The Royals Keep Minor League Awards: Columbia Fireflies

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

 

The Columbia Fireflies had a peculiar season, leaning heavily on 2025 Draft picks and recently signed International talent. While they didn't make the Carolina League postseason, they had the second-best record of the Royals' full-season affiliates at 64-65. 

The Fireflies roster looked much more impressive at the start of the year, with Kendry Chourio as the ace of the Columbia rotation. As expected, however, he was promoted to Quad Cities, and the rotation simply didn't have the juice it did earlier in the season when he anchored it. Offensively, catcher Brooks Bryan, a 2025 8th-round draft pick out of Troy, showed promise, hitting .319 with a .902 OPS. That said, injury limited him to just 33 games and 119 plate appearances. 

Thankfully, Bryan is getting more at-bats in the Arizona Fall League, and he's looked impressive, as shown by his first AFL home run on Tuesday. 

 

 

 

One has to wonder what the Fireflies' playoff chances would've looked like if those two stayed in Columbia all season (like Blake Mitchell and David Shields in Quad Cities). 

Even though roster turnover was more common in Columbia than Quad Cities, the Fireflies were one of the more intriguing teams to follow in the Royals system. The talent is still raw, but some high-upside players from this group could impact the Royals' 40-man roster in 3-4 years. Three players who earned Royals Keep awards come from the 2025 MLB Draft, and another was a highly touted 2024 International signing out of the Dominican Republic. Royals fans shouldn't be surprised if these four make noise in the Midwest League in 2027, perhaps pushing for call-ups to the Northwest League by season's end.

For those who are just discovering this Royals Keep Minor League Awards series, you can find previous posts below:

• Omaha Storm Chasers
• Northwest Arkansas Naturals
• Quad Cities River Bandits

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Hitter of the Year: Josh Hammond, SS

Hammond, the 28th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, had a solid professional debut in Columbia as a 19-year-old regular infielder.

In 110 games and 487 plate appearances, he slashed .286/.354/.389 with a .743 OPS. The power waned a bit, especially in the second half of the season. His ISO was just .103, and he hit only five home runs. That said, he showed solid contact skills, a decent plate approach (0.49 BB/K ratio), and excellent baserunning (25 stolen bases) and defense. As a result, the Royals organization awarded him the Alex Gordon Heart and Hustle Award. 

 

Power is a concern, but Hammond showed all the other skills you would want to see from a top prospect in his first MLB experience. Hammond didn't whiff (91st percentile Whiff%) and didn't strike out much either (77th percentile K%) in Columbia. For a young player in their first full-season professional experience, that contact ability is encouraging, as it should follow him as he moves up the Royals' system. 

He'll likely get bigger and stronger this offseason, which will help him handle a full Minor League season better in 2027 (most likely in High-A Quad Cities). Power matures as a player gets older, so Hammond has plenty of time to develop it. 

Now, will Hammond be a 30+ HR hitter? Most likely not. However, with his speed, defense, and contact, he could develop into a 20+ HR hitter, which would be incredibly valuable for an infielder who can play third, shortstop, and second base at the Major League level (maybe the outfield as well, if necessary). 

The numbers aren't gaudy, but the scouting reports, combined with decent numbers, were encouraging signs for Hammond as he enters this offseason. Many experts view Hammond as a Top-5 prospect in the Royals system and a Top-100 guy. So Royals fans should look forward to what the 20-year-old does in Quad Cities, as he could jump up the prospect rankings next year if his power matures in the Midwest League. 

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Pitcher of the Year: Michael Lombardi, RHP

A second-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Tulane, Lombardi made the transition to full-time pitching for the first time in his baseball career. The 22-year-old Green Wave product was a two-way player in college and only pitched 42 innings in his final season at Tulane in 2024. 

Lombardi thrived after moving to full-time pitching.

He led all Fireflies pitchers with 124 strikeouts despite pitching only 88 innings. For context, Darwin Rodriguez, Jose Gutierrez, and Shane Van Dam all threw more innings than Lombardi, but they didn't come close to the Tulane product's strikeout total. In swing-and-miss, Lombardi was Columbia's best pitcher. His 68th-percentile O-Swing%, 93rd-percentile K%, and 59th-percentile whiff% only confirmed that.

In addition to leading the Fireflies, Lombardi led all the Carolina League in strikeouts, despite not hitting the 100-inning mark this season. 

