In some unexpected news, the Royals on X today announced their 23 non-roster invitees to Spring Training in Surprise.
Every year the Royals compile a NRI list that includes some intriguing prospects as well as veterans who are looking to earn a spot on the Royals’ Opening Day roster in Spring Training. Last year, Franmil Reyes, Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Matt Duffy were three non-roster invitees who made the Royals Opening Day roster though only Duffy finished the season with the team.
This year’s group provides a lot of intrigue, as it is likely that at least a couple of the players from this list could steal a spot on the from someone currently on the 40-man roster.
Does that mean that they are going to have a big impact on the Royals fortunes in 2024? That’s hard to say, but at the very least, this group of NRI players could make Cactus League play worth paying attention to for Royals fans.
Here’s a look at four storylines that Royals fans should pay attention to with this group of 23 players in Surprise this spring.
Which Veteran Reliever Makes the Opening Day Roster?
Dan Altavilla, Luis Cessa, Tyler Duffey, and Sam Long
The Royals signed four Minor League free agent pitchers who could impact the Royals bullpen in 2024. That group includes Altavilla, Cessa, Duffey, and Long, who all have had various levels of success at the Major League level.
Here’s a look at the data on the NRI pitchers from 2021-2023 and the group of four have only combined to produce 1.0 fWAR over the past three seasons, according to Fangraphs.
Cessa has been the most accomplished of the group from this sample, as he has pitched in 106 games and accumulated 171.1 IP between the Yankees and Reds over the past three years. He also posted the second-best ERA of the bunch (4.46) and sported the highest groundball percentage as well (47.5%).
His pitch arsenal rated better in 2022, and it will be interesting to see if pitching coach Brian Sweeney and the pitching coach team can tap into that when he reports to Surprise. If they can, it’s possible that Cessa could break camp with the Royals as a reliever who can go multiple innings.
Duffey posted the best ERA number of the group over the past three years and may be the biggest name as well, especially since he dominated with the Twins in 2019 (2.50 ERA) and 2020 (1.88 ERA). However, he only accumulated a 0.2 ERA over 108.1 IP, and his stuff isn’t quite what it used to be. His four-seam velocity only averaged 92.5 MPH from 2021-2023, the worst of this group.
Nonetheless, the Royals need a veteran presence in the bullpen after floundering in 2023 and Duffey could provide that presence, especially if something injury-wise should happen to Will Smith, Chris Stratton, or Nick Anderson this spring.
Altavilla has the fewest MLB innings of this group (only 1.1 IP), but his stuff is the liveliest. His fastball averaged 96.6 MPH and there are reports that in Dominican Winter League play his fastball velocity was up to 98 MPH. If he can bring that velocity to Spring Training, he could be a sneaky candidate to earn a spot in the Royals bullpen on Opening Day, especially with fireballers like Dylan Coleman and Aroldis Chapman gone from last year’s bullpen.
Lastly, Long is the lone lefty of this group and tries to earn a spot after pitching in the Giants and Athletics organizations the past two years. Long’s numbers don’t look good at first glance: 4.92 ERA, 5.01 FIP, -0.2 fWAR in 128 IP. On the other hand, the Royals lack lefty bullpen options beyond Smith, Jake Brentz, and Josh Taylor, and the latter two have missed considerable time the past couple of years due to injury.
If the Royals need more left-handed bullpen help, Long could satisfy the bill if he can have a strong campaign in the Cactus League, though he would need to show more stuff and command than he did last season in Oakland (16.1% K rate; 5.5 K-BB%).
I will be rooting for him personally as he is a Sacramento State product (Sacramento is where I grew up).
Which Relief Pitching Prospect Makes His MLB Debut?
Christian Chamberlain, Walter Pennington, and Beck Way
Chamberlain, a fourth-round pick out of Oregon State in the 2020 MLB Draft has some of the most explosive stuff in the Royals organization. Last year, he posted K rates of 36% in Northwest Arkansas and 28% in Omaha, both impressive percentages.
