Kansas City Royals minor league players
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Kansas City Royals system.
Scott Blewett
Scott Thomas Blewett is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Blewett attended Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville, New York. He committed to play college baseball at St. John's University. As a senior, he was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for New York. Blewett was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $1.8 million.
After signing, Blewett made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals, going 1–2 with a 4.82 ERA in eight games. He played 2015 and 2016 with the Lexington Legends, posting a 3–5 record with a 5.20 ERA over 18 starts in 2015 and an 8–11 record with a 4.31 ERA in 25 starts in 2016, and 2017 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, where he went 7–10 with a 4.07 ERA in a career high innings pitched, making 27 starts. He spent the 2018 season with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, going 8–6 with a 4.79 ERA in 26 games.
The Royals added Blewett to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. He began 2019 with the Omaha Storm Chasers, and also spent time with the Naturals. Over 23 games between the two teams, Blewett went 6–11 with a 7.34 ERA, striking out ninety over innings.
Jonathan Bowlan
Jonathan Bowlan is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Bowlan attended Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Tennessee and played college baseball at the University of Memphis. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.
Bowlan made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars. He started 2019 with the Lexington Legends and was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks during the season. Pitching for Wilmington in July, he threw a no-hitter against the Carolina Mudcats.
Austin Cox
Austin Cox is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Cox attended First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Georgia, where he played baseball and football. For his high school career, he went 15–6 with a 2.19 ERA. Undrafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, he fulfilled his commitment to play college baseball at Mercer University.
In 2016, Cox's freshman year at Mercer, he pitched 24 innings, compiling a 2–2 record and a 10.13 ERA. As a sophomore in 2016, he started 15 games, going 4–2 with a 5.69 ERA. In 2018, his junior season, he was named Mercer's Friday night starter. Over 17 starts, Cox pitched to a 7–4 record with a 4.52 ERA, striking out 124 batters over innings. After the season, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.
Cox signed with the Royals and made his professional debut with the Burlington Bees, pitching to a 1–1 record and a 3.78 ERA over nine starts. In 2019, he began the year with the Lexington Legends, with whom he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star alongside earning Pitcher of the Week honors in early June. He was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks in June, and finished the season there. Over 24 games between the two teams, he went 8–6 with a 2.76 ERA, compiling 129 strikeouts and 38 walks over innings.
Jeison Guzmán
Jeison Guzmán is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization.Guzmán signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent on July 3, 2015, for a $1.5 million signing bonus. he split the 2016 season between the DSL Royals and AZL Royals, hitting a combined.247/.314/.354/.668 with 1 home run and 19 RBI. He spent the 2017 season with the Burlington Royals, hitting.207/.286/.249/.535 with 0 home run and 15 RBI. He split the 2018 season between Burlington and the Lexington Legends, hitting a combined.254/.327/.356/.683 with 4 home runs and 29 RBI. He spent the 2019 season with Lexington, hitting.253/.296/.373/.669 with 7 home runs and 48 RBI.
Guzmán was added to the Royals 40–man roster following the 2019 season.
Arnaldo Hernández
Arnaldo Jose Hernández is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.The Royals added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season. He was designated for assignment on November 20, 2019.
Carlos Hernández
Carlos Eduardo Hernández is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Hernández signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent on July 19, 2016, for a $15,000 signing bonus. He spent his professional debut season of 2017 with the Burlington Royals, going 1–4 with a 5.49 ERA and 62 strikeouts over innings. He spent the 2018 season with the Lexington Legends, going 6–5 with a 3.29 ERA and 82 strikeouts over innings. Hernández suffered a stress fracture in his rib cage during spring training in 2019, and did not make his season debut until June 21. He split the 2019 season between the AZL Royals, Burlington, and Lexington, going a combined 3–5 with a 5.31 ERA and 68 strikeouts over innings.
Hernández was added to the Royals 40–man roster following the 2019 season.
Kyle Isbel
Kyle Grant Isbel is an American professional baseball center fielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.Isbel attended Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where he played baseball. As a junior, he hit.347. Following his junior year, he committed to play college baseball at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Undrafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at UNLV.
In 2016, Isbel's freshman season at UNLV, he hit.319 with one home run and 28 RBIs over 56 games, earning Mountain West Conference co-Freshman of the Year honors. That summer, he played in the California Collegiate League for the Santa Barbara Foresters. As a sophomore at UNLV in 2017, he played in 55 games, batting.290 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. Following the season, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox. In 2018, his junior year, Isbel slashed.357/.441/.643 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs over 59 games, earning All-MW First-Team honors. After the season, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.
Isbel signed with the Royals and made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars before being promoted to the Lexington Legends. Over 64 games between the two clubs, Isbel hit.326 with seven home runs, 32 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. In 2019, he began the year with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He was placed on the injured list in April, and was activated in July. He appeared in seven rehab games before being reassgned to Wilmington. Over 52 games with the Blue Rocks, Isbel hit.216 with five home runs and 23 RBIs. He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros after the season, earning All-Star honors.
