The Royals played their annual Spring Breakout contest against the Diamondbacks on Friday, March 14th, at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Kansas City lost 5-2 to Arizona’s top prospects, but the game was less about the team results and more about the progress of the Royals’ top prospects in this spring showcase.
JJ Cooper of Baseball America had a great thread on Bluesky this evening. He wrote live updates that highlighted individual prospect performances during the game.
Since this is a Royals blog, I wanted to highlight six prospects that appeared in the Spring Breakout and should be watched closely this season.
I will not focus on the names that everyone is quite familiar with, such as Jac Caglianone, Noah Cameron, Luinder Avila, or Carter Jensen, who played in the exhibition but have regularly appeared in Cactus League play. Instead, I wanted to focus on prospects in the Spring Breakout game who have been lower on the prospect lists this offseason but could make big jumps in the Minor Leagues in 2025.
Hence, let’s look at those six prospects that should be on Royals fans’ radar this season and why they could be due for breakouts this season (I also listed their ranking according to my Top-30 prospects list for 2025).
Carson Roccaforte, OF (No. 28)
Roccaforte didn’t start but came in for Asbel Gonzalez in the middle of the game and collected a single in the exhibition. The former University of Louisiana-Lafayette product had a tough season in High-A ball in 2024, as he slashed .209/.293/.342 with 10 home runs and 85 wRC+ in 535 plate appearances with the River Bandits.
While those numbers are discouraging, Roccaforte still has some upside that makes him worth watching this season.
The 23-year-old outfielder stole 34 bases last season and demonstrated solid defensive ability in the outfield, with only one error in 1,042 innings in center field. He also slightly improved his contact rate from 73.2% in Low-A Columbia in 2023 to 74.1% in 2024. Thus, it’s possible that with some more growth in contact ability and decision-making at the plate in 2025, he could see some improvement in his hitting metrics this season.
Even if the offense doesn’t come around too much, Roccaforte is an elite center-field defender who profiles like Kyle Isbel. Based on an interview on Farm to Fountains with Preston Farr and Matt Chabot, Roccaforte takes great pride in being solid defensively in the outfield.
I think Roccarforte starts the season again in High-A, but if the bat gets off to a hot start, he could quickly matriculate to Northwest Arkansas. The glove is more than ready for Double-A ball.
Hyungchan Um, C (No. 27
Um replaced Jensen, walked, and grounded out in his two plate appearances against the Diamondbacks. The 20-year-old catcher is trying to be the first Korean-born Royals prospect to play in Kansas City. There is still a long road ahead for Um to accomplish that goal. However, he showed significant progress last season in the Complex League and Low-A Columbia and this winter in the Australian Baseball League.
In 77 games and 314 plate appearances between the Complex League and Low-A, Um posted a slash of .244/.258/.380 with eight home runs, 38 RBI, and a 111 wRC+. There was a bit of an adjustment period in Columbia (.205/.333/.307 with a 100 wRC+ in 198 PA), but he didn’t look overwhelmed and showcased solid discipline at the plate (12.6% BB%)
The Korean-born catcher built on his solid 2024 in the Minor Leagues in the Australian Baseball League this winter. In 38 games and 155 plate appearances with the Brisbane Bandits, he slashed .288/.351/.561 and had a .912 OPS and 10 home runs.
Um will likely repeat Low-A ball in 2025, but he will be the primary catcher, as Blake Mitchell will likely be in high-A ball this season. He has shown progress every season in the Minors since debuting in the Complex League in 2023, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue to progress with the Fireflies this year.
Spencer Nivens, OF (No. 22)
Nivens came in for Tyler Gentry, who started the game in LF. The 23-year-old outfielder walked and flew out in his two plate appearances. The 2023 5th-round pick and former Missouri State product started the 2024 season slow in Quad Cities but turned it up in the second half.
In 99 games and 412 plate appearances, Nivens slashed .251/.341/.489 with a 133 wRC+. He also hit 21 home runs and collected 61 RBI with the River Bandits. Even though he didn’t get a ton of buzz during the Minor League season, he has the profile of someone who can be successful as a 15-20 HR corner outfielder at the Major League level.
Nivens will likely transition to Double-A this season, and he could be one worth watching as a possible 40-man addition in the following offseason. He needs to cut down the strikeouts (26.8% K rate) and increase the contact rate (74.5%) a bit, but he can make both adjustments.
Daniel Vazquez, SS (No. 20)
Vazquez was the Royals’ most impressive hitter in the Spring Breakout. He went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, and a walk. This is what his exit velocity numbers looked like on batted balls in the game.
