Kansas City Royals 2026 Top Prospect Ranking: #16-20

The Kansas City Royals' farm system has made tremendous strides in the past couple of seasons under new scouting director Brian Bridges, who took over in September of 2023. While rankings of the farm system remain a bit mixed among experts, it has come a long way in two seasons under Bridges, who has done an excellent job of drafting and signing international talent. 

The Royals tend to be more aggressive in promoting prospects.

According to Roster Resource, 20 of the Royals' players on the 40-man roster are homegrown. That includes Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez, and Kris Bubic, who all have made the All-Star team in the past couple of years. They have also moved aggressively with prospects such as Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen, and Noah Cameron, who all contributed to the Royals in 2025 as rookies. 

The approach has resulted in prospects moving on and off prospect lists more quickly than in some teams that tend to keep prospects longer. That has affected their overall team rankings, probably deflating them a bit since prospects are graduating so rapidly.

Even though this isn't an elite system, it's better than average and definitely deserves more respect among baseball fans and prospect experts. 

In this series, I am going to look at the Top 20 prospects in the Royals system, starting with the 20th to 16th-best prospects. The prospects in this group include a couple of prep arms whose prospect stocks have deflated a bit, a promising teenage international signing, a recently drafted college arm, and an outfielder who's coming off a solid Arizona Fall League campaign in Surprise.

20th: Frank Mozzicato, LHP (Highest Level: Double-A)

The former seventh overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Mozzicato has struggled to meet the expectations of being a former Top-10 pick.

On the one hand, Mozzicato showed some promise in 2025. He made the Futures Game roster (with Jensen) and posted a 1.24 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and a 25.3% K rate in seven starts and 36.1 IP with High-A Quad Cities River Bandits. His curveball remains his premier offering, with many scouts remarking that it is "MLB-ready". 

However, his promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas was much more underwhelming.

In 24 appearances (20 starts) and 93 IP with the Naturals, the 22-year-old lefty posted a 7.46 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, and 17.6% K rate. He walked more batters than he struck out (-1.8% K-BB%) and also saw a significant uptick in home runs allowed (0.50 HR/9 in High-A to 1.59 in Double-A). Thus, even though Mozzicato is Rule 5 eligible, it seems likely that the Royals will not add him to the 40-man roster this offseason.

The reason Mozzicato is No. 20 is that a move to the bullpen could perhaps do wonders for his stuff and development. At this point, it's evident that Mozzicato is not going to be a starter at the MLB level. However, with a plus pitch in his arsenal and less mileage on his arm, it's possible that the Connecticut native could thrive and contribute to an MLB bullpen at the end of 2026 or on Opening Day in 2027. 

19th: Warren Calcaño, SS (Highest Level: DSL)

Calcaño was one of the Royals' top signings of a heralded international class last season. The Dominican-born infielder signed for $2.5 million and was ranked as a Top-50 player in his class by Baseball America. 

He only played in nine games in the DSL due to injury, but Calcaño certainly made his mark in his limited sample. In 35 plate appearances, the 17-year-old shortstop slashed .346/.514/.538 with a 1.053 OPS. He also hit a home run, collected two RBI, scored seven runs, and stole seven bases on eight attempts. Despite a diminutive frame, Calcaño showcases surprising power.

There is still a long way to go in his prospect development, and Royals fans have seen prospects do well in the DSL only to burn out once they reach the Complex League or Low-A ball. That said, Calcaño is a talented infielder who could be a future leadoff hitter if he develops properly, especially at the plate. 

18th: Michael Lombardi, RHP/OF (Highest Level: College)

The Royals drafted the two-way player out of Tulane in the second round of last year's draft, and he's an intriguing prospect who likely will be a pitcher at the professional level. The Green Wave primarily utilized him as a reliever last season, and in 23 outings and 42 IP, he posted a 2.14 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 43.5% K rate.

The Royals moved slowly with Lombardi after he was drafted, as he did not pitch or play at all in affiliated ball. However, the upside is certainly there, and he could be a guy who could move quickly in the Royals' farm system, mainly if he sticks as a reliever. Here's what MLB Pipeline said about Lombardi in their latest scouting report.

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Lombardi was unhittable in the spring, with both his fastball and curveball generating some of the best in-zone swing-and-miss rates in NCAA Division I. His heater deals at 93-95 mph and reaches 97 with tremendous carry, as well as some armside run. His high, three-quarters arm slot helps him stay on top of his 78-81 mph curve, which features so much sharp break that he struggles to land it in the zone, and it doesn't draw many chases.

Lombardi also has some feel for an 82-85 mph changeup with some depth, so he has enough pitches to start. After battling the strike zone during his first two college seasons, he improved his control as a junior and showed the athleticism and delivery to continue to get better as he becomes a full-time pitcher.

Lombardi is definitely one to watch in High-A, where he is likely to debut in 2026. If he thrives there, he could be in Double-A or even Triple-A by the end of the season. 

17th: Blake Wolters, RHP (Highest Level: Low-A)

Wolters was drafted in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft as an overslot second-rounder (he signed for $2.8 million out of high school). However, he has only shown incremental progress in two seasons in Low-A Columbia. 

After posting a 4.20 ERA in 14 starts and 55.2 IP, the 21-year-old righty posted a 3.99 ERA in 12 starts and 47.1 IP. His K rate improved from 18.6% to 19.3% between 2024 and 2025. However, his walk rate also increased from 10.1% to 19.3% over that time span. 

Wolters missed considerable time due to injury, as he didn't pitch from May 31st until August 29th, according to Fangraphs' game logs. When he returned, he particularly struggled with walks, as he walked nine batters and only struck out six in 6.2 IP over those two outings. 

Even though the results haven't quite been there for Wolters, the stuff is intriguing, and the upside remains pretty high. That said, improving the shape and command of his pitch repertoire will be crucial going forward. He struggles to put away batters, which explains his average K rates and mediocre walk rates. If the Royals' pitching development can help him refine his pitch mix and quality, then it's possible that Wolters could be a middle-of-the-rotation starter in the future.

16th: Carson Roccaforte, OF (Highest Level: Double-A)

Roccaforte was disappointing in his first full Minor League season in 2024. A compensation round pick (66th overall) in 2023, he slashed .208/.293/.342 with a .635 OPS in 471 plate appearances. Granted, he showed some pop (10 home runs), excellent speed on the basepaths (34 stolen bases), and strong defense in the outfield. That said, it was hard to take him seriously as a prospect due to his contact issues at the time.

The former Louisiana-Lafayette prospect showed progress in 2025 in High-A and Double-A ball. In 551 plate appearances at those two levels combined, he slashed .258/.373/.470 with an .842 OPS. He also hit 18 home runs, stole 43 bases, and was named the Minor League defensive player of the year by the Royals.

It was also a solid Arizona Fall League campaign for Roccaforte. Not only did he lead the Saguaros to an AFL title, but he also hit two home runs and slashed .269/.386/.463 with an .848 OPS in 83 plate appearances.

Unfortunately, the issue with Roccaforte in the AFL was similar to his problem in High-A and Double-A: strikeouts. He struck out nearly 30% of the time last season and 33.7% in the AFL. He also showcased some contact issues, as seen in his Statcast data from the AFL via TJ Stats.

Based on his results, Roccaforte should be a higher-ranked prospect in the Royals system. He should be able to matriculate to the MLB level in 2026 or 2027, as long as he stays healthy. Unfortunately, it's hard to think too loftily about his Major League outlook with such evident contact and strikeout concerns. 

Interested in learning more about the Kansas City Royals' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!