Khalil Lee
Khalil Rashad Lee is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.Lee graduated from Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia, where he played on their baseball team as both a pitcher and outfielder. As a senior, he pitched to a 7–0 record with a 0.33 ERA, striking out 87 in 43 innings pitched, along with batting.471 with six home runs, 23 RBIs, a.634 OPB and a.941 OPS. He was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for the state of Virginia.
Lee was committed to play baseball at Liberty University. However, after he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he chose to sign with the Royals for $579,700 rather than attended college. The Royals chose to assign him to the Arizona League Royals as an outfielder, and in 49 games, he batted.269 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, 43 runs scored, and eight triples along with an.880 OPS. He spent 2017 with the Lexington Legends and posted a.237 batting average with 17 home runs, 61 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a.344 OBP in 121 games. In a July 2017 game with the Legends, Lee set a professional baseball record for strikeouts in a single game, striking out eight times in a 21-inning game against the Delmarva Shorebirds.
MLB.com ranked Lee as Kansas City's top prospect going into the 2018 season. He began the season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, with whom he was named a Carolina League All-Star, and was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in June. In 100 games between the two clubs, he batted.263 with six home runs and 51 RBIs. He returned to Northwest Arkansas in 2019, earning Texas League All-Star honors. Over 129 games, he slashed.264/.363/.372 with eight home runs, 51 RBIs, and 53 stolen bases.
Daniel Lynch
Daniel A. Lynch is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Lynch played baseball at Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico, Virginia. As a junior, he compiled a 0.97 ERA. After high school, he enrolled at the University of Virginia where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team. During his freshman year at Virgnia, he appeared in 13 games with nine starts and went 1–3 with a 5.49 earned run average and 37 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he made 14 starts, going 7–5 with a 5.00 ERA with 45 strikeouts. The following summer, he pitched for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League, making six starts and posting a 4–0 record with a 2.04 ERA and 25 strikeouts. During his junior season, Lynch went 4–4 over the course of 13 starts with a 3.96 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
The Kansas City Royals selected Lynch with the 34th overall pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Royals on June 10, 2018 for $1.7 million. He made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League before being promoted to the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 12 starts between the two clubs, he went 5–1 with a 1.58 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.
Lynch spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League and was named a Carolina League All-Star midway through the season. Over 15 starts, he went 5–2 with a 3.10 ERA. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros following the season, earning All-Star honors.
Seuly Matias
Seuly Matias is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.Matias signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in July 2015. He spent his first professional season in 2016 with the Dominican Summer League Royals and Arizona League Royals, batting a combined.235/.333/.439 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 53 total games between both clubs.
In 2017, Matias played for the Burlington Royals where he hit.243 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 57 games, and in 2018 he played with the Lexington Legends where he batted.231 with 31 home runs and 63 RBIs in 94 games, earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors.
Matias spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, but missed time due to injury; over 54 games, he hit.148 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.
MJ Melendez
Mervyl S. Melendez is an American professional baseball catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Melendez attended St. James School in Montgomery, Alabama for three years before transferring to Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Florida for his senior year. He was a member of the United States national team in 2016. He committed to play college baseball at Florida International University. After his senior year, the Kansas City Royals selected him in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with Kansas City for $2.1 million.
After signing, Melendez made his professional debut with the Arizona League Royals where he posted a.262 batting average with four home runs and thirty RBIs over 47 games. He spent 2018 with the Lexington Legends, slashing.251/.322/.492 with 19 home runs and 73 RBIs in 111 games, earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors. Melendez spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and was named a Carolina League All-Star. Over 110 games, he batted.163/.260/.311 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs.
Melendez's father, Mervyl Melendez, is the head coach of the Florida International Panthers baseball team.
Kevin Merrell
Kevin Custer Merrell is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization.Merrell was on the Citrus Park team that advanced to the 2008 Little League World Series. He attended Steinbrenner High School. In 2014, as a senior, he hit.462. He was not drafted in the 2014 MLB draft and he then enrolled at the University of South Florida where he played college baseball. In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2017, Merrell's junior year, he slashed.384/.464/.569 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 52 games. After the season, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.
Merrell signed with Oakland and was assigned to the Vermont Lake Monsters where he batted.320 with two home runs, nine RBIs, and a.786 OPS in 31 games. He spent 2018 with the Stockton Ports, with whom he was named a California League All-Star, slashing.267/.308/.326 with 24 RBIs in 62 games. He began 2019 with the Midland RockHounds.
On July 14, 2019, Merrell was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Homer Bailey. Following the trade, he was assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, with whom he finished the year. Over 124 games between Midland and Northwest Arkansas, Merrell batted.242/.287/.330 with two home runs, 47 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases.
Blake Perkins
Blake Alexander Perkins is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.The Washington Nationals drafted Perkins in the second round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft out of Verrado High School in Buckeye, Arizona. He was the 69th overall selection. Although an Arizona State University Sun Devils commit, Perkins chose to sign with the Nationals for an $800,000 bonus.
