor. Blewett’s best asset is his fastball which not only ranges into the upper-90s, but features a heavy sink. The biggest issue right now is his lack of command and lack of quality secondary pitches. He needs to make a lot of progress with his curveball and changeup before he can fully reach his potential. Dynasty owners could take him as a high risk/medium reward player just as long as they keep in mind that he has a long way to go before owners can reap their reward.

 

9. Foster Griffin (SP, A)
Stats: 102.2 IP, 5.44 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 6.22 K/9, 3.07 BB/9, 0.70 HR/9
ETA: 2018
If Scott Blewett was left-handed, he would be something like Foster Griffin. Both are big pitchers with outstanding fastballs and secondary pitches that require some work. Both have the potential to be a top of the rotation starter; both have the risk that they may flounder out in the minors if they can’t improve on their secondary pitches and command. Dynasty owners are advised to treat Griffin the same way as Blewett: stash him only if you are a risk-taker and keep in mind that he won’t pay off for another couple of years.

 

10. Hunter Dozier (3B, AA)
Stats: 523 PA, .213/.281/.349, 12 HR, 6 SB, 8.6%, 28.9% K rate
ETA: 2017
Hunter Dozier is blocked at his primary position by Mike Moustakas, which is just as well because he is still probably a few years away from reaching the majors. Dozier is a lot like Chestor Cuthbert in that he could eventually hit for a decent average, mash a couple home runs, but will rarely ever steal any bases. Like Cuthbert, dynasty owners probably don’t need to worry about stashing Dozier unless they are absolutely desperate.

 

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