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.

Watching John Rave as he runs out to center field to begin a game or steps into the on-deck circle before an at-bat would not reveal the final steps of his routine as he readies for a game or big moment.

But it’s undoubtedly the most important part of Rave’s preparation.

First, the Royals prospect takes a deep breath. Then, he has a quick conversation with his dad.

Nearly three years ago, Mike Rave died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 51. Mike was John’s confidant, the man who had attended as many of John’s games as possible -- from high school, to college, to the Minor Leagues. If John’s dream is making his Major League debut someday, Mike’s hope was seeing his son achieve those dreams.

So those quick conversations on the baseball field ensure Mike is always with John, even if he’s no longer in the stands.

“It’s almost like a sense of calmness, which is a really cool feeling,” Rave said. “It takes my mind away from the moment, allows me to think about my dad and feel at ease with everything.

“I feel like I’m talking to him a little bit, and he’s talking right back.”

The Royals have several outfield prospects who reached the Majors this past season or who are close to reaching the top level. Allow Rave to enter that group. His tools aren’t flashy, and his Minor League career numbers -- .249/.346/.401 with 33 home runs -- don’t jump off the page. Neither does his Arizona Fall League stat line, which features a .657 OPS.

But those in the game and with the Royals see a future for the 24-year-old, raving about his plus speed; he’s impressive in center field, and he stole 23 bases in ’22 with 16 homers. He possesses an intriguing power-speed combination, so a point of emphasis is making more contact -- which would enable him to make better use of his wheels on base.

“He’s able to adapt the entry points on the swing arc, based on the pitch shape,” Royals hitting coordinator Drew Saylor said. “Because of that, it gives him a lot more solution space depending on what the shape and the features are of that night’s starter or the relievers that come in. And his hand positioning is one of the reasons he hits for the type of power that he does and also why he finds a way to be able to get more line drives, more balls in the air versus being on the ground.”

Rave always thought he would get to this point, closer to the Majors than ever before as 2023 nears. But there were days he doubted himself.

On Feb. 17, 2020, Rave arrived in Bloomington, Ill., for a quick trip home in between his offseason workouts in Arizona and the start of Spring Training. It was late, so he and his dad agreed to meet up the next day -- grab some food, talk baseball, just like always.

Rave never got the chance.

Mike had fallen down the stairs the night John got home but didn’t think much of it. He went to work the next morning before feeling like something was wrong, so he went back home and called a friend for help. By the time that friend arrived, Mike was gone.

“It was shocking, and incredibly tough,” Rave said. “Losing a parent, it never gets easier. That was a very, very hard year for me, really hard few months.”

The Royals told Rave to take all the time he needed, but he decided to head back to Arizona for spring camp. Getting a sense of normalcy by returning to the baseball field with his teammates and friends was something he needed to move forward -- only to have that come crashing down again when the COVID-19 pandemic hit that year.

Still, he pushed forward. Rave went back to Bloomington and grieved with his family, including his sister and brother, with whom Rave is now closer than ever.

“I definitely had some difficult days,” Rave said. “But this is everything that he dreamed of for me. He was always my biggest fan. So knowing that I’m still doing it, still chasing my dream, I think it would definitely make him happy.”

Mike was John’s steady rock throughout high school and college, especially when John was deciding on his athletic future. John played basketball in high school and was recruited at smaller schools. But after being drafted in the 35th round out of high school by the Red Sox in 2016, he realized his future could be in baseball and made the decision to attend Illinois State.

Three years later, the Royals selected Rave in the fifth round of the 2019 Draft. His career has taken him all over the Midwest and around Arizona. He knows his dad would have been in the stands for all of it.

Rave’s journey to Kansas City will continue in 2023, starting with Spring Training and then likely a ticket to Triple-A. It can be easy for a Minor Leaguer to get caught up in the next steps, to rush the process.

Rave tries not to do that, always thinking about his dad’s advice.

“'Just go play your game,'” Rave said. “'Have fun.' I know he’s still here with me, and he’ll be there for the next couple things I’m going to check off.”