Regaining power stroke a point of emphasis for Royals No. 2 prospect Mitchell in AFL

Blake Mitchell found himself behind the eight ball early in 2025.

In Royals Major League camp as a first-time non-roster invitee, the young catcher suffered a broken right hamate bone in late February and didn’t get back into Minor League action until early May. Even then, it was only for four games in the Arizona Complex League before a setback pushed him back another five weeks. Mitchell didn’t actually join a non-complex-level affiliate until July 8 with High-A Quad Cities.

“I didn't have a Spring Training this past year,” he said. “So it was kind of tough just getting thrown in there and it's like, 'Here you go.'”

Luckily, slow springs don’t rule out productive autumns.

The Royals’ No. 2 prospect is one of the headliners of the Surprise roster in this year’s Arizona Fall League, where he’ll get a much-needed extension and potential turnaround on a difficult 2025 campaign.

Drafted eighth overall two years ago, Mitchell flew out of the gate in his first full season when he was named the 2024 George Brett Hitter of the Year in the Kansas City system. He slashed .238/.376/.439 with 18 homers in 106 games for Single-A Columbia in that campaign, putting himself in a tie for the Carolina League lead for dingers thanks to a left-handed swing that generates a lot of balls in the air.

This summer was a different story from the power department.

Mitchell homered only twice in 49 games with the River Bandits and saw his slugging percentage dip to .296 across 216 plate appearances. He still showed good plate discipline with a low chase rate of 20 percent (per Synergy) and a high walk rate of 20.8 percent, but he also missed on 34.3 percent of his swings and lacked pop when he did make contact.

Hamate injuries are notorious for sapping hitters of their power, especially in the early stages of their comebacks, but Mitchell doesn’t want to lay the blame on the wrist alone.

“I've heard rumors about that, but I wouldn't say that,” he said. “I would just feel it on certain swings. I'd feel that certain pain. But I’m just excited to be out here and hopefully that doesn't happen anymore, so I can just go play my game.”

There are other ways the Texas native can find his success again this autumn of course, beyond just playing healthy baseball. Before the injury, he was considered a potential above-average defensive catcher who can get especially low in his one-knee stance (thus helping with blocked balls and framing at the bottom of the zone). He also sports plus-plus arm strength that could pop in front of the AFL’s Statcast cameras.

But so much attention will be paid to the status of his power during his time in the desert, and luckily, he knows a guy who knows a thing or two about that. Royals rookie slugger Jac Caglianone went deep five times during his own run through the Fall League last year and has acted as an AFL resource for Mitchell.

“I’ve talked to Jac about it a little bit,” Mitchell said. “He said it’s a lot of fun because I’ve never been out here before. Having him in my back pocket for any questions I needed was definitely helpful.”

Royals hitters in the Fall League

Daniel Vazquez, SS (No. 16): Long considered a plus defender at shortstop, Vazquez showed some modest offensive gains this season at Quad Cities, where he hit .260/.336/.349 with a 98 wRC+ in 105 games. He managed only one homer in the Midwest League, after not going deep at all in 2024, and that lack of impact is the biggest drag on his profile. The 21-year-old is Rule 5-eligible this offseason.

Carson Roccaforte, OF (No. 20): Named the Frank White Defensive Player of the Year in the Kansas City system this year, Roccaforte just might be the best outfield defender in this year’s Fall League or at least in the conversation with the Orioles’ Enrique Bradfield Jr. He repeated Quad Cities to begin his age-23 season before putting up his career-best slash line (.290/.387/.475) with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He’ll look to improve his contact rate, however, after fanning 29.4 percent of the time this year.

Royals pitchers in the Fall League

Hunter Owen, LHP (No. 26): Owen heads to the desert to continue to build up innings after a July IL stint, but he was a steady performer for Double-A Northwest Arkansas when healthy, finishing with a 3.80 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 94 2/3 frames. He cuts an imposing figure on the mound at 6-foot-6 and has a correspondingly high release point from which his mid-80s slider and mid-70s curveball can be whiff-heavy options.

A.J. Causey, RHP: The former Tennessee reliever enjoyed impressive success in his first full season with a 1.72 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 75 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings out of the High-A and Double-A bullpens. He should be one of the AFL’s funkiest arms with a low arm slot and the east-west approach on his slider and changeup -- both with whiff rates above 40 percent this season.

Dennis Colleran, RHP: A 2024 seventh-round pick out of Northeastern, where he missed the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery, Colleran slid well into a relief role in his first full season. He posted a 2.85 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings across three levels as he worked with a pair of 96-98 mph fastballs, a low-90s cutter and a longer slider. Control could be a point of emphasis in the AFL after he walked 12.8 percent of his batters faced.

L.P. Langevin, RHP: Langevin drew interest in the 2024 Draft for his high-spin, high-ride fastball that helped him lead Division I with a 45.4 percent whiff rate on the pitch that spring for University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He didn’t get to show off the pitch much this season after opening 2025 on the IL with a lat strain and making only 14 relief appearances with High-A Quad Cities, but he was heater-heavy once again in those limited looks.

Logan Martin, RHP: Martin worked solely as a starter with High-A Quad Cities in 2025 and notched a 3.45 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 91 1/3 innings. He can work 93-96 mph with a pair of fastballs and sports a mid-80s slider and changeup.