KANSAS CITY -- There is little doubt that the Royals’ back-to-back World Series runs in 2014-15, and a championship in ’15, wouldn't have been possible without general manager Dayton Moore’s mission to beef up the team’s international presence.

For decades, any significant Royals international signings were virtually non-existent before Moore arrived in 2006.

Despite the limitations of the current pandemic, the Royals continue to gear up for a potential international signing period in 2020.

MLB Pipeline recently released its annual Top 30 International Prospects list for players eligible to sign in the 2020-21 signing period. These young players are the game’s international stars of tomorrow and are following in the footsteps of thousands of international players who laid the groundwork before them. One day, these young men could be remembered among the best players in team history.

These are the Royals’ Top 5 international prospects of all time, almost all under the Moore regime.

1) Salvador Perez, (C) 2011-18, present
The Royals struck gold when scout Juan Indriago signed a skinny 16-year-old Perez out of Venezuela in 2006. By '11, Perez had made his Major League debut, launching a career that is a slam dunk to wind up in the Royals Hall of Fame and possibly even Cooperstown.

Perez has won five Gold Glove Awards, been to six All-Star Games, won two Silver Slugger Awards and was the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 World Series.

“Best defensive catcher and best catcher period I’ve ever been around,” teammate Danny Duffy said.

2) Kelvin Herrera, (RHP) 2011-18
In the same year that the Royals signed Perez, they also signed Herrera out of the Dominican Republic. Herrera became one of the premier setup men in baseball from 2012-18. In '14, Herrera posted a 1.41 ERA in 70 games. In '15, he had a 2.71 ERA in 72 games. In 22 postseason games, his ERA is 1.26. He has been to two All-Star Games.

3) Yordano Ventura, (RHP) 2013-16
The Royals signed Ventura in 2008 out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old for $28,000. His electrifying stuff -- a fastball that could reach 102 mph -- quickly sped him through the Minors and he made his MLB debut in '13. A year later he was starting the pivotal Game 6 of the World Series against the Giants, tossing seven shutout innings in a must-win situation. His life tragically ended in '17 in an automobile accident.

4) Adalberto Mondesi, (SS) 2016-present
Mondesi was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2011 for $2 million. Mondesi is the son of former Major Leaguer Raul Mondesi, and likely has the highest ceiling of any Royals international signing. A five-tool player, Mondesi made his MLB debut at age 20 in the '15 World Series. Injuries have prevented him from playing a full season in the Majors yet, but he tied for the MLB lead in triples with 10 in 2019 despite playing in just 102 games.

5) Carlos Febles, (2B) 1998-2003
Febles was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1993 and played six seasons for the Royals. His best season came in '99 when he hit .256 with 22 doubles, nine triples and 10 home runs with 53 RBIs.

Honorable mentions:
Hipolito Pichardo (1992-98): Had seven years with the Royals as a reliever with a 4.48 ERA. ... Melido Perez (1978): Pitched in just three games for the Royals but won 78 games over a nine-year MLB career. ... Runelvys Hernandez (2002-03, '05-06): Was the Royals Opening Day starter in 2003.