After signing, Perkins made his professional debut with the GCL Nationals where he hit.211 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 49 games. He spent a majority of 2016 with the Auburn Doubledays, slashing.233/.318/.281 with one home run, 16 RBIs, and ten stolen bases in 59 games. He also played in seven games for the Hagerstown Suns at the end of the season. In 2017, Perkins was Hagerstown's starting center fielder and usual leadoff hitter, sharing an outfield with the likes of top Nationals prospects Juan Soto and Daniel Johnson.
Perkins was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Nationals' 11th-best prospect entering the 2018 season, in which he started the year with the Potomac Nationals. After batting.234 with one home run, 21 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases through 65 games at the new level, during the Carolina League All-Star Break, Perkins was traded to the Kansas City Royals as part of a prospect package for Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera on June 18, 2018. He was assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 64 games for the Blue Rocks, he batted.240 with two home runs, 18 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. He returned to the Blue Rocks to begin 2019.
Ashe Russell
Ashelee "Ashe" Brenton Russell is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Russell attended in Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Indiana both his junior and senior seasons. As a sophomore, he went 12–1 with a 1.23 earned run average with 101 strikeouts and as a junior he was 8–1 with a 0.88 ERA and 74 strikeouts. In 2015, his senior year, he went 5–1 with a 0.63 ERA. He committed to play college baseball at Texas A&M University.
Russell was selected by the Kansas City Royals as the 21st overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. Russell signed with the Royals, and was assigned to the Burlington Royals, where he posted a 4.21 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched. Russell only played two games in 2016 for the AZL Royals, compiling a 9.00 ERA in those two games, before deciding to take a leave of absence from the game.
Chase Vallot
Chase Anthony Vallot is an American professional baseball catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.Vallot attended St. Thomas More School in Lafayette, Louisiana. As a senior, he hit.545 with 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in. He won numerous awards that year including Louisiana's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year and Farm Bureau-Louisiana Sports Writers Association Mr. Baseball. He was also named the Louisville Slugger Player of the Year. During his career he hit.456 with 25 home runs in 65 games.
Vallot was drafted by the Kansas City Royals with the 40th overall pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft. Vallot signed with the Royals, and was assigned to the Burlington Royals, where he posted a.215 batting average with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. In 2015, he played for the Lexington Legends, posting a.219 batting average with 13 home runs and forty RBIs, and in 2016, he returned to Lexington, where he improved, batting.235 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs. In 2017, he played for the Wilmington Blue Rocks where he slashed.231/.380/.438 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs in 89 games.
Vallot spent the 2018 season with both Wilmington and the Idaho Falls Chukars, batting.184 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 84 games between the two clubs. He spent 2019 with Lexington, batting.190 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs over 83 games.
Nolan Watson
Nolan Michael Watson is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.At the time of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, Watson was 5–1 for Lawrence North High School, with an 0.63 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. Prior to the draft, he was ranked 56th by Baseball America's annual rankings of prospects. He committed to play college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. After his senior year, the Kansas City Royals selected Watson with the 33rd overall pick in the draft. He signed for $1,825,200.
After signing, Watson was assigned to the Burlington Royals, going 0–3 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 starts. Watson spent 2016 with the Lexington Legends where he posted a 3–11 record, a 7.57 ERA, and a 1.75 WHIP over 24 starts. In 2017, he returned to Lexington, appearing in 15 games where he pitched to a 1–10 record with a 6.78 ERA, and in 2018, he played for both Lexington and the Wilmington Blue Rocks, pitching to a combined 10–10 record with a 5.24 ERA in 24 total starts between both teams. He began 2019 with Wilmington, but pitched in only one game due to injury.
Stephen Woods
Stephen Hugo Woods Jr. is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization.Woods attended Half Hollow Hills East High School in Dix Hills, New York. While pitching for the school's baseball team in 2013, he threw two consecutive no-hitters.
The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB draft, but he did not sign with the Rays. He enrolled at State University of New York at Albany, and played college baseball for the Albany Great Danes. In the summer of 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball for the North Fork Ospreys of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. After his junior year, the San Francisco Giants selected him in the eighth round of the 2016 MLB draft. Woods signed with the Giants rather than return to Albany for his senior year. He spent his first professional season with both the AZL Giants and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, posting a combined 1–2 record and 3.34 ERA in 35 total innings. In 2017, he played for the Augusta GreenJackets, going 6–7 with a 2.95 ERA in 110 innings.
On December 20, 2017, the Giants traded Woods, Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, and Matt Krook to the Rays for Evan Longoria and cash considerations. He did not pitch in 2018 due to injury. Woods returned to pitch in 2019, spending the year with the Charlotte Stone Crabs and compiling a 9–3 record with a 1.88 ERA over 18 games, striking out 79 over innings.
On December 12, 2019, Woods was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2019 Rule 5 draft.