The season is over for the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, and it was a tough season, to say the least. After winning an International League title in 2024 with an 89-59 record, the Storm Chasers went 62-86, tied for last in the IL West Division with the St. Paul Saints (the Twins’ affiliate).
Granted, Triple-A success definitely deserves some context, as many of the better players (especially pitchers) in the Royals’ organization made their way to Kansas City, which left Omaha much thinner talent-wise than a year ago. At the end of the day, Major League priorities trump Minor League success in any organization.
While it wasn’t an excellent Win-Loss record for Omaha, there were some intriguing players on both the hitting and pitching ends this season. Their statistics may not have been encouraging at first glance. That said, when diving deeper into their profiles, especially on a TJ Stats end, I think there could be some room for hope in 2026 for this particular group of players, starting in Spring Training.
In this post, I am going to look at Omaha pitchers first. There are five who will be worth paying attention to this offseason, especially since they are all in questionable roster situations.
Kyle Wright, RHP
Wright was acquired from Atlanta before the 2024 season, along with Nick Anderson, in a deal aimed to bolster the Royals’ lackluster pitching staff at the time. The 29-year-old righty was always seen as a multi-year project, as recovery from shoulder injury kept him out for all of 2024. There was some hope that Wright would be ready to contribute to the Royals’ rotation or bullpen in 2025, but injury issues lingered for Wright in his rehab stint in Omaha.
In 13 innings with the Storm Chasers, Wright only posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.69 WHIP. However, his FIP was a little better at 5.07. Additionally, while his walk rate was high at 14.8%, he did generate a strikeout rate of 23%. That illustrated that he still showcased swing-and-miss ability despite his long layoff (he last pitched with Atlanta in 2023).
Wright’s primary pitch, a knuckle curve, proved to be his most effective offering with the Storm Chasers. He threw the breaking pitch 34.4% of the time, and it featured a TJ Stuff+ of 100, a zone rate of 45.9%, a whiff rate of 35%, and an xwOBACON of .317, all of which were average or above marks.
Below is an example of Wright utilizing the breaker effectively in a rehab start against the Iowa Cubs on June 4th.
The issue with Wright is that his four-seamer and changeup were below-average offerings, based on his 88 and 90 TJ Stuff+ marks, respectively. He also struggled overall with not just finding the strike zone (42.9% zone rate), but also inducing chase as well (24.1%). That seemed to deflate his average whiff and xwOBACON numbers.
I would be interested in seeing what Wright would look like in a full-time move to the bullpen, with some adjustments to his pitch mix.
The curve, sinker, and slider are more than serviceable offerings. The four-seamer and changeup? Not so much. Could Zach Bove and team help Wright modify the four-seamer and changeup, or help morph them into different pitches altogether? If so, that could help revitalize Wright’s career, especially since he’ll be healthier this Spring than he’s been previously.
At the same time, the Royals may want to cut bait with Wright sooner rather than later, especially since he may not have a Minor League option next year (though without any MLB service time, he may be granted an extra year). Wright will also be entering his last year of team control, so JJ Picollo may feel like Wright’s spot on the 40-man roster may be better utilized on an arm with more long-term potential.
Shane Panzini, RHP
Panzini had made significant progress in the Minors after underperforming in his first three seasons in the Minor Leagues. The 2021 4th-round New Jersey prep prospect posted a 2.76 ERA in 29.1 IP in High-A Quad Cities and a 3.16 ERA in 57 IP with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He earned a call-up to Omaha after such success at two levels, but the results didn’t necessarily follow in the step up in competition.
In 22.2 IP, Panzini posted a 4.76 ERA and 1.76 WHIP. His FIP was significantly higher at 8.00, and his K-BB% was poor at -1.8%. The latter was a far cry from what he produced in High-A (20.7% K-BB%) and Double-A (18.3% K-BB%). Thus, I wonder if Panzini was dealing with some fatigue at the end of the season.
If he was, it certainly showed in his TJ Stuff+ numbers, especially with his fastball offerings. His four-seamer only sported an 88 TJ Stuff+, and his sinker wasn’t much better at 91. He generated a decent amount of chase with the four-seamer (26.2%), but it had a paltry whiff rate (13.5%) and high xwOBACON (.467).
Nonetheless, when everything was clicking, the four-seamer was a good offering, primarily when located up in the zone (like in the clip below) and paired effectively with his other better pitches (such as his changeup and cutter).
Panzini to me is an interesting project who could be a sleeper for the Royals’ pitching staff in 2026. I am not sure if he is a starter or a reliever yet, and I would like to see what his velocity can do in Triple-A when he is entirely fresh at the beginning of the year. I think there’s more upside with Panzini than what Royals fans think, though I’m not sure what it entirely looks like in the end.
It’s possible that Panzini could be on a Noah Cameron track, although it may take another year for that projection to be fully realized. Thankfully, at 23 years old, Panzini still has time.
Chandler Champlain, RHP
Champlain was seen as a bit of a sleeper heading into 2025, as he was getting some buzz as a possible Rule 5 Draft pick last December. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a nightmare season for Champlain on the mound in Omaha.
In 119.1 IP, the 26-year-old righty gave up a 7.84 ERA and 1.77 WHIP. His FIP was better at 5.11, but that’s still not an encouraging mark in the broader context. On a positive note, he did a good job of throwing strikes, as illustrated by a 50.8% zone rate overall and a 9.0% walk rate. However, he didn’t generate many whiffs (17.8% whiff rate) or strikeouts (17.7% K rate).
