Geoff Burke, Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Royals had a disappointing 2026 season for the preseason expectations. This team was coming off back-to-back winning seasons in 2024 and 2025 for the first since they won the World Series a decade ago. They carried a lot of momentum in 2026, but a slow start crippled their season before it really ever got going.
For Royals fans, it was a time to look forward to the future, but it isn’t necessarily a bright one. Before the 2026 season, the MLB ranked KC’s farm system as the 21st. That was an improvement from a 25th ranking in 2025 and 28th in 2024. One of the biggest reasons for a consistent low ranking is a series of first-round flops a few years ago.
From 2020-2023, Kansas City had four top-10 draft picks. None of them have made their debut. So where did the Royals go wrong?
Former Royals General Manager Dayton Moore had an interesting tenure at the helm of the organization. On one hand, he orchestrated one of the best small-market teams in the 21st century. He was entirely responsible for the homegrown nucleus of players that won the franchise’s second World Series in 2015. Players like Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas, and even current Royals captain Salvador Perez.
On the other hand, he crippled the organization on his way out. He stepped down from the GM role in 2021, and was fired one year later after losing six seasons straight. But before his time was over, he made some very questionable draft choices.
In 2021, Moore and his team used the 4th overall pick on Asa Lacy, a lefty from Texas A&M. They spent a franchise record $6.67 million on his signing bonus. Lacy was released from the organization earlier this year after pitching just 80 innings in the minors with a career 7.09 ERA.
Lacy last pitched in 2022 due to a series of injuries. He was dealt a shoulder injury in 2021and a back injury in 2022. He had Tommy John in 2023 and 2025. The highest level he made it to was Double-A, and it's unknown if he’ll ever pitch professionally again.
The Royals have been historically bad at developing pitchers. Tom Verducci wrote in 2023 that “The Royals have not drafted and developed a 10-WAR pitcher since they took Danny Duffy in 2007. From ’16 to ’19, Kansas City drafted and signed 79 pitchers, including 72 from college programs. They have returned (a combined) 8.4 WAR.”
Kansas City Royals / Jason Hanna
So what did they do one year after taking Lacy? They took a high school pitcher, of course. Frank Mozzicato was selected by Kansas City 7th overall. Mozzicato was ranked 39th overall by MLB prior to the draft and was projected to go in round 2 at the highest. This was a strategic under-slot value pick so they could pay more to additional players later on in the draft. One of those players ended up being Carter Jensen, current Royals catcher – not bad. The other was Ben Kundra, another high school pitcher. Kundra pitched just two innings this past season, and has a career 5.09 ERA in the minors.
Mozzicato has a career walk rate around 16% and a fastball that averages about 90 MPH. Last season he had an 8.04 ERA in 11 starts at Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Everyone knows that high school pitchers have the lowest chance to reach the major leagues compared to college arms or even high school position players. Pair this with the Royals inability to develop pitchers and it’s hard to justify those selections.
These were the last first-round picks that Dayton Moore would take in his tenure with the Royals. His long-time partner J.J. Picollo, became the GM. The Royals were once again drafting in the top 10 in 2022 and 2023. Picollo abandoned the strategy of drafting pitchers they couldn't develop. But it still hasn’t been successful.
Gavin Cross was selected in 2022 with the 9th overall pick. Cross was the best college bat available at number nine and really checked every box as a prospect. He dominated right after being drafted in the remainder of the 2022 season, but his strikeout rate soared in 2023 and his trajectory plummeted. He played in 118 Triple-A games last season, posting a .247/.306/.434 slashline.
Blake Mitchell, a high school catcher, was selected with the 8th pick in the 2023 Draft. It’s another interesting choice as Mitchell was not projected to go that high. He did hit 23 home runs in high-A this season, but has lost his status as a top-100 prospect.
It’s an ongoing trend of failed player development. If you’ve been a fan of this team for long enough, you know this to be true. However, when Picollo was hired, he drastically modernized the team’s analytics teams with an emphasis on scouting and development, similar to what the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers have done.
It’s possible that we’re seeing the tides change. I have to give credit to Picollo for drafting Jac Caglianone in 2024. Caglianone had a legit breakout this season with a .289/.340/.494 slash and ranked among league leaders in bat speed, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity.
Then in 2025, they took Sean Gamble 23rd overall and Josh Hammond 28th via the Prospect Promotion Incentive from Bobby Witt Jr. Hammond is currently the Royals 3rd ranked prospect, and 82nd overall. He was very impressive at Single-A this season as a 20-year-old. He hit .286 and swiped 25 bags.
Hammond sits behind two international teenagers, Kendry Chourio (50th overall) and Angibel Gomez (76th overall), in the Royals team prospect rankings. Chourio is a right handed pitcher who shot up prospect rankings recently with an impressive fastball and command. He had a 2.48 ERA this season in 21 starts, with a 28.3% K-rate and a 4.8% BB-rate in High-A.
Kansas City Royals / Jason Hanna
David Shields is their fourth ranked prospect, another pitcher, who was selected in the 2024 draft. He presents a similar profile as Chourio, with a 29.7% K-rate and 6% BB-rate at High-A in 2026.
These two players bring a glimmer of hope. The Royals are traditionally a team who trades for, or signs starting pitchers due to their inability to develop them. In the past two years, they’ve had great depth at the position and we could see Chourio become a front-line starter in just a few years. It’s something to keep an eye on to judge J.J. Picollo and his staff.
About the Author:
Cody Hamilton is the writer behind The Data Dugout that launched at the end of 2025. As a lifelong fan of baseball, he writes with the goal to educate and foster a real community of readers behind his words and stories. He writes in-depth player and prospect analysis articles, along with pieces that analyze front office moves, and highlights classic baseball stories that make the game unique.