Royals sign int'l free agent Collins

January 23rd, 2021

The Royals have agreed to a Minor League deal with outfielder Darnel Collins, an international free agent from the Netherlands' Honkbal professional league. Collins was one of 12 international free-agent signings Kansas City announced on Saturday.

Collins made his debut in the top-level Honkbal Hoofdklasse this year for Curacao Neptunus in Rotterdam. He has played mostly in the Overgangsklasse, the Netherlands' second-highest-level league, in recent seasons.

Collins also played for the Netherlands' U-15 national team in the 2018 U-15 Baseball World Cup in Panama. Collins batted .318 in the tournament.

Collins' brother, Darryl, is also a Royal -- Kansas City signed him out of Honkbal in 2018. Darryl, also an outfielder, is ranked the Royals' No. 27 prospect per MLB Pipeline. The 19-year-old hit .320 in the Rookie-level Arizona League in his first Minor League season in 2019.