*****Official 2025 Royals Season Repository Thread*****

[ChiefsCountry]

Coming off an American League Divisional Series appearance, its year 3 of Matt Quatraro tenure. Can they take the next step to a division title? Can Bobby Witt, Jr. take his superstar status to another level? Can Cole Ragans develop more? Will the other starting pitching duplicate last season? The offense can it deliver more? Who will be in the outfield? How about the new stadium development?

Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Jonathan India, 2B
Joey Wiemer, OF

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Still waiting on that middle order of the bat that we were promised . . . . .

Any day now . . . . .

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Still waiting on that middle order of the bat that we were promised . . . . .

Any day now . . . . .

Angels are a reerun franchise that won't pull the trigger on deal is what I'm hearing...

[GabyKeepsMeWarm]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Angels are a reerun franchise that won't pull the trigger on deal is what I'm hearing...

Mike Trout just doesn't wanna be traded, does he? Just kidding... Gotta be all about Taylor Ward. Ward would be a nice pickup.

[Ocotillo]

Baseball Prospectus unveiled its top 10 Royals prospects:

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/p...top-prospects/

The State of the System: The Royals big-league club had a surprisingly good 2024 season, but their farm system remains somewhat stagnant, especially in the realm of pitching development. There is some good news though, if you like catching prospects with offensive potential.

2024 Kansas City Royals Top Prospects

The Top Ten:

Jac Caglianone, TWP
Blake Mitchell, C
Carter Jensen, C
Noah Cameron, LHP
Ramon Ramirez, C
David Shields, LHP
Gavin Cross, OF
Javier Vaz. 2B/OF
Yandel Ricardo, SS
Frank Mozzicato, LHP

[Ocotillo]

Noah Cameron scouting report

[BWillie]

Anyone know if Dip and Dots will be back this year?

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Anyone know if Dip and Dots will be back this year?

The ice cream of the future...that wasn't

[siberian khatru]

Jac Caglianone will big league camp this spring ahead of his first full pro season, and he'll focus only on hitting as he gets his career started -- because that's his fastest track to Kansas City.

And the #Royals top prospect can't wait to get going: https://t.co/fNXnX7CqQx

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) January 10, 2025

Spoiler!

KC rewards No. 1 prospect Caglianone with Spring Training invite

Anne Rogers

@anne__rogers

KANSAS CITY – Jac Caglianone, the top-ranked Royals prospect and No. 17 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, just finished up a whirlwind 2024, but it only took him a few weeks of relaxing in the offseason to be ready to return to the field.

And when the 21-year-old first baseman does arrive to Surprise, Ariz., for Spring Training in just over a month, it will be alongside his future teammates in Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez.

The Royals are inviting Caglianone, the No. 6 selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, to big league camp ahead of his first full professional season. The club will release its Spring Training non-roster invite list on Friday, and it will feature Caglianone along with top hitting prospects Blake Mitchell (No. 2) and Carter Jensen (No. 5).

“Being able to share a field with Bobby and Vinnie, being able to see how much influence Salvy has with being the captain and go-to guy is really exciting,” Caglianone said in a phone conversation. “I’m super excited to learn from them. And everyone has been super welcoming so far, getting to know Blake and Jensen from last year. I think the transition is going to be really smooth. I’m super excited.”


Inviting a first-round player just drafted and about to embark on their first professional season to Spring Training is rare for the Royals, who haven’t done so since Alex Gordon in 2006. (The exception is Brandon Finnegan, but he was on the 40-man roster in 2015 because he came up at the end of ‘14 after being drafted that summer.)

General manager J.J. Picollo said it’s a testament to Caglianone’s ability and to the way the game has evolved. College players are increasingly more developed when they get to pro ball, and a player like Caglianone was facing top talent during his time at Florida in the Southeastern Conference.

“We were really impressed with the way he handled himself from a maturity standpoint this year,” Picollo said. “That’s one of the biggest determining factors in our minds. To put a guy in an environment with a bunch of Major League players, they’ve got to be mature. And then obviously his ability. Watching what he did and the adjustments he made from [High-A] Quad Cities to the Fall League, he kept getting better and better. It’s more consistent [exit] velocity, he’s putting the ball in play, hitting it to all fields. He’s got crazy power. He’s extremely confident in his abilities.

“... You want him to be around winners. We’ve got a bunch of winners in our clubhouse, and the more he understands what our culture is about, the better, because it’s a culture that hopefully one day he’s leading.”

Despite being the best two-way player in college baseball, Caglianone was drafted as high as he was last year because of his bat, which wields otherworldly raw power. Even so, the Royals still selected him as a two-way player because of his tools on the mound, as well as his interest to explore doing both at the next level.

But Caglianone will focus solely on hitting in ‘25 because that’s the fastest way he can impact the big league team.

After discussing a plan for the upcoming season, Caglianone and the Royals agreed it was best to focus on hitting and playing first base to get him started in his career. He was all for it because he wants to help Kansas City win. And the sooner, the better. Caglianone is a physical beast with exceptional power potential. He won’t break camp with the Royals – it’s most likely he’ll start the year in Double-A – but no one is ruling out a quick ascension.

“It’s really important for me to focus on the biggest impact I think I can make right now, and that’s on the offensive side at the Major League level,” Caglianone said. “We both agree on that. I think that would be the fastest track to getting there. The pitching is something I need to develop a little bit more, and it’s like, ‘Will that delay my arrival time?’ More than likely, that’s true.

“For me, pitching is always going to be there. You can’t not hit for a year and think you can go back out there and see really good arms and have success. But the pitching side, as long as you keep up with the small things like arm care, it’ll be there. So that’s my thought with it. And I'm happy to do whatever to help the team. I just want to win.”

