The future is bright in the Royals' organization, with their blossoming farm system validated even further by three prospects landing in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, which was revealed on Thursday -- headlined by shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr., ranked at No. 7.

Left-handers Daniel Lynch and Asa Lacy were ranked No. 29 and No. 30, respectively. The Royals have the same number of Top 100 prospects as they did a year ago, but Lacy, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, replaced Brady Singer, who graduated from prospect status last year -- showcasing the Royals’ deep crop on its way to the big leagues.

The future could come sooner rather than later for Kansas City.

Lynch could join Singer in the Royals’ big league rotation as soon as this year after an impressive summer at the club’s alternate training site. He’ll certainly compete for an Opening Day roster spot, but the likeliest scenario is for Lynch to get more Minor League innings under his belt and join Kansas City later in the season, barring any setbacks.

Despite no Minors games last year, Lynch improved his arsenal by focusing on his changeup with the Royals’ development team throughout the summer and fall. He became more comfortable throwing it against hitters on both sides of the plate, and he faced a multitude of left-handed hitters given the way the player pool was lined up. The 6-foot-6 lefty also improved his delivery -- which in turn helped with command and control -- while maintaining the power he has shown since Kansas City made him the No. 34 overall pick in the 2018 Draft.

“He was able to zone in on parts of the zone that he hadn’t a year before, and I think that’s him understanding what he needs to do and confidence in his ability to do those things,” Royals assistant general manager/VP of player development J.J. Picollo said. “He was impressive all summer long, right into fall. Just really impressive.

“I think he’s extremely close to the Major Leagues. I promised myself I wasn’t going to say this, but I’m saying it a lot. If we had played the 147 games in the Minor Leagues last year, he would have been knocking at the door or in the Majors last year. He was pitching that well. I have a hard time not seeing him contribute to our Major League team in ‘21.”

Lacy has yet to play his first professional season, so the 21-year-old will likely spend 2021 moving through the Royals’ system. But it’s not unreasonable to think he could move quickly. At 6-foot-4, Lacy attacks hitters with a 92-97 mph fastball and harnesses a plus slider, above-average curveball and consistent changeup. He was limited by an eye issue at the club's alternate training site but made a healthy return in time for its fall instructional program. There, Kansas City was able to learn more about its 2020 first-round Draft pick, who had a legitimate argument to go first overall as the best college pitcher.

“He’s very much into technology, very in-tune to what he’s doing, from his side sessions to his daily throwing to the games,” Picollo said. “A little bit more than I realized, but he’s a little bit of a self-made player. He went to Texas A&M, so it’s not like he was not good; he was good. But he was an 87-90 mph kid who did a lot of work on his body and strength, the kinesiology and physiology behind it. He made himself into a player. He came up with a breaking ball in college that really separated him. He’s just extremely competitive.”

The Royals want to see how Lacy stacks up against opponents in the Minors before laying out a true path to the big leagues for him, but as always, the player will tell them when he’s ready. His scouting report says that he will need to “improve his command and control to reach his ceiling as a frontline starter. There’s some effort in his three-quarters delivery, and he can’t always harness his overpowering stuff.”

But there’s no denying the talent Lacy has as a lefty who can induce swings and misses with four weapons.

“What I can tell you is that his stuff is pure quality,” Picollo said. “It’s hard not to say that that’s going to play in the Major Leagues quickly. It’s very good. It’s very evident. But how he handles runners, guys on base, stuff like that are things we want to piece together before we can have a good feel for the pipeline and his rise to the Major Leagues.”

And then there’s Witt, who has done nothing but impress in the pro ranks since the Royals took him No. 2 overall in the 2019 Draft. The way Witt carried himself during Summer Camp with the club’s Major Leaguers only furthered Kansas City’s excitement for his future. He took batting practice alongside Whit Merrifield and others, while having success against veteran pitchers like Mike Montgomery and Danny Duffy, as well as top prospects like Daniel Tillo.

“There’s little things like that that speak volumes about who he’s going to be as a player -- his energy, the respect that he gets from the older players,” Picollo said. “I’ve never seen a younger player blend in so well with older players. He was like everyone’s little brother at Summer Camp. We always wonder if a young guy can handle being around 30-year-old men in that environment. And I was amazed how I saw older players come up and talk to him. It was genuine conversation. He just had such an impressive camp.”

Witt played well at the alternate site, where the Royals also had him work on smaller things like bunting for hits that add to his plus baserunner status. There’s no question Witt will be able to stay at shortstop, with arm strength inherited from his dad, projecting to be a plus defender in the field.

MLB Pipeline predicts Witt’s arrival to the big leagues will come in 2022. He’ll turn 21 in June and can move quickly through the Minors if he carries the momentum he showed in '20 into this season. The Royals won't promote him just to promote him -- and they are covered at shortstop for the time being with Aldaberto Mondesi. When Witt makes his big league debut, an opportunity to play every day has to exist.

“You want to make sure he’s ready and that he doesn’t have to make that trip back to [Triple-A] Omaha,” Picollo said. “The nice thing is, you don’t feel rushed. There’s no pressure. We’ve got a great shortstop in Mondesi and no glaring holes. We’ve never pushed, but we’ve also never held back. … With Bobby, we think he’ll handle it well. I think it’s just a matter of him going out and performing.”