The winning formula in baseball is always changing. MLB is a blend of emotion, statistics, money, and the realities that exist outside the ballpark. Once upon a time, the Kansas City Royals’ homegrown, World Series-winning roster served as a model for other teams to emulate. Players like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and others came up through the minors together, winning and preparing for their future in the MLB.
That seems like a long time ago for Royals fans, and the formula feels even more outdated now. Consider the roster construction of the four remaining postseason teams. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets all rank below average in homegrown players on their 26-man rosters, while conversely ranking in the top seven for free agents. The Cleveland Guardians, as usual, stand out as the outlier in this trend, relying more on free agents to fuel their winning teams.
Despite this snapshot, developing homegrown players remains an integral part of baseball. They are the future of MLB, whether they become everyday superstars or serve as the organizational depth that turns into trivia questions ten years from now.
With prospects, anything is possible while they are still years away from the majors, honing their craft and developing their bodies. Prospect projections can be quite volatile, varying depending on the year and the evaluators. A prospect’s stock can fluctuate until they are no longer considered a prospect, at which point their minor-league journey reaches a more concrete conclusion.
The Royals had their fair share of disappointing prospect performances in 2024, but others are surging up boards ready to take their places. Here are three Kansas City prospects whose 2024 seasons did nothing but help their outlook.
Asbel González, OF
Many Dominican Summer League players have one or two good seasons at that level and then disappear from the radar. Outfielder Asbel González could have been one of those players after his All-Star campaign in 2023, but despite the jump in competition, the 18-year-old continued to outperform his peers in 2024.
The Venezuelan played his first Arizona Complex League games this season, starting 39 times in center field. He improved many of his batting numbers in 2024, posting a .285/.398/.384 line for a 110 wRC+, and while the speedy outfielder didn’t hit any home runs all year, he manufactured runs with 22 stolen bases on 26 attempts. Although González doesn’t have much power to speak of, his speed allowed him to record 13 extra-base hits throughout the year.
At 6-foot-2-inches, González has the time and frame to add more power at the plate. In the meantime, he has made a name for himself with excellent defense in center field, an effective base-stealing attack, and a high-contact plate approach. He even made his affiliated ball debut this year, recording eight plate appearances with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He didn’t look overwhelmed at all, drawing two walks, recording his first hit, and stealing a base in those limited opportunities.
Ramon Ramírez, C
Royals fans love the team’s connection with Venezuelan catchers over recent years, and there is a real chance Ramon Ramírez is another entry in that club. Kansas City signed Ramírez for $57,500 in 2023 and he looks worth every penny. Like González, he needed to follow up a standout DSL season this year, and he did that to great success.
Ramírez, a right-handed batter, made the jump to ACL this year as well. In contrast to González, he hit plenty of home runs with seven in 49 games, including a multi-home run performance in July when he hit two home runs through just two innings.
Overall, Ramírez slashed .265/.379/.459 in 2024, striking out at a 20.7% rate while walking 12.8% of the time. His 115 wRC+ made him a well-above-average batter for the ACL. Although these numbers represent a notable decrease from his DSL performance in 2023, he reached that level again in the season’s final month, showcasing his potential throughout the short season.
Natural. Advanced. Smooth. Those are just a few of the words MLB Pipeline used to describe Ramírez following the 2024 season. They ranked him as Kansas City’s 10th-best prospect in their final rankings update, making him the third-highest catcher in the Royals organization. At just 19 years old, Ramírez faces stiff competition among catching prospects, but he has emerged from relative obscurity to make a strong case for himself.
Steven Zobac, RHP
Pitcher Steven Zobac’s evolution over the past two years has been a fascinating journey. The University of California product was primarily an outfielder before the Royals drafted him in 2022, but he has consistently progressed and established himself as one of the most underrated pitching prospects in the organization. The 2024 season only solidified that status.
The righty began this season with the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits, making 13 starts. While he didn’t showcase the elite strikeout stuff that caught attention in 2023, he continued to rely on effective command. In fact, his 2.07 BB/9 in 2024 ranked fourth-best among qualified Royals minor-league pitchers, and his 4.24 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked third-best in that same group.
The exciting part is that this is Zobac’s first season as a starter. He was a two-way player when the Royals drafted him, and he began last year in the bullpen. Kansas City has been careful not to overextend Zobac while gradually increasing his workload, and once he eventually reached Northwest Arkansas, he pitched 55 1/3 innings across 10 starts for the Naturals.
Despite a rocky first outing, Zobac looked even better following his promotion. His 3.25 ERA and 2.87 FIP marked significant improvements from his time in High-A, and his best Double-A performance came on August 7, when he threw a seven-inning shutout, striking out a career-high 12 batters.
Senior director of pitching Paul Gibson noted that Zobac has “just blown the development plan out of the water” amid his meteoric rise. The Royals organization clearly trusts him, and it’s time for fans and prospect evaluators to do the same.