The Royals believe simplifying Caglianone’s plan as a position player will help his defense at first base, too, especially by working with infield coach José Alguacil in Spring Training. The Royals might have Caglianone begin working in the outfield later in the season depending on how he’s progressing; if he does move fast through the Minors, they’ll need versatility.

“The more simple we can keep things, the more likely guys are to succeed,” Picollo said. “By allowing him to focus on his offensive approach, seeing higher level and better pitching early on in his career, will all help. … Now he gets a chance to focus on first base, develop his skills defensively – and hit.”

After signing with the Royals last summer, Caglianone made his pro debut in High-A and slashed .241/.302/.388 with nine doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs in 126 plate appearances. In the Arizona Fall League, he posted a .749 OPS across 100 plate appearances, with five homers and 21 RBIs.

“I struggled a bit in Quad Cities, and I was like, ‘You’re really sending me to the Fall League? I’m hitting .240,’” Caglianone said with a laugh. “But to go to the Fall League and be surrounded by a bunch of great dudes who wanted nothing but for everyone to succeed, I finally felt like, ‘OK, I’m comfortable now, I know how professional baseball works a little bit more, and the confidence is very high.’ I was feeling really good. Now I’m super excited for it to start up again.

“I want to barrel up more baseballs," he added. "My biggest focus is just producing. My biggest goal is to help the team win and take it as far as we possibly can.”

[Ocotillo]

Baseball America believes Ramon Ramirez is a Royals breakout prospect to watch in 2025.

Ramon Ramirez, C

Preseason Rank: 11
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: Ramirez was already a known prospect before his first official game in the states and his 2024 season in the Arizona Complex League went a long way in proving the early hype was on point. The native Venezuelan hit .265/.379/.459 with seven home runs in 170 at-bats with lots of hard contact.

Scouting Report: Ramirez has excellent adjustability and barrel accuracy with an efficient swing and the bat speed to handle velocity. He projects to hit for both average and power. With more experience he’ll learn to avoid chasing pitches early and go deeper in the count to be able to get pitches he can drive. Questions remain on his defense, but Ramirez is still relatively new to catching. He has a plus arm but lacks accuracy now. He receives well with soft hands, but with occasional mental lapses behind the dish, although the intense heat in what is often called the Fire League is a tough development environment for catchers. With a strong, burly body, there will be the usual concerns about his size and the ability to remain behind the plate, but he has a good awareness of his body and how to maintain it.

The Future: If Ramirez continues the growth of his skills behind the plate to go with showing he can handle more advanced pitching, he’ll likely be a top ten prospect in the Royals organization before long. He’ll get his chance in 2025 at Low-A Columbia.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 50. POW: 55. RUN: 40. FLD: 50. ARM: 60.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Ocotillo

Baseball America believes Ramon Ramirez is a Royals breakout prospect to watch in 2025.

Ramon Ramirez, C

Preseason Rank: 11
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High

Track Record: Ramirez was already a known prospect before his first official game in the states and his 2024 season in the Arizona Complex League went a long way in proving the early hype was on point. The native Venezuelan hit .265/.379/.459 with seven home runs in 170 at-bats with lots of hard contact.

Scouting Report: Ramirez has excellent adjustability and barrel accuracy with an efficient swing and the bat speed to handle velocity. He projects to hit for both average and power. With more experience he’ll learn to avoid chasing pitches early and go deeper in the count to be able to get pitches he can drive. Questions remain on his defense, but Ramirez is still relatively new to catching. He has a plus arm but lacks accuracy now. He receives well with soft hands, but with occasional mental lapses behind the dish, although the intense heat in what is often called the Fire League is a tough development environment for catchers. With a strong, burly body, there will be the usual concerns about his size and the ability to remain behind the plate, but he has a good awareness of his body and how to maintain it.

The Future: If Ramirez continues the growth of his skills behind the plate to go with showing he can handle more advanced pitching, he’ll likely be a top ten prospect in the Royals organization before long. He’ll get his chance in 2025 at Low-A Columbia.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 50. POW: 55. RUN: 40. FLD: 50. ARM: 60.

All these prospects that are catchers they are gonna have to pick and hope they get it right because if you can move one before they fail they will have good trade value.

[Ocotillo]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

The Royals are inviting Caglianone, the No. 6 selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, to big league camp ahead of his first full professional season.

I hope he does as well as Witt did in 2021 spring training.

[Deberg_1990]

"The clubhouse was incredible... the coaching staff does a great job too, allowing me to work through some stuff and try to get better each and every day."

RHP Michael Lorenzen details why he re-signed with the @Royals after being traded there last summer. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/pp68oPHJTL

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 11, 2025

[Ocotillo]

Steven Zobac scouting report

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

"The clubhouse was incredible... the coaching staff does a great job too, allowing me to work through some stuff and try to get better each and every day."

RHP Michael Lorenzen details why he re-signed with the @Royals after being traded there last summer. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/pp68oPHJTL

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 11, 2025

Make this guy play OF/two ways. Has a .710 ops when he had to hit. Would avg 25 to 30 hrs a year and a cannon out of RF.

[Ocotillo]

Based on Roki Sasaki's known meetings, here's who appears to be in and out of the sweepstakes according to all the latest reports:

In: Dodgers, Padres, Cubs, Blue Jays, Rangers

Out: Giants, Yankees, Mets

Sasaki has until Jan. 23 to sign with an MLB team. pic.twitter.com/cIDdGtpeQL

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) January 13, 2025