The Royals lost again on Thursday, a 6-1 defeat to the Detroit Tigers. The game had a similar tone to the losses in their previous series against the Yankees, with hitting not being good again.
It is their fourth straight loss on this road trip, bringing their record to 8-12. Currently, the Royals sit in third place in the AL Central (behind Detroit and Cleveland), and they have a -19 run differential through 20 games. Their expected W-L (based on run differential) is 7-13, which would put them in fourth in the division in that category (behind the Twins, who are 8-11, but ahead of the White Sox, who are 6-12).
There’s a lot to be pessimistic about with the Royals so far this year, though I think some minor roster tweaks could help the Royals turn things around on the hitting end. However, while the Royals hitters haven’t provided much cause for celebration (beyond Bobby Witt Jr.), there have been some promising stories in the Minor Leagues.
Thus, in this post, I am going to look at four hitters in the Royals system (one at each affiliate) who are standing out in positive ways so far in 2025.
Omaha: Harold Castro, 2B/3B/LF
Castro didn’t make the MLB roster out of Spring Training, but he’s had a solid start in Omaha. In 65 plate appearances, he is slashing .291/.361/.491 with a .852 OPS. He also has two home runs, nine runs, nine RBI, and two stolen bases in 16 games.
The former Tiger and Rockie has shown a penchant for coming through in high-leverage situations, as evidenced by his bases-clearing double on Thursday night, which gave the Storm Chasers the lead in the bottom of the 8th against Norfolk (Baltimore’s Triple-A team).
The surface-level metrics look solid for Castro, making him an intriguing possibility for the big league roster. After all, he has MLB experience and plays multiple positions, much like Cavan Biggio. That said, his Statcast metrics aren’t as impressive, signifying that he could have a rough transition back to the Majors.
Castro has demonstrated solid (though not spectacular) skills in limiting whiffs and maximizing contact on pitches in the strike zone. Other than that, he’s been mediocre to below average in most other Statcast categories.
Nonetheless, the 31-year-old Venezuelan utility man has had a fun start in Omaha that’s worth highlighting. He could be an option for the Royals roster if he continues this hot start to the Triple-A season (or sees some growth in some of his Statcast categories).
Northwest Arkansas: Peyton Wilson, LF/2B/RF
Jac Caglianone has gotten most of the attention in Northwest Arkansas and rightfully so, as he has carried over his prodigious power from the Cactus League to the Texas League this month.
At the same time, Cags has cooled off a bit in Northwest Arkansas.
After 12 games and 57 plate appearances, his slash is .224/.298/.449 with a .747 OPS. His wOBA is .331 and wRC+ is 97, which are “okay” marks for a prospect of his magnitude. It’s nothing to worry about, as this is still his first full Minor League season, and it seems like Texas League pitchers are starting to adjust to him. That said, Royals fans claiming that he is the answer to their hitting problems right now need to calm their jets.
On the other hand, Wilson has continued to be impressive at the plate and could be due for a call-up to Omaha sooner rather than later.
In 50 plate appearances, Wilson has a slash of .436/.560/.744 with a 1.304 OPS. He has a home run, nine runs scored, and 14 RBI, and he is also posting a wOBA of .571 and a wRC+ of 247. Granted, his BABIP is .500, so regression is bound to come soon and affect his overall lines. That said, he has shown excellent plate discipline, as evidenced by an 18% walk rate and 1.50 BB/K ratio.
The 2021 compensation round pick has also collected a hit in every game with the Naturals this season.
Wilson’s prospect stock dropped over the past couple of seasons due to “good, not great” seasons in Northwest Arkansas in 2023 (108 wRC+) and 2024 (106 wRC+). He didn’t make my Top Prospects list for this year (either the Top 30 or Honorable Mention list). However, he has consistently shown solid plate discipline (0.59 BB/K ratio last year) and excellent baserunning ability (22 stolen bases on 25 attempts in 2024).
This is his third “go-around” in Northwest Arkansas, so a call-up to Omaha could determine if Wilson is for real, or simply feasting as an “experienced” at Double-A. Nonetheless, there could be something here with Wilson, and he deserves to be paid attention to more this year, even with other higher-profile Royals prospects (Cags, Carter Jensen, and Gavin Cross) around him.
Quad Cities: Sam Kulasingam, RF/2B/3B
A 13th-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the Air Force Academy, Kulasingam is a Royals prospect who has gone under the radar this spring.
He signed quickly and matriculated to Low-A Columbia and High-A Quad Cities last season. In 20 games with the River Bandits, he slashed .257/.325/.329 with a .654 OPS. He didn’t show much power in High-A ball in his first stint, as he didn’t collect a single home run and only had an ISO of .071 in Quad Cities and a .060 ISO overall between Quad Cities and Columbia.
However, the former Falcon has gotten off to a strong start in his second stint with the River Bandits.
In 11 games and 48 plate appearances, he’s slashing .286/.375/.452 with an .827 OPS. His BB/K ratio has improved from 0.35 in 2024 in Quad Cities to 0.86, with his walk rate nearly doubling (from 6.3% to 12.5% this year) and his K rate dropping by 2.9%. He also has as many extra-base hits (three) as he did in 2024, but in nearly half the plate appearances (42 to 70 in 2024).
Kulasignam is a polished college player who was a two-time recipient of the Tony Gwynn Award, which honors the best player in the Mountain West Conference. He also appears to have a great head on his shoulders and possesses a substantial mental makeup that could help him progress in the Royals’ system, even without any eye-popping tools.
It’s possible that he was perhaps a bit spent after the college season, as well as the academic and physical demands of being a cadet at the Air Force Academy. Now that he’s had a full offseason to focus solely on baseball (and no longer has to do push-ups and pull-ups at five in the morning), we’re seeing what Kulasingam can do. It’s possible that he could be a steal as a 13th-round pick, much like Vinnie Pasquantino was as an 11th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Columbia: Asbel Gonzalez, OF
Ramon Ramirez and Derlin Figueroa are providing more fireworks with the bat in terms of power, but Gonzalez has been the Fireflies’ best overall position player so far in 2025.
In 12 games and 58 plate appearances, he is slashing .417/.509/.417 with a .925 OPS. He doesn’t have a home run or even an extra base hit, but his prodigious speed is helping him extend singles into doubles and triples when he’s on base. Gonzalez has 17 stolen bases on 20 attempts, which has helped him score 11 runs this season.
What also makes Gonzalez stand out is that he has demonstrated excellent plate discipline and contact ability so far in 2025.
His K rate is only 6.9%, his BB rate is 8.6%, and his BB/K ratio is 1.25. Plate discipline has always been something Gonzalez has profiled well in, as he had a 0.54 BB/K ratio in the Complex League a year ago. That said, the 19-year-old Venezuelan outfielder is demonstrating that he could be an ideal leadoff or nine-hole hitter at the Major League level in the future.
There’s still a long way to go for Gonzalez in terms of development, as he is still a teenager. However, he has a lanky frame at six feet two inches, and adding body weight could help him generate more power in his natural stroke at the plate.
I ranked Gonzalez as the Royals’ 13th-best prospect in the offseason. It’s possible that he could be a Top-10 prospect by mid-season, especially if he’s able to find the gaps a bit more in the Carolina League. He may not have home run power, but he easily could be a hitter who collects a prodigious amount of doubles and triples.
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