Royals' teenage top prospect has presence well beyond his years

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Whether Kendry Chourio is pitching in High-A Quad Cities or at the Futures Game in Philadelphia, the right-hander sticks with the same mentality: It’s the same game once he crosses the white lines, and it’s the same three outs he’s trying to record no matter what team he’s playing for or who he’s facing or who’s in the stands.

Chourio, at just 18 years old, does not get rattled by much. And as the Royals' top prospect rapidly ascends through his first few years of the Minor Leagues and up the prospect rankings, it doesn’t seem like that mindset is going to change.

“[I have] always had that feeling,” Chourio said via interpreter Daniel Guerrero, the Royals’ director of international scouting. “Maybe there are one or two other games that you feel a little more adrenaline, but I feel like it’s the same mentality going through the whole thing.

“When I take the mound, it’s just the focus on the hitter. … It’s all business.”

Chourio has been all business since he signed with the Royals as an international free agent in 2025. The Venezuela native pitched at three different levels last season as a 17-year-old, ending in Single-A Columbia to finish out the year.

This year, he’s been dominant. Chourio has a 2.06 ERA across two levels, first posting a 1.88 ERA in 11 starts for Single-A before a promotion to High-A in June. In Quad Cities, he has a 2.35 ERA, with 35 strikeouts and just five walks in 30 2/3 innings. MLB Pipeline’s No. 65 prospect, he pitched in the Futures Game during All-Star festivities this year. At a career-high 78 2/3 innings, Chourio hasn’t pitched since July 25, but will get back on the mound as early as this week, part of a long-term workload plan.

The only 18-year-old to pitch for a High-A affiliate this year, Chourio is clearly talented, armed with a 94-98 mph fastball and a curveball, changeup and slider. His pitchability is advanced already and something he’s continuously improving.

“The goal is to not throw hard, it’s to have pitchability,” Chourio said. “With all [my] pitches, to have a motive behind every single one of them. Whether it’s a fastball, making sure the location of the pitch is good. Making sure you get the curveball in the zone, and executing the changeup, throwing it in or out of the zone.”

But he’s also mature, noticeable in how he pitches, in the work he puts in behind the scenes, and in the way he conducts interviews. His self-assuredness is evident, impressive for a teenager, let alone one who is also learning a new culture and language.

“It doesn’t surprise me, as least cocky as possible as that can sound,” said Guerrero, who oversaw Chourio’s signing in ‘25. “He’s a really impressive kid, both on and off the field. And when you get to meet him and know him as long as I have – he’s just that focused. He’s that cerebral about the game.”

On July 19, Chourio combined with righty Emmanuel Reyes to throw a no-hitter, with Chourio striking out 10 in five innings and Reyes following with four perfect frames. Chourio said it wasn’t the first time he’s departed with a no-hitter intact, but it was the first time he got to see it continue all the way.

“[I] would love to do it in the big leagues one day,” Chourio said with a grin. “And maybe just do it myself.”

Chourio still has a journey in front of him before he arrives in the big leagues. He’ll face new challenges as he gets into the upper levels. He needs to stay healthy. But he has lofty goals that he’s not afraid to set, and if he continues on the track he’s on now, it’s hard to be anything but excited for when he starts to knock on the door of Kansas City.

“He’s really talented for that age, and he’s already done unprecedented things,” Guerrero said. “So who knows? The sky’s the limit is probably the best answer. As this kid continues to develop and continues to do things that we know he’s going to do, the sky’s the limit."