At the same time, despite the brutal year, I don’t think the Royals should give up just yet on Champlain and his outlook.
The reality is that Champlain is probably a reliever, and I think with the proper refinement in pitch mix, he could fare better in shorter stints in 2026, both at the Minor and possibly Major League levels.
His slider (101 TJ Stuff+), changeup (98 TJ Stuff+), and sweeper (100 TJ Stuff+) are all high zone rate offerings that do a good job of minimizing hard contact overall. He can also command his four-seamer effectively at times, as illustrated by a 33.5% chase rate and this strikeout below against Syracuse (the Mets’ affiliate).
While the chase rate on the four-seamer was reasonable, his other metrics on the pitch were poor, especially his TJ Stuff+, which was 84. His other fastball offering, his sinker, also rated poorly with an 83 TJ Stuff+.
I wonder if a slight modification in his arm angle could improve Champlain’s pitch quality in 2026.
He has a very over-the-top delivery, with a 65-degree arm angle. As a result, most of his pitches worked on a north-south end, not so much on the east-west end. That also led to some significant differences in movement between his sweeper, slider, and curve. Finding a way to blend those three breaking offerings more could help him be more effective in the long run.
The Royals starting that arm-angle tweaking process with Champlain this offseason, whether internally or through an outside organization like Driveline, could help him bounce back as a relief arm in 2026.
Henry Williams, RHP
Williams was acquired in the Scott Barlow trade from San Diego back in 2023, and much like Panzini, it seemed like he ran out of gas by the time he came to Omaha.
The 24-year-old former third-round pick pitched 21 games and 108.1 innings with the Naturals and did quite well, though he wasn’t dominant by any means. With the Naturals, he posted a 4.24 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 4.12 WHIP. The 6’5 righty did an excellent job of limiting walks and generating strikeouts for a starter, as evidenced by his 13.9% K-BB%, a career-high.
When he moved up to Omaha, Williams’ command waned in eight innings of work. He not only posted a 10.13 ERA and 2.13 WHIP, but also a -4.7 K-BB%. Much like Panzini, finding the strike zone was an issue for Williams in his limited Storm Chasers debut, as illustrated by his 18.6% walk rate and 46.2% zone rate.
That said, he showed some flashes with his four-seam fastball. He had a 101 TJ Stuff+ on the offering and also allowed a .241 xwOBACON on the pitch, which he threw 51.9% of the time. He also showed some potential with his curve, which had a 43.8% whiff rate, and slider, which allowed only a .213 xwOBACON. Both breaking offerings sported below-average TJ Stuff+ numbers, unfortunately.
Still, when located effectively, his breaking offerings could produce nasty-looking strikeouts like this one below.
Williams will need more development, and he seems more like a 2027 debut candidate than a 2026 one. Still, with his size and strikeout-ability, there is some potential for Williams to be either a back-end starter or perhaps a reliever with high-leverage potential, especially if he can up the velocity a bit this offseason.
He will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, but I think the Royals won’t add him, as his poor Triple-A stint should scare off potential suitors.
That said, with a full season in Omaha, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Williams develop positively in 2026, much like Luinder Avila this season.
Ben Kudrna, RHP
Kurdna’s 2025 campaign was very similar to Williams’s: Excellent in Double-A, but poor in Triple-A.
In 20 outings and 94 IP, the Blue Valley Southwest product posted a 4.21 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 3.53 FIP. He generated a 24% K rate, an 8.3% walk rate, and a K-BB% of 15.7%.%. His campaign with the Naturals was arguably better than Williams’ own stint in Northwest Arkansas.
Unfortunately, his 11.1 IP stint in Omaha may have been even worse than Williams’.
The righty posted a 14.29 ERA, 2.74 WHIP, and 9.59 FIP in his limited Storm Chasers debut. He only had a 48.8% strike rate, a 35.5% zone rate, a 27% walk rate, and a K-BB% of -11.1%. Kudrna demonstrated no control or command in Omaha. Thus, it’s not surprising that the Royals organization sent him to the development list at the end of the year instead of making another start.
I think a lot of his control issues could be attributed to fatigue, as his stuff profiled down with the Storm Chasers, as illustrated by his overall 94 TJ Stuff+. Surprisingly, he still managed to produce a lot of whiffs in his short Omaha stint. He produced a 29.5% whiff rate overall, with his changeup (41.7%), curve (50%), and slider (52.9%) producing impressive whiff rates.
Here’s an example of Kudrna inducing a strikeout of Cleveland’s Jhonkensy Noel (then with the Columbus Clippers) with the slider in his Storm Chasers debut.
Unlike Williams, I think the Royals will add Kudrna to the 40-man roster this offseason. This is not only to protect him in the Rule 5 Draft, but also so they can get some intentional exposure this spring to Bove, Brian Sweeney, and the Royals’ pitching development team this Spring Training.
Like Williams, I believe Kudrna is more likely to debut for the Royals in 2027 than in 2026. However, Kudrna possesses much more upside than Williams, especially as a starter, at the Major League level. Patience will be necessary for the 22-year-old righty out of Johnson County, Kansas.
Photo Credit: Northwest Arkansas Naturals