Unfortunately, he struggled with control in a massive way, especially when he made the transition to Triple-A. After posting a 16.2% BB rate and 19.9% K-BB% with the Naturals, he saw that BB rate jump to 22.4% and K-BB% fall to 5.6% with the Storm Chasers in 26 outings and 24.1 IP. That, and his 8.51 ERA in Omaha, were big reasons why he wasn’t added to the 40-man roster this offseason despite being Rule 5-eligible.
Nonetheless, if he can polish up his control and build on some positive momentum from this non-roster invite to Spring Training, it’s possible that Chamberlain could make his MLB debut, though it probably won’t be on Opening Day.
Pennington isn’t Rule 5-eligible yet, but will be after the 2024 season. Pennington’s made it all the way to Triple-A Omaha last year as he posted a 3.69 ERA in 41 outings and 61 innings of work. The undrafted product out of the Colorado School of Mines showcased solid strikeout numbers and control with the Storm Chasers last year, as he sported a 24.7% K rate and 12.7% K-BB%.
The stuff and strikeout ability aren’t as eye-popping as Chamberlain. However, he does find the strike zone more often, which is something the Royals organization seems to value in the bullpen after the group finished 30th in BB/9 in 2023.
Lastly is Way, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Andrew Benintendi deal in 2022. Way struggled in Northwest Arkansas last year as he posted a 6.67 ERA in 28 outings, 17 starts, and 78.2 IP. That said, he started to see some work out of the bullpen at the end of the year, and he pitched better in that role.
From August 4th to the 23rd, he pitched solely relief and allowed zero runs, five hits, four walks, and struck out 15 in 14.2 IP.
The Naturals had him starting at the end of the year due to need and unfortunately, he regressed back to his struggling self. That said, it’s likely that the Royals will commit to him to the bullpen full time in 2023, and he could be a pitcher who could make his MLB debut, perhaps after the Trade Deadline once the Royals make some necessary moves.
Which Starting Pitching Prospect Gains Hype in 2024?
Chandler Champlain and Mason Barnett
Champlain had a solid season in 2023, excelling at both High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
With the River Bandits, the former USC Trojan posted a 2.74 ERA in 11 starts and 62.1 IP. He regressed a little in the move up to Double-A, but he still posted solid numbers nonetheless. In Northwest Arkansas, he posted a 3.82 ERA in 14 starts and 73 IP.
Control and command are the calling cards for Champlain, who also came to Kansas City in 2022 in the Benintendi trade. In Quad Cities, he posted a K% of 24.7% and a K-BB% of 17.4%. Those numbers regressed a bit with the Naturals. Nonetheless, a K% of 21.2% and K-BB% of 12.9% are metrics worth being encouraged about, especially in Champlain’s first exposure to upper minors hitting.
Barnett was a bit of a surprise NRI addition, especially since last year was his first full Minor League season after being drafted in the 3rd round in the 2022 MLB Draft. Barnett thrived in both Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas, posting K rates of 27.7% and 31.4% at those levels last year, respectively.
He also posted a 3.18 ERA with the River Bandits and 3.58 with the Naturals, thus showing that he could handle the transition from High-A to Double-A ball with ease. He particularly flourished with the Naturals on a control end, as he posted a 22.6% K-BB%, which was higher than what he produced in High-A ball (16.5% K-BB%).
It’s likely that neither Barnett nor Champlain will make their debut until 2024. That said, if they do make significant progress, especially in Spring Training, they could push to get a start or two down the stretch in 2024, much like Jonathan Bowlan and Anthony Veneziano last season.
Which Utility Guy Makes the Roster?
Mike Brosseau, Cam Devanney, Devin Mann, and Tyler Tolbert
Duffy made the Royals Opening Day roster last year primarily due to his ability to play multiple positions and his ties to manager Matt Quatraro in Tampa Bay. If a position player does make the roster from the NRI list, it’s likely someone who has that position versatility.
