Royals' top Draft pick eager to show off tools in Arizona Fall League

Zion Rose was aware of the projections.

Ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 30 prospect in the 2026 Draft class, he was typically slotted to go in the 20s in mock projections, with a few clubs looking at college bats occasionally tied to him in the upper teens. His power and speed both drew above-average grades, but a lack of consistent elevation on contact, defensive questions and a junior campaign at Louisville marred by ankle and hamstring injuries added some doubt to the profile.

"Honestly, at that point I had done everything I could do, so it was in God's hands," Rose said. "I really wasn't tripping where I went. I was just grateful to go anywhere. My advisor was talking to me, and he [said], 'There's a situation that you wouldn't believe if I told you right now it could happen.' So I was like, 'Don't even tell me, just let it happen. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I don't know about it.' It ended up playing out how he said, and I went sixth to the Royals, which [I'm] super grateful for."

Kansas City signed Rose for $5,809,575, below the slot of $7,746,100 assigned to the sixth pick, and used some of the savings on later picks (most notably second-rounder and prep arm Jack Slightom). But the organization insisted it thought of Rose as more than a money-saver, with general manager J.J. Picollo reiterating to reporters after Day 1, "We can't miss on our first pick." They've backed up that belief by making Rose one of only three 2026 Draft picks at this year's Arizona Fall League.

Because of the injuries this spring, Rose can use the AFL as an opportunity to make up for the lost at-bats, but his hitting will certainly be under a microscope with the Surprise Saguaros. His bat-to-ball skills were undeniable when he was healthy with Louisville as a junior; the right-handed slugger hit .417 with just an 8.7% strikeout rate over 173 plate appearances in the spring. K.C. pushed him to High-A Quad Cities after signing, and his overall contact was generally fine; he got the bat on the ball with 78% of his swings and struck out 17.8% of the time in 19 regular-season games for the River Bandits. But the quality-of-contact concerns were magnified in his first taste of the pros, with 45.6% of his batted balls finding the dirt and grass and 44.8% also going the other way (rather than being pulled with authority), leading to just a .338 slugging percentage.

The main purpose of his time in the Midwest League was setting a foundation for Rose anyhow, one he can now build on in Arizona.

"The Royals did a great job [of] letting me settle in before they attacked anything that I had going on," Rose said. "Of course, we all have things we have to get better at, and now they're starting to give me things to work on. But they really did a good job of building me up, allowing me to come into the program, allowing me to get adjusted, be in a new environment. I believe soon they'll have things that they want me to work on for sure, but I trust their plan."

There will be more on Rose's plate, too, including defensive work in the outfield as he moves further away from his early collegiate days as a catcher. But after hearing his name earlier than expected in July, he's already ahead of another curve by just being in the AFL.

"I didn't even know the prestige of the Fall League and how important it was, honestly," he said. "I got a call from our [farm] director, and he said I was in the Fall League. Then, I told my advisor, and he was like, ‘Dude, that's like a huge accomplishment to be in there and be able to compete against some of the best dudes in the Minor Leagues.' So I'm grateful to be here."

Royals hitters in the Fall League

Angeibel Gomez, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 76): At 17, Gomez will be the second-youngest player in the AFL's history, and this will technically be his stateside debut after he spent the regular season in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, where he hit .361/.467/.653 with nine homers and a 19/28 K/BB ratio over 47 games. The outfielder is already developing a reputation as a power-speed threat, and Fall League arms will test his level of contact. Any AFL production will feel like additional rocket fuel for a youngster whose stock was already set to soar.

Brooks Bryan, C: The Royals took Bryan in the eighth round last year after he showed at least plus raw power at Troy, where the left-handed hitter combined to hit 30 homers over his final two years on campus. However, he played in only 33 games with Single-A Columbia in his first full season, hitting .319/.406/.496 with three homers in that span. Along with making up for lost at-bats, Bryan could use more work on his throwing game after throwing out only 11.9% of attempted basestealers with the Fireflies.

Austin Charles, SS/3B: Kansas City has been high on Charles' potential as a big-bodied infielder (he's 6-foot-5) since signing him for $429,500 as a 20th-rounder back in 2022. While he was limited to only 45 games with High-A Quad Cities by a core injury that kept him out for three months, he was productive with a .285/.353/.491 line, seven homers, 10 steals and a 115 wRC+ in that time. His 75.3% contact rate in the Midwest League was the highest of his career, a promising sign given he has at least above-average power potential.

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Royals pitchers in the Fall League

Justin Lamkin, LHP (No. 8): The 2025 71st overall Draft pick out of Texas A&M was highlighted as early as Spring Training as a breakout pick among the K.C. pitching corps. He backed up that belief with a 2.04 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 54 strikeouts over 39 2/3 innings at High-A and Double-A before a left shoulder strain forced him on the injured list in late May. His 91-94 mph fastball and 80-83 mph slider both came with healthy whiff rates, thanks to impressive command. If that arsenal holds after the long layoff, he could be a sleeper contender for AFL Pitcher of the Year.

Steven Zobac, RHP (No. 14): A former two-way player at Cal, Zobac has thrown only 98 2/3 innings across the past two years due to a knee injury in 2025 and a right shoulder impingement this spring. Kansas City added him to its 40-man roster as Rule 5 protection in between those campaigns, believing that the former Golden Bear still has untapped potential with a deeper focus on the mound. He has the makings of two above-average pitches with a lively 91-94 mph fastball and bat-missing 86-88 mph slider.

Josh Hansell, RHP: This marks a return to the desert for the 2023 16th-rounder out of Arizona State. Hansell has yet to move above High-A Quad Cities and posted a 4.87 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 25 walks in 40 2/3 innings with the River Bandits this season. His mid-80s slider and sharp upper-70s curve are his best chances to generate whiffs.

Frank Mozzicato, LHP: Like Rose, Mozzicato was a surprise Top 10 pick when he went seventh as a Connecticut high schooler back in 2021. But the 6-foot-3 left-hander hadn't lived up to that status due to rough control and limited velocity -- that is, until he moved to the Double-A bullpen in the middle of this season. By August, he was touching the mid-90s with more regularity. His low-80s curveball has always looked like a potential weapon, and now, he could put this mini breakout in relief to the test in the AFL.

Hiro Wyatt, RHP: Another Nutmeg Stater, Wyatt was a similar big investment with a $1,497,500 bonus as a third-rounder in 2023, but he's yet to throw more than 79 innings in a season or rise above Single-A. His 91-94 mph running fastball and low-80s slider give him an east-west profile that generates a ton of ground balls.