Nate Eaton:
– .476/.476/.762/1.238
– 4 doubles, 1 triple
– 0 walks, 4 strikeouts
– 3 stolen bases, 0 caught stealing

Eaton may be having the most impressive stint in the Fall League among Royals prospects. He’ll be 25 before Opening Day in 2022, and he’s yet to reach Double-A, but he’s Rule 5 eligible this offseason and its good that the Royals will be able to get an extended look at him here in Arizona after he missed some time on the IL in 2021. Eaton has always shown a good feel at the plate, and he improved on his plate discipline at High-A in 2021, but he’s just never shown much power at the plate and never really hit enough to put himself in the middle of prospect radars. He’s always been a good defender, and he’s getting to play some SS in the Fall League which is fun, but if he continues to hit like this in Arizona he’s going to force the Royals to consider him as a utility option moving forward. A good defender that can really run is always going to be right up the Royals alley, now it’s just a matter of how much he’ll hit moving forward.

Seuly Matias:
– .209/.333/.458/.792
– 2 HR
– 5 walks, 9 strikeouts

Maybe the most Seuly thing ever happened the other day when Matias crushed a HR to dead CF and then came up limp during his HR trot. It appears to have just been a cramp, which is great news for the Royals, but it’ll be something to monitor moving forward. Seuly’s K% remains at an even 30%, but maybe more importantly his BB% is up to 16.7% in 30 PA in the Fall League. That’s obviously not even enough PA to have a conversation about, really, but Seuly did walk in about 8% of his PA this summer and any improvement in that category could have huge implications for his future. I said at the beginning of the fall, if Seuly can go down to Arizona and bop a few HR and keep his K% under 30%, I’d be thrilled. He’s done just that so far and, again, while that may not mean much, the kid hits for SO MUCH power that it won’t really take much in the plate discipline department to get him to the big leagues. Even if that’s just in a bench role.

Luca Tresh

Tresh has only caught in a couple of games. He’s hitless in 4 AB but he seems to just be down there to get some extra work in more than anything.

Jake Means

Means hit a couple of doubles early on, but has been mostly outmatched in 25 AB. He’s got 11 K to just 2 BB and is hitting .160. Not totally unexpected, but Means could’ve stood to raise his stock a bit with a good showing. He’s still got plenty of time do so.

Asa Lacy
– 4.2 IP in 3 starts
– 10 K, 4 BB, 3 H

Lacy has had two very good starts and one very bad start. It seems he’s on a pretty strict pitch count, so I wouldn’t expect him to throw more than 2-3 innings at any given time, but the first and last start he made were objectively very good. The stuff has been excellent, flashing 96-97 with the fastball and showing a wipeout slider. The control was fine save for the inning he threw in his second start. Much of the same of what we saw from Lacy this summer, just a tad better control in his good starts. Promising to be sure, but not necessarily a sign that everything is fixed yet either. The stuff is still absolutely disgusting.

Zach Haake
– 6 IP in 2 outings
– 6 K, 2 BB, 5 H

Haake was just okay in his first outing of the year, a relief appearance, but was dominant in his second appearance, a start for the Saguaros. He’s Rule 5 eligible this winter and his stuff is exactly what teams will be looking for in terms of trying to stash him as a bullpen arm. Whether he’s a legitimate candidate to be drafted or not remains to be seen, but a good appearance in the Fall League could force the Royals to protect him this offseason if they think he can be ready for a shot in the big leagues early in 2023.

Stephen Woods Jr.
– 5 IP in 3 outings
– 7 K, 3 BB, 3 H

Stephen Woods had a rough year starting for the NWA Naturals (AA) this summer, but he thrived in a relief role later in the season. He’s looked pretty good in that role so far in the Fall League and while he’s not Rule 5 eligible this offseason, he could be a candidate to pitch in the big league bullpen next year if he keeps throwing like this.

Mitch Ellis

Mitch has only made a couple of appearances this fall and, while he hasn’t found a ton of success just yet, his stuff has actually looked pretty good from what I’ve heard. Someone to keep an eye on.