 

Lombardi broke down late in the year, which is why we didn't see a late-season call-up to Quad Cities. 

In 55.1 IP from April to June, he posted a 2.44 ERA, posted a 36.3% K%, and a 21.5%% K-BB%. However, from July to the end of the season, his ERA inflated to 5.79, his K% fell to 25.5%, and his K-BB% also regressed to 14.1%. He just wasn't efficient after June, which led to shorter outings and fewer strikeouts. 

Lombardi's no question a thrower who can rack up strikeouts. That should guarantee him a bullpen role in the near future, at the very least. That said, can Lombardi clean up the command and become more efficient in 2027? If he wants to stay a starter in Quad Cities and beyond, he will need to improve that command, or he'll be relegated to the bullpen sooner rather than later. 

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Biggest Riser: Yandel Ricardo, SS/2B

Ricard is our No. 11 prospect at Royals Keep, and fellow infielder Hammond seemed to overshadow Ricardo for most of last year. However, the Dominican product demonstrated that he needs to be taken more seriously as a prospect. 

In 109 games and 458 plate appearances, the 2024 international signing slashed .266/.351/.398 with a .750 OPS. He also hit seven home runs, stole 27 bases, and posted a 0.53 BB/K ratio. In many ways, Ricardo was just as good as Hammond, if not better, in many areas (and he was just as old as Hammond). 

Even though he didn't hit for tremendous power (.132 ISO), Ricardo has a ton of natural power in his frame. When he locked in and connected, he could put serious exit velocity behind balls, as this one below shows. 

 

Now, Ricardo's defense isn't as elite as Hammond's, and Ricardo's base stealing could be more efficient (caught 16 times last year). However, the Dominican product has five-tool talent and could be a utility player who can play not just every infield position, but outfield as well. The tools are legitimate, and you could argue Ricardo is a Top-10 prospect in the Royals system today. 

Ricardo has shown a strong ability to bounce back in the Minors, which speaks to his makeup and attitude. 

He had a tough first month in 2026 and struggled in a limited 2025 stint with Columbia (.547 OPS in 200 PA). However, he locked in, adopted an "all-fields" hitting approach, and delivered in bunches in 2026 with the Fireflies. If he can carry this approach and mindset to High-A Quad Cities in 2027, he could be on track to join the Royals' 40-man roster by December 2028, when he is Rule-5 eligible. 

However, a strong 2027 could prompt the Royals to add him to the roster by Spring Training in 2028, putting him ahead of schedule for his MLB debut. 

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Most Intriguing Prospect: Sean Gamble, OF

The Royals' first selection in the 2025 MLB Draft had a brutal start in Columbia. 

In 46 games in April and May, he hit .149 with a .474 OPS, a 0.36 BB/K ratio, and a .074 ISO. He struggled to make consistent contact and didn't hit for much power either. At one point, the rookie outfielder seemed destined for a demotion to the Complex League. 

However, the Fireflies showed patience with Gamble, and it paid off in June and July.

In 190 plate appearances in June and July, Gamble hit .268 with a .788 OPS, a 0.52 BB/K ratio, and a .134 ISO. He seemed like a much different hitter during those two months and, at times, arguably looked better than Hammond, especially in power. 

 

In addition to hitting seven home runs in 2026, he also scored 62 runs and stole 38 bases on 45 attempts. Gamble also played strong outfield defense and could be a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, a major asset for the Royals, especially with Kyle Isbel's future murky after this season. 

Gamble did fade in August and September. In 96 plate appearances, he hit .198 with a .629 OPS and .123 ISO. The BB/K ratio was still strong at 0.52, and the BABIP was low at .263 over those last two months. Thus, it may have been an issue of Gamble running out of gas down the stretch, much like his draft classmate Hammond. 

The former IMG Academy product adds intrigue to this Royals system, even as our No. 5 Royals prospect.

His overall numbers from last season aren't great (6th-percentile wOBA and 25th-percentile TJ Bat+). However, he looked like a much different player from June to the end of the year, and he showed confidence in August and September, even though the numbers weren't impressive. Gamble was a key part of a Fireflies team that fought for playoff position until the very end.

The big question for Gamble in 2027 is whether he can avoid a slow start in Quad Cities. If he can, Gamble may prove to be a Top-3 prospect because of his strong defensive and baserunning tools. If he can't? Then Gamble may just be another example of a failed first-round Royals Draft Pick, which has been far too common since 2015. 

 

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