Royals Fall League Recap: Rose and Lamkin Have Their Moments in Week Two

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

 

 Week two of the Arizona Fall League just concluded, with the Surprise Saguaros improving their record to 8-4. After a slow start in week one, many Royals prospects performed much better in week two, seemingly adjusting to the pitching and Arizona environment. 

Each week during the AFL season, we will recap the top Royals prospect performances at Royals Keep. If you missed our Week 1 edition, you can find it here. 

Let's break down the top Royals hitting and pitching standouts from this last week of AFL play. 

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Hitting: Rose, Charles, and Gomez Have Standout Weeks

Royals hitters from October 12-19:

• Brooks Bryan, C: 10 AB, .100/.182/.100, 1 H, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K. 
• Zion Rose, OF: 10 AB, .500/.688/.800, 5 H, 5 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 1 SB.
• Austin Charles, 3B/SS: .333/.300/.889, 3 H, 5 RBI, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 3B, 1 HR. 
• Angeibel Gomez, OF: 7 AB, .286/.444/.571, 2 H, 1 RB, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 3B. 

After a strong week one performance, Bryan cooled off a bit. He went 1-for-10, drew a walk, and scored two runs. However, the other Royals position-player prospects excelled at the plate in Arizona this past week.

Rose was the biggest standout this week with five hits and five RBI. He hit his first AFL home run, a grand slam against the Desert Dogs on October 15th. 

 

After finally showing power last week, Rose also displayed his trademark plate approach. He struck out four times but walked four times, posting an insane .688 OBP. The former Louisville product is looking increasingly comfortable at the plate, which should set him up for a return to High-A Quad Cities in 2027, with the hope of an early promotion to Double-A. 

Charles has been one of the most intriguing prospects in the Royals' system, as I talked about in the Quad Cities awards piece on Royals Keep last week. Like Rose, the 22-year-old infielder had a slow start in week one, but he is starting to lock things down at the plate, as shown by a much stronger week two. 

He hit .333 with three hits, five RBI, a triple, and a home run. Even though his average is .172 and his OPS is .581, Charles is definitely trending in the right direction at the plate. The power and upside remain legitimate. 

Lastly, after a rough three-strikeout debut, the 17-year-old Gomez is locked in at the plate. In seven at-bats, he hit .286 with a .444 OBP, two hits, two walks, and two runs scored. He also struck out only once, showing how much more comfortable he is at the plate now that the "AFL hype" has died down a bit.

The Royals' top international prospect also collected his first extra-base hit on October 14th, a triple. 

 

The power is starting to develop, and Gomez seems more willing to let loose with his swing after looking a little nervous in his first couple of games. Doing this despite being younger than most high school seniors is impressive and could signal he's ready for a High-A call-up in 2027, which is wild to think about. 

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Pitching: Lamkin Bounces Back

Royals pitchers from October 12-19:

• Justin Lamkin: 1 G, 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K. 
• Josh Hansell: 2 G, 1.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K. 
• Hiro Wyatt: 1 G, 1.2 IP, 27.00 ERA, 4.80 WHIP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K. 
• Steven Zobac: 1 G, 1.2 IP, 21.60 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 2 K. 
• Frank Mozzicato: 1 G, 0.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. 

The Royals' pitchers had a mixed week in the AFL. Hansell, Wyatt, and Zobac all struggled with control, allowing 11 walks in five innings. Hansell avoided damage (no earned runs allowed), while Wyatt and Zobac weren't as fortunate. Together, the two pitchers allowed nine runs.

Zobac is the most concerning, especially since he is on the 40-man roster. Although he was coming off an injury the previous season, he had a mediocre campaign in Double-A Northwest Arkansas (4.85 ERA in 42.2 IP). In his last AFL outing against Peoria, he generated whiffs (35.3% whiff rate) but struggled with control and inducing chases. 

If Zobac doesn't turn things around this fall, he could lose his 40-man roster spot by Spring Training. At 26, he doesn't have much time to show what he can do in the Minors. Moving to the bullpen full-time may be his best bet not only to keep his 40-man roster spot, but also to earn a spot on the active roster at some point in 2027. His three-pitch mix fits better in the bullpen anyways. 

On a positive note, Lamkin bounced back with a nice performance on October 15th against the Glendale Desert Dogs. After giving up five runs in three innings in his AFL debut, he allowed only one run in four innings in this latest outing. 

 

Lamkin did an excellent job of generating whiffs (30.8% whiff rate) and minimizing hard contact (.311 xwOBACON), which was his MO in Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas last year and at Texas A&M previously. That said, his stuff hasn't profiled well so far this fall, via TJ Stuff+ metrics. In his last outing, he had an 88 TJ Stuff+ overall, including an 81 TJ Stuff+ on his four-seamer, which is EXTREMELY subpar. 

Some Statcast metrics have been a little off this fall at some ballparks, which could explain Lamkin's lackluster stuff numbers. However, this will be something to watch in 2027, especially as he returns to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. If the stuff remains subpar, he'll likely be closer to a Daniel Lynch IV type than a Cole Ragans type.

With the Royals rotation so decimated by injuries last year, it would be nice for Lamkin to profile closer to the latter than the former, especially if they want to return to the postseason in 2027. Adding Lamkin to the Kansas City rotation mix next year would help a team that needs success from its homegrown arms.  

 

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