Brosseau and Devanney are two veteran utility players who come from the Brewers organization. Brosseau was originally drafted and developed by the Rays and played in Tampa as recently as 2021. The soon-to-be 30-year old was well-known for his big home run for the Rays in the 2020 playoffs off of former Royals reliever Chapman in an empty Yankee stadium.
Brosseau wasn’t good last year as he posted a wRC+ of 74 and fWAR of -0.5 in 29 games with the Brew Crew. However, in his first year in Milwaukee, he did post a 118 wRC+ and fWAR of 0.6 in 70 games and 160 plate appearances. He could be a guy who could slide into the utility spot off the bench if Garrett Hampson fails to impress in the first couple of months.
As for Devanney, he has yet to make his MLB debut, with the the highest level he’s played being Triple-A. Despite being an older prospect and flashing average tools, he was productive in Triple-A last year as he hit .271 with a 107 wRC+ and 11 home runs 103 games and 390 plate appearances.
Two more serious candidates to make the Opening Day roster could be Mann, who was acquired in the Ryan Yarbrough deal, and Tyler Tolbert, who was the Royals’ Minor League Position Player of the Year. Both were candidates to get selected in the Rule 5 Draft but thankfully the Royals they went undrafted and return to the Royals organization for 2024.
Mann is a Top-30 prospect in the Royals system and was one in the Dodgers system before being traded away at the Deadline. Mann doesn’t possess any tremendous tools, but has a lot of overall polish, which makes him valuable as a utility player.
Mann only posted a 95 wRC+ in 164 plate appearances in Omaha. His underwhelming finish with the Storm Chasers was probably a big reason why he didn’t get added to the 40-man roster this winter. On the other hand, he was much better Oklahoma City with the Dodgers organization last year, posting a 127 wRC+ with 14 home runs in 386 plate appearances.
As for Tolbert, he broke out in Double-A Northwest Arkansas after an underwhelming campaign in Quad Cities in 2022. After posting an 85 wRC+ in 517 plate appearances with the River Bandits in 2022, Tolbert posted a 99 wRC+ in 574 appearances. That included 10 home runs, 50 RBI, and 50 SB as well.
Speed has always been Tolbert’s calling card as he stole 60 bases on 60 attempts in 2022. While he did get caught 8 times in Omaha last year, his 50 SB was one of the best numbers for any prospect in the Royals organization.
Tolbert had a great Cactus League stint last spring and one has to wonder if he can build on the momentum of another solid Cactus League campaign in 2024 much like he did last season.
Tolbert most likely will start in Omaha to begin 2024, especially after playing all of last year in Double-A. That said, if Samad Taylor or Hampson struggles and Tolbert is hot out of the gate in Triple-A, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tolbert make his MLB debut by late June or July, much like Taylor a season ago.
Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Mr. O’B, Since Nate Eaton is a proven non-bat are there anythoughts to convert him into a pitcher, consideringhis arm strength? Plus, he could fill in as a late-inning defensive replace-ment, especially in the outfield where he would be mostneeded. That might save a roster spot. It sure would be swell if the team could avoid anothersignificant spring training injury, ala Mondesi or DrewWaters last season. A (mostly) healthy group of position players would helpavoid yet another disastrous spring opening.
I think this year will be key for him if he will indeed make that transition. The bat is bad, but it’s not egregiously bad like Tony Pena Jr, who made that leap. He still had a solid ’22 for a short period of time at the MLB level, so I’m guessing the Royals are seeing if he can recapture that now that the pressure is off. He can have an average bat, he could have value since his defense and baserunning have serious potential.
Avoiding a major injury will be key. I think though the depth they have is helpful now since that will put less pressure on some of the young guys like Waters and Pratto, both who still have potential but haven’t quite put it together. But to your point, the depth is there that I think this club could avoid a slow start which has plagued them in the past.
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