Outside of the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, the seasons for the Kansas City Royals’ minor league affiliates have concluded. The 2024 Storm Chasers are poised to be one of the best teams in the franchise’s history, gearing up for a postseason run and setting several records. They weren’t the only affiliates to achieve success, as both High-A Quad Cities and Low-A Columbia finished with winning records. Meanwhile, Double-A Northwest Arkansas narrowly missed the playoffs with a 66-71 record.
However, many Royals fans tend to overlook the overall records of these affiliates by season’s end. While it may seem unfair, this is often the case. Casual fans typically focus more on the performance of high-profile prospects like 2024 first-round pick Jac Caglianone or catcher Blake Mitchell, who is exceeding expectations. Since it’s uncommon for an entire minor league team to transition to the majors, it’s wiser for fans to concentrate on higher-ceiling prospects for long-term investment. Professional baseball can indeed be unforgiving.
While KC Royals prospects made progress overall, some struggled in 2024. A quick review of the organization’s top 30 prospects at the start of the season and again after the All-Star break provides insight into which minor leaguers might impact the major leagues. However, after that mid-season update, there can be a noticeable lag.
Prospects may recover from a difficult start, maintain their performance, or falter as the season ends. Once September concludes, we see a complete picture of a player’s season—no more trends or splits, just final statistics. Here are some notable prospects who fell short in 2024 and now have doubters to prove wrong in 2025—if given the opportunity.
**KC Royals Prospect: 3B Trevor Werner**
Trevor Werner, a seventh-round pick from Texas A&M, surprised many with an impressive professional debut in Low-A last year, hitting eight home runs and posting an outstanding 214 wRC+ over 31 games. This led to high expectations for his performance in 2024. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met in High-A.
Although Werner was older than many of his competitors in Quad Cities, he struggled with a concerning 35.4% strikeout rate. He finished with a .200/.292/.339 slash line and an 84 wRC+. While his power is evident—he hit 11 home runs and drove in 53 runs—his strikeout rate ranks among the worst in the Royals’ system. Until he improves his plate approach, it will be challenging to view Werner as a top-30 prospect.
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