Ranking non-roster invitees in order of their chances of making the team
Will they make the cut?
The Royals have 27 players in camp as non-roster invitees, players not on the 40-man roster. These players face an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, as the team would have to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for them. But there are still some team needs in the outfield, on the bench, and the bullpen that these players could fill.
Here are the non-roster invitees in camp, ranked by their chances of making the team.
Blake Mitchell is one of the highest-ranked hitting prospects in the farm system and is coming off a solid season in which he hit .232/.368/.424 wtih 18 home runs and 26 steals. But he has played just five games above Low-A ball and suffered a hand injury that will keep him out pretty much all of spring training.
Kyle Hayes, Omar Hernandez, Brian O’Keefe, and Luca Tresh are all in camp because the team needs a lot of catchers to catch all these pitchers. O’Keefe has some MLB experience (10 games with the Mariners in 2022-23! “Yea, I’ve been to The Show”) but he’s likely ticketed for Omaha.
Gavin Cross is another top hitting prospect, but his career was derailed by a bizarre illness in 2023. He returned to have mixed results last year, and a good year could put him in the mix in the outfield, but he’s not likely to make the team initially.
Carter Jensen is another top hitting prospect who is in camp to give him a taste of big league camp. He has a lot more potential than some of the other catchers in camp, but is probably still a year away.
Ben Kudrna, Tyson Guerrero, Anthony Simonelli, Beck Way, and Stephen Zobac are all in camp to give them a taste of big league action and fill some innings when the big leaguers are on the golf course. Kudrna, like Jensen, is a Kansas City native, so this has been a pretty neat experience for them. All should be in the upper minors, and a strong season from any of them could create an opportunity for a cup of coffee at some point this season.
Jac Caglianone is not making the team. HOWEVER, I don’t know that he’ll be in the minors for long. The team seems to be signaling they think his power will translate to the big leagues pretty quickly. It will be a matter of whether he can make enough contact. There is also a question of where exactly he’ll play. He could slide into right field where there is a great need for more lumber. So stay tuned.
Javier Vaz is a pretty underrated prospect who can play second base or outfield and shows a terrific ability to get on base. There’s probably not room for him on the roster now, and he’ll likely begin at Double-A, but he could be a factor by the end of the season.
Tyler Tolbert has pretty intriguing speed - he has 158 steals over the last three seasons in the minors. He also flexed with a home run already this spring. He hasn’t hit for power in the minors though and he’s 27 and likely a shortstop for Omaha.
John Rave could have an opening if the outfield continues to flounder. He improved his power numbers to hit 21 home runs with a .470 slugging percentage in Omaha last year. He’s a left-handed bat with some pop, but he’s 27 years old - a year older than MJ Melendez, so his upside is limited.
Chandler Champlain and Andrew Hoffman are both dark horses to push for a bullpen spot. Both had pretty ugly numbers in the upper minors last year, but hey, you show up in Arizona with added velocity or a new pitch, and who knows?
Ross Stripling is a former All-Star and was a 2.7 rWAR pitcher as recently as 2022. He’s also 35 years old, had a 6.01 ERA last year, and can’t strike anyone out anymore. He’s here for depth, likely to be in the Omaha rotation if the Royals get desperate. But he probably needs to be putting snot on the ball to get that extra drop.
Austin Cox had an impressive debut with the Royals in 2023, setting a record most batters faced to begin a career without allowing a hit. But his career was derailed by a knee injury and he has been slow to get back to form. He’s a lefty, but the Royals bullpen is pretty lefty-heavy already, so he’s likely ticketed to Omaha.
Thomas Hatch has some big league experience, but he hasn’t really performed. He spent last year in Japan, but pitched mostly in their minor leagues. The Royals say his velocity is up from what they expected, but he was rocked in his outing yesterday and is likely a depth piece for Omaha.
Luke Maile was signed at the outset of camp to give the Royals a viable emergency catcher if they suffer an injury to Salvador Perez or Freddy Fermin. An injury is the only way he makes the team, but he’s a solid nine-year MLB vet who has been pretty good at throwing out base-stealers.
Junior Fernández has good sinking stuff and can throw in the upper 90s, although it has never translated to good strikeout rates. He’s just 27, so there is some upside. It is not unusual to see a reliever with a mediocre track record but some intriguing stuff to improve performance and become a viable reliever in the right hands. Is the Royals coaching staff up to the challenge?
Taylor Clarke pitched pretty well for the Royals in 2022 with a 4.08 ERA and a very low walk rate. He had a 2.90 ERA in 2023 through mid-June before he inexplicably became a batting practice machine with a 9.32 ERA over his last 30 games. He had knee surgery and missed all of last year after the Royals traded him to the Brewers. The Royals have pretty good depth in their bullpen, but if there are injuries, that could open a spot for Clarke.
Cam Devanney was one of the players acquired for Clarke. He hit .254/.336/.445 with 19 home runs in the minors for Omaha last year playing all over the infield, but mostly at shortstop. If there is an opportunity for a non-roster player, it is likely on the bench, and his positional versatility could be a plus.
Harold Castro has six years of big league experience, but mostly as a below-replacement level player with a career line of .278/.303/.366. He’s a lefty bat who can play all over the field, a plus for a bench player. He doesn’t add much power or speed however, and he’s on the wrong side of 30.
Cavan Biggio seems to check off all the boxes of what the Royals are looking for in a bench player. Left-handed? Check. Positional versatility? Check. Ability to get on base? Check. Biggio hit just .197/.314/.303 last year in 78 games with three teams, but he has a career 13.5 percent walk rate. When you’re talking about bench players, the ability to just not get out and “keep the line moving” for the good hitters is a pretty valuable skill.