The Royals had an off day on Thursday, and per usual on these days, I try to catch up on the Royals’ Minor League affiliates. I primarily watched the Columbia Fireflies contest against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, especially with impressive pitching prospect David Shields on the mound.
In this post, I will focus primarily on position players, with another post scheduled for next week that will profile pitchers to watch at each level. I utilized TJ Stats’ batter profile cards to break down the players’ plate discipline data, as well as rolling performance trends (as measured by wOBA).
A couple of the names will be familiar to Royals fans, while others may not, especially if fans do not watch or pay close attention to the lower levels of the farm system. However, these four position player prospects offer intriguing profiles and should be closely monitored, even though they are not yet on the Royals’ 40-man roster.
I also utilized my Top 30 Prospects To Watch list from the preseason to reference whether I had ranked the prospect previously. You can find the page, which includes the list, as well as the sheet, here.
So let’s break down the Royals’ most intriguing position player prospects at each affiliate.
Omaha: Carter Jensen, C
Preseason Position Ranking: 2; Overall Ranking: 3
In 16 games and 71 plate appearances, Jensen has looked comfortable against Triple-A pitching.
Going into Thursday’s game, he had a slash of .274/.366/.677 with a .428 wOBA. He’s demonstrated incredible power at the plate with the Storm Chasers, as evidenced by his 20% barrel rate, 45.7% Sweet-Spot percentage, and seven home runs (which is more than he had in 308 plate appearances in Northwest Arkansas).
Here’s an example of Jensen launching one in Buffalo on July 20th.
All the batted-ball metrics signal that Jensen could be ready soon for an MLB call-up. He’s sporting a 71.4% hard-hit rate, a 95.8 MPH average EV, and .417 xwOBA. That said, his plate discipline metrics demonstrate that he could still benefit from more time and intentional work in Omaha.
Even though he has a 12.5% walk rate, Jensen is striking out 37.5% of the time in Omaha with a 34.2% whiff rate. He doesn’t swing much, as his 38.6% swing rate ranks in the bottom percentiles of Triple-A. Interestingly enough, his Z-Contact%, which measures contact in the strike zone, is high at 84.2% and his O-Swing% of 22.4% is low. Unfortunately, his low 58.2% Z-Swing% and 25% O-Contact% explain the higher whiff rate. When he does chase, they often result in swings and misses.
While some Royals fans may be clamoring for a call-up in September, JJ Picollo would be judicious to stay patient with Jensen and avoid the mistakes they have made with Jac Caglianone and his promotion.
With Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin solidified at catcher, the Royals do not need Jensen right now. Furthermore, they have Luke Maile serving as a third catcher right now, and if Maile is DFA’d and if Salvy or Freddy get hurt, the Royals could also opt for Luca Tresh, who has performed well with the Storm Chasers this year based on the Statcast data.
Jensen will probably see some sharp regression soon, especially since those batted-ball numbers, while impressive, are unsustainable. He should go through those growing pains in Omaha for the remainder of the season rather than in Kansas City, as was the case with Caglianone.
Northwest Arkansas: Spencer Nivens, OF
Preseason Positional Ranking: 3; Overall Ranking: 22
Hopes were a bit high in the preseason for Nivens after he slashed .251/.341/.489 with a .378 wOBA and 20 home runs in 412 plate appearances with the River Bandits last year. However, the adjustment to Double-A has been a reality check for the former Missouri State product.
In 85 games and 352 plate appearances with Northwest Arkansas, Nivens has a slash of .227/.338/.298 with a .292 wOBA and only two home runs. His ISO has declined from .232 in Quad Cities to .071 this year, representing a significant drop.
On a positive note, the plate discipline has improved dramatically.
He’s lowered his K rate by 6.8% from a season ago, and his BB/K ratio rose from 0.44 in 2024 to 0.73 in 2025. He doesn’t make a ton of contact in the zone, as evidenced by his 77.8% Z-Contact%. That said, he doesn’t swing much either (41.9% Swing%), and he does a good job of not chasing either (22.8 O-Swing%).
Nivens has also flashed some solid defense in left field this year for the Naturals, as seen in the clip below.
