Happy New Year and welcome back! We have now been writing about the Royals farm system for 18 months and it’s only going to get better from here. We started off our original prospect rankings with 30, expanded to 100, and now we’re coming back to earth a bit. Are there 100 worthy names in the Kansas City Royals system? Absolutely. Are there always 100 names worthy of being on the list…well…
So here we go. The Kansas City Royals top 75 prospects as brought to you by six members of your Royals Farm Report staff. Joel, Drake, Drew, Josh, Pat, and I voted on our top 75 Royals prospects and then ran a collective ranking. We will release five prospects a day, starting with 75, working our way down to #5 where our top 5 prospects will all get their own article. So, without further ado, here we go!
2. Brady Singer, RHP
DOB: 8/4/1996 (22 YO)
B/T: R/R
Ht/Wt: 6’5″ 210′
Levels Played, 2018: N/A
Acquired: 2018 MLB Draft
ETA: 2020
2018 Stats (College): 113 IP, 2.55 ERA, 9.08 K/9, 1.75 BB/9, 0.94 WHIP
Projected level to begin 2019: A+
June 4th, 2018, was one of the most conflicting nights of my entire life. Here at Royals Farm Report, we spent months preparing for the MLB Draft. The Royals had 4 picks among the first 40 overall, and 7 of the top 100 picks. We spent 5+ months writing up scouting reports, mock drafts, etc., and the first guy the Royals wound up picking we had ignored entirely.
Brady Singer was not supposed to be available at #18 when the KC Royals went on the clock. Singer was widely regarded as a top 5 prospect in the entire draft, and then inexplicably fell to #18 on draft night. Some theorized that it had to do with his mechanics. Some worried about his college workload. Some worried about his declining K-rate and lack of elite velocity. Not the Royals. The Royals were ecstatic to pick up what they considered to be one of the top 5 prospects available, and they didn’t hesitate.
Singer is a bit of a weird case. He was widely thought of as being the #1 overall draft prospect in the fall of 2017, but the rise of Auburn RHP Casey Mize and Georgia Tech C Joey Bart quickly changed that. Near the end of his junior season, Singer suffered a hamstring injury that was nagging him during his College World Series appearance, and he wasn’t quite as sharp as he’d been all spring.
But all appears to be well. Given his hamstring injury and heavy workload at Florida, the Royals chose not to let Singer pitch in affiliated baseball in 2018 and sent him to Arizona to get healthy. Once the season ended, Singer pitched in Instructs and looked great by all accounts. He’s more than likely going to begin the season with High-A Wilmington where I expect he’ll move very quickly through the system.
Singer’s combination of 95 mph 2-seam fastball, filthy breaking ball, and above average changeup are what scouts were drooling over last spring. Assuming the hamstring is completely healed up, there is no reason that Singer shouldn’t be in AA by mid-season. Given the way the Royals feel about Singer, and what we’ve heard other media members and scouts say about him, I legitimately believe Singer could be seeing big league innings by 2020. If the Royals are vying for a playoff spot and Singer is succeeding, you’ll almost certainly see him in 2020. If the Royals are losing 100 games again and Singer isn’t dominating AAA, you may have to wait until 2021, but either way, this kid has a chance to be really, really special in Kansas City.
Photo Credits: John Sleezer – Kansas City Star
Royals Farm Report 
I think Brady or Lynch should have been #1. I love MJ but a little surprised he’s #1 as the pitchers have a higher ceiling. I’m encouraged with the Royals system as I think the top 5 all will make the majors and I think at least 3 can be starters or in the rotation. 2021 is the Royals year!
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He reminds .e so much of james shields. Attitude, pitching style everything. If thats what the royals drafted then they have something going here.
And melendez at no 1 is absolutely right. Left handed hitting catcher with superior defense doesnt come along very often.
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I’m disheartened the Royals seemingly took a 2-3 year hiatus in drafting good players, but I’m encouraged they seem to have righted the course the last 2-3 years. I think the Royals’ current top 20-25 prospects are as good as any MLB organization’s. The Royals’ kids won’t get enough media attention because many are considered slightly old (if 21-23 can really be considered old!), but the mix of middle-20 aged kids down to the teenagers the Royals currently have are as impressive as what they had in 2009-2010. I can’t wait to watch these kids over the next couple of seasons making their way to KC. No more waiting another 30 years for a championship!
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Agree with you, Greg. I thought KC was more concerned with slot money than just getting good players. Each year, there is one or two players that drop for some reason. Singer was #1 material for most of season. KC got serious break with his availability at 18. Now, if KC can get the international market going again with more top end talent. I’d like to see fewer little MI types.
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