Young Arms and 2025 MLB Draft Picks Will Lead Fireflies in 2026

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Shortly after the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits' roster was posted on the Raising Royals social media account, the Low-A Columbia Fireflies roster was revealed.

 

The position player group is highlighted by Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond, the Royals' first two selections in the 2025 MLB Draft. They are ranked No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, in our Top-20 Prospect Rankings. Gamble is a multi-tool athlete who could stick in center field long term (he played center field in the Spring Breakout). Hammond may be a corner infielder, but he has an interesting contact and power profile.

 

Neither Gamble nor Hammond played professional ball last year, so this will be their first taste. They did get some action in the Instructional League, holding their own, which explains why they're starting the season in Low-A ball. 

 

Another ranked position-player prospect in Columbia is Yandel Ricardo, one of the top international signees in 2024. This is a repeat of Low-A for the Cuban shortstop, as he played in 50 games with the Fireflies last year. After hitting .342 with a 151 wRC+ in 33 games in the Complex League, he only hit .212 with a 61 wRC+ in the Carolina League. Despite his initial struggles, he showed some flashes of promise for an 18-year-old playing in full-season affiliated ball. With a full offseason, he could be due for a bounce-back in his second swing of Low-A competition.

 

 

A couple of sleeper position player prospects to watch are outfielder Roni Cabrera and first baseman JC Vanek.

Cabrera was included in the Cole Ragans deal back in 2023 and has developed slowly in the Royals system. He struggled in 26 games with the Fireflies last year, hitting .092 with a 22 wRC+. However, he fared much better in the Complex League, hitting .302 with a 134 wRC+ and six home runs. He's a bit free-swinging, as evidenced by his 0.32 BB/K ratio between the Complex and Carolina League. That said, there's an intriguing power potential there with Cabrera, and he's still relatively young at 20 years old. 

 

 

As for Vanek, he was a 14th-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Chipola College, a junior college in Florida. He made his name in the MLB Draft League and ended up debuting with Low-A Columbia last year. He hit only .250, but he posted a .388 wOBA, an 18.4% walk rate, and a 0.53 BB/K ratio. The power lagged a little bit in his transition to the Carolina League, as he had no homers and a .050 ISO. He also struck out a lot at 34.7%. That said, he has a patient approach, and I think having a full spring with the Royals player development staff could help him cut down the strikeouts and tap into the power more in 2026. 

 

 

The pitching staff may be the strength of this Fireflies team, especially the rotation. Three of our Top-20 prospects will be featured in the Fireflies rotation, including Kendry Chourio (No. 4), Blake Wolters (No. 17), and Michael Lombardi (No. 18). 

Chourio is the most high-profile of this bunch, as he struck out 63 batters in 51.1 IP across the DSL, Complex, and Carolina Leagues. He faced more challenges in Columbia, posting a 5.16 ERA and 3.66 FIP with the Fireflies in 22.2 IP. That said, he didn't have issues striking batters out, as evidenced by his 25% K% in Low-A. He also limited free runners on the basepaths, as demonstrated by his 20.8% K-BB%. 

The 18-year-old righty also impressed in the Spring Breakout, impressing scouts with a fastball that touched 98 MPH. He still has to work on his pitch location and shape a bit, which explains why he is starting in Low-A. He could make a move to High-A by midseason if he fixes those issues.

 

 

Wolters will pitch in Low-A for the third time. He had a 3.99 ERA in 47.1 IP last year, but his FIP was much higher at 5.43. A big issue was command, as he had a 19.3% BB% last year and zero K-BB%. It would be nice to see Wolters generate more chase and whiffs, especially since the stuff has always been intriguing. 

 

 

The last-ranked pitching prospect in Columbia is Lombardi, a Tulane product who posted a 2.14 ERA and 43.5% K% in 42 IP with the Green Wave. He didn't pitch in professional ball, but he's one of the more talked-about pitching prospects this spring, due to his incredible stuff and ability to pitch in both the bullpen and rotation. The Royals will likely develop him first as a starter, but he could move to the bullpen if the results and his stuff warrant it. He could move through the system like Luinder Avila, who also has that hybrid ability.

 

 

One sleeper pitching prospect to watch is Justin Lamkin, who just missed out on our Top-20 list.

Lamkin was drafted 71st overall in the 2025 MLB Draft and excelled at Texas A&M, posting a 3.42 ERA and a 22.6% K-BB% in 84.1 IP. The 21-year-old lefty started in the Spring Breakout and excelled with six strikeouts in three innings of work. Lamkin doesn't have elite stuff, but he is a workhorse who has impeccable command and can generate whiffs in bunches. His profile is similar to that of Noah Cameron or Kris Bubic, and he could move quickly in the Royals system because of that. 

 

The Fireflies' first game will be today at 7 p.m. on the road against the Hickory Crawdads, the Low-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. 

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[Mukul Sharma]

I want to be excited about Chourio, and flashing 98 in the Spring Breakout definitely helps, but I'm keeping expectations measured for now. We've seen plenty of arms with elite velocity stall out when command never clicks.

[Kevin O'Brien]

13 hours ago, Mukul Sharma said:

I want to be excited about Chourio, and flashing 98 in the Spring Breakout definitely helps, but I'm keeping expectations measured for now. We've seen plenty of arms with elite velocity stall out when command never clicks.

The velocity is very good, but I definitely would like to see him work to improve on the movement end, especially with the four-seamer. It profiles more horizontally than vertically, which isn't a great recipe for whiffs and strikeouts, especially as you move up the system. That said, he's still super young, and he's doing this as a 19-year-old, which is very impressive.