I think there is potential for Nivens to be a John Rave or Kyle Isbel type at the MLB level, based solely on the current profile. Royals fans should also pay close attention to Nivens’ power tool, as he went on a homer tear in the second half with the River Bandits.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Nivens go on a similar tear in August, especially with some expected roster movement by the July Trade Deadline. He’s proven that he’s become a bit more settled with the Naturals, showcasing a solid eye at the plate.
High-A: Callan Moss, 1B
Preseason Positional Ranking: NR; Overall Ranking: NR
Moss was not on my radar at all when I did my prospect rankings in the preseason. That was primarily due to him not being drafted and only playing 22 games in Low-A Columbia in 2024.
However, the 21-year-old first baseman has shown an uncanny ability to hit as a professional, despite lacking any eye-popping tools.
In addition to knocking in game-winning hits, Moss is slashing .260/.370/.399 with six home runs, 64 RBI, 14 SB, and a .338 wOBA in 370 plate appearances. He doesn’t possess tremendous power (.140 ISO), but he hits the ball well into the gaps, and he has surprising speed for a corner infielder. He also has solid plate discipline, as demonstrated by his 0.65 BB/K ratio with the River Bandits this season.
Moss was a successful product of the Appalachian League, which is now a “prospect league” for undrafted players looking to attract the attention of a Major League club. He played for the Danville Otterbots, where he earned Player of the Year honors after hitting .371 with a 1.254 OPS in 33 games and 147 plate appearances.
With his young age and polished profile, Moss is a guy who can move up quickly and continue to surprise in the Royals’ system. His profile resembles that of Ken Harvey, although I think he’s more athletic and has better plate discipline than the former Royals first baseman.
If he continues to mash against Midwest League pitching, it’s possible that Moss could get a call-up to Northwest Arkansas by the end of the season, which should help him build some much-needed prospect momentum for 2026.
Low-A: Asbel Gonzalez, OF
Preseason Position Ranking: 2; Overall Ranking: 13
The 19-year-old outfielder is a prime example of why fans should not solely look at stats to evaluate a prospect but look at projection.
At the surface level, the numbers are okay, but not stellar by any means.
In 83 games and 368 plate appearances, Gonzalez is slashing .261/.375/.314 with a .313 wOBA. He hasn’t shown much power, as he only has one home run and his ISO is .052.
That said, when looking at his tools, it’s easy to see why some scouts consider Gonzalez to be a Top-10 prospect in the Royals system. He has 62 stolen bases this year with the Fireflies as their primary leadoff man, and he also has showcased a strong glove and considerable range in center field.
With a 6’2 frame, Gonzalez has the potential to add more weight and power while not sacrificing his most impressive tool, which is his speed. He also has demonstrated an excellent ability to make contact at the plate, which shouldn’t be overlooked, especially for a teenager playing in Low-A.
The Fireflies’ leadoff man only has a strikeout rate of 15.6% and his BB/K ratio is 0.60. He boasts a Z-Contact% of 82.5% and achieves this with a 49.7% swing rate, which is relatively high. Despite swinging a lot, Gonzalez doesn’t chase a ton, as demonstrated by a 27.4% O-Swing%, which ranks in the 50th or so percentile.
The swing doesn’t generate a ton of loft now. However, he does a good job of hitting line drives and putting the ball in play, as demonstrated in the clip below. I think the loft will come as he gets more development with the Royals PD team.
Royals fans should remain high on Gonzalez. We have seen many top prospects struggle as teenagers in their initial exposure to Low-A ball. For some, it’s just a minor roadblock, and they manage to do fine. Look at shortstop prospect Daniel Vazquez, who struggled initially in Columbia and is looking good right now in Quad Cities.
Then again, Royals fans have also seen prospects like Erick Pena nosedive after struggling to adjust to competition in Low-A ball.
Thankfully, Gonzalez doesn’t have the whiff or strikeout issues that plagued Pena or even Vazquez initially at the Low-A level.
It does appear like he is going through a bit of fatigue, as evidenced by being caught 20 times on the bases this year. That number should go down in his second full season in the Minor Leagues, especially since he will have another full season of conditioning and strength development.
Regardless of the results for Gonzalez down the stretch, he remains a prospect that the Royals should remain high on, especially considering all the positive signs he’s demonstrated in his first full season in affiliated ball. He has the potential to profile similarly to Victor Robles at the next level, especially if the power comes around (he has the frame for more big fly potential).
Photo Credit: Braedon Botts/Northwest Arkansas Naturals