Vazquez had a bit of an injury-plagued 2024, as he only played in 74 games last season with Columbia. However, as a 20-year-old, he slashed .253/.353/.289 with a 99 wRC+. The power wasn’t quite there last year with the Fireflies, but his performance this spring should make Royals fans optimistic that he’s finally gaining strength and utilizing that on batted balls.
In addition to an impressive Spring Breakout performance, he’s produced solid numbers in Cactus League play.
In 11 games and 16 plate appearances, he’s slashing .333/.375/.467 with four runs scored and three RBI. His wOBA is .372, and his wRC+ is 118. He’s mostly been playing later in games against Minor League pitchers, but he’s only 21 years old, so he’s held his own for his age at the plate in Arizona.
If Vazquez can stay healthy, he could be due for a breakout in 2025, especially since his glove has been solid in previous seasons in Columbia. The Royals may have another shortstop in Vazquez who has long-term potential.
Frank Mozzicato, LHP (No. 18)
Mozzicato tumbled down a lot of prospect rankings due to concerns with his four-seam fastball velocity last year. There were reports it was under 90 MPH, a major red flag for a pitcher who was a Royals first-round pick. Mozzicato’s breaking stuff has always profiled well in the Minors, but it’s hard to find lasting success in the Minors or Majors without even an average fastball.
The four-seam issues also contributed to a drop in his K rate and K-BB percentage in 2024.
After posting a 31.5% K rate and 15.3% K-BB% in the Minors in 2023, those rates dropped to 21.3% and 6.8%, respectively, last season. Thus, it makes sense that Mozzicato was seen more as a fringe Top-30 prospect rather than a borderline Top-10 one in the Kansas City system.
However, Mozzicato didn’t have an issue with the fastball on Friday against the Diamondbacks.
The former Connecticut prep pitcher threw the four-seamer 13 times for a 57% usage rate. He also posted a 38% whiff rate and 46% CSW on the pitch. For context on how solid his velocity was against Arizona, look at his pitch velocity chart below via Savant.
The slowest his four-seamer was on Friday was 91 MPH. That is a big step up from where Mozzicato was a year ago and a promising sign that Mozzicato should again be an arm in the Royals system to pay attention to. In addition to his impressive velocity, the pitch movement on his four-seamer (20 inches of iVB) and other pitches also stood out on Friday against Arizona, which led to remarkable zone percentage and whiff metrics via TJ Stats.
Mozzicato’s new fastball-heavy approach will be something to watch this season, as it could make his overall repertoire even more effective, whether in high-A or double-A.
Yandel Ricardo, SS (No. 12)
The Cuban-born teenager is an example of process over results. He went 0-for-2 in the Spring Breakout game, which included a strikeout. However, while his one batted ball was a groundout, its exit velocity was 106.6 MPH. Additionally, he made a sensational play to start a double play, thus showing his smooth hands and fielding potential.
Ricardo’s DSL stats weren’t eye-popping last season. In 45 games and 196 plate appearances, he slashed .217/.330/.368 with a .348 wOBA and 91 wRC+. He also hit two home runs, had 27 runs, collected 23 RBI, and stole 14 bases. He didn’t blow the doors off the competition in the Dominican Republic, but he showed enough results for a 17-year-old making his professional debut.
The tools and profile are there for Ricardo to be a big-time prospect and eventually a Royals player. It will take some time, but Ricardo’s progress in the DSL/CPX in the next year will be fun to watch. It was apparent from the Spring Breakout game that his athleticism and potential are off the charts, which can’t always be said for Royals prospects (beyond Bobby Witt Jr.).
Photo Credit: Jeff Blake
Sindicato os inyeresting because bis offspeed staff is better right now than how 94 mph fastball. The thing to do with his moderately good 94mph speed might be to pair him up with an old pitcher who can teach him how to modulate velocity, use deception in the delivery and other subtle means to gain additional leverage. Mozicato is a project of sorts, but one with little risk and potential upside in the rotation.
I agree. I think the hype of him being a first round pick in 2021 and the velocity issues have deflated his hype. That said, he looked very impressive in the Spring Breakout, and I think at the very least, he could be a reliever like Daniel Lynch IV. I think he’s due for a big year with a little more polish from the pitching development team.
94mph is no slouch, but it might be interesting to find both floor and ceiling on his 4 seamer. If he can figure a way to upset timing on his fastball, even for a fraction of a second, he will be effective. Maybe some kind of hitch in his windup. It might be enough to get him to the third time around the lineup.
Lynch may be more valuable in a trade. Say to Baltimore with Massey, Pratto and Renfroe for Urrias, Kjerstadt and a semiready prospect… Granted, it might take a three-way trade to send Renfroe where he can be an opportunistic threat and not a daily gamble.
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