KC Royals: 2020 Northwest Arkansas Naturals roster will be loaded

Positional Prospects

The 2020 Naturals might field one of the better roster’s defensively in the minors. MJ Melendez at catcher and Nick Pratto at first base each of the athleticism and defensive instincts to be future gold glovers at their positions.

Melendez and Pratto struggled in the tough hitting environment of Wilmington in 2019, but showed their offensive potential in the postseason for the Blue Rocks leading them to the Carolina League championship. The offensive development of Melendez and Pratto will be important to the Royals future and the organization has been aggressive in their advancement through the system.

Other bats that will provide possible MLB value in the infield belong to Kevin Merrell who brings game-changing speed on the base-paths and the versatility to play multiple positions defensively. Travis Jones has flashed solid hitting ability and could see plenty of at bats as at multiple positions and designated hitter.

The outfield for the Naturals will be stacked with very athletic players in Kyle Isbel, Brewer Hicklen, Michael Gigliotti, and Seuly Matias. Isbel who suffered a hamate bone injury to his wrist after the first month of the 2019 season is looking like he is back on his developmental path in the Arizona Fall League.

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Isbel has the potential to be a plus hitter, runner, and defender in the outfield. His patience at the plate allows him to tap into his speed on the base-paths. Brewer Hicklen is a power/speed prospect who has stolen more than 30 bases in consecutive seasons and has the athletic ability to player plus defense in one of the corner outfield spots.

Hicklen has improved his plate discipline and needs to trim down his strikeout percentage to unlock his full potential. Gigliotti and Matias each offer multiple plus tools. Gigliotti can be a plus hitter, defender, and runner. Gigliotti when healthy could be another option for the Royals in centerfield.

Matias offers massive power potential but suffers for an unsightly strikeout percentage. If Matias can find his way at the plate at AA he could be a power bat and power arm for the Royals.

Overall

The biggest jump outside of the leap to the MLB is the advancement from A+ ball to AA. The Royals AA affiliate Northwest Arkansas will have on of the most talent rosters on paper in 2020. The pitching staff looks like it will be dominant with reinforcements at the ready once players advance up to AAA or the MLB.

The position players if healthy will get a full season of at-bats in the Texas league and their continued development is incredibly important for the Royals rebuild. I expect this roster to dominate the Texas League in 2020 and this roster will have plenty of future MLB players performing daily for the ball club.