Kansas City Royals minor league players

Jonathan Bowlan (born December 1, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Bowlan attended Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Tennessee and played college baseball at the University of Memphis. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[1][2]

Bowlan made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars. He started 2019 with the Lexington Legends and was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks during the season.[3] Pitching for Wilmington in July, he threw a no-hitter against the Carolina Mudcats.[4][5]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Austin Cox (born March 28, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Cox attended First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Georgia, where he played baseball and football. For his high school career, he went 15–6 with a 2.19 ERA.[6] Undrafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, he fulfilled his commitment to play college baseball at Mercer University.[7]

In 2016, Cox's freshman year at Mercer, he pitched 24 innings, compiling a 2–2 record and a 10.13 ERA. As a sophomore in 2016, he started 15 games, going 4–2 with a 5.69 ERA.[8] In 2018, his junior season, he was named Mercer's Friday night starter.[9] Over 17 starts, Cox pitched to a 7–4 record with a 4.52 ERA, striking out 124 batters over ​87 ²⁄₃ innings.[10] After the season, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[11][12]

Cox signed with the Royals and made his professional debut with the Burlington Bees, pitching to a 1–1 record and a 3.78 ERA over nine starts.[13] In 2019, he began the year with the Lexington Legends, with whom he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star alongside earning Pitcher of the Week honors in early June.[14][15] He was promoted to the Wilmington Blue Rocks in June, and finished the season there.[16] Over 24 games (23 starts) between the two teams, he went 8–6 with a 2.76 ERA, compiling 129 strikeouts and 38 walks over ​130 ²⁄₃ innings.[17]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Lucius Fox
Kansas City Royals – No. 19
Shortstop
Born: (1997-07-02) July 2, 1997 Nassau, Bahamas
Bats: Switch Throws: Right

Lucius Kadeem Fox Jr. (born July 2, 1997) is a Bahamian professional baseball shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Fox is from Nassau, Bahamas. He lived in the United States for ​2 ¹⁄₂ years,[18] during which time he attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida. He was declared an international free agent during the 2015 signing period.[19] Fox signed with the Giants, for a reported $6 million signing bonus.[20][21] He spent his first professional season, in 2016, with the Augusta GreenJackets of the Class A South Atlantic League,[22] posting a .207 batting average with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 75 games.

On August 1, 2016, the Giants traded Fox, Matt Duffy, and Michael Santos to the Tampa Bay Rays for Matt Moore.[23] He did not play for the Rays after the trade due to a bone bruise on his foot sustained while playing for Augusta.[24] Fox began the 2017 season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League. He represented the World Team in the 2017 All-Star Futures Game. After batting .278 with two home runs, 27 RBIs and 27 stolen bases in 77 games for Bowling Green, the Rays promoted Fox to the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League,[25] where he finished the season, batting .235 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 30 games. In 2018, he played for both Charlotte and the Montgomery Biscuits of the Class AA Southern League, slashing .268/.351/.341 with three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases in 116 total games between the two teams.[26] He split the 2019 season between Montgomery and the Durham Bulls, hitting a combined .221/.331/.327/.658 with 3 home runs, 34 RBI, and 39 stolen bases.[27] Fox was added to the Rays 40–man roster following the 2019 season.[28]

On August 27, 2020, Fox was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Brett Phillips.[29]

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Kyle Grant Isbel (born March 3, 1997) is an American professional baseball center fielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Isbel attended Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, where he played baseball.[30] As a junior, he hit .347.[31] Following his junior year, he committed to play college baseball at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV).[32] Undrafted in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at UNLV.

In 2016, Isbel's freshman season at UNLV, he hit .319 with one home run and 28 RBIs over 56 games, earning Mountain West Conference co-Freshman of the Year honors.[33][34] That summer, he played in the California Collegiate League for the Santa Barbara Foresters.[35] As a sophomore at UNLV in 2017, he played in 55 games, batting .290 with six home runs and 26 RBIs.[36][37] Following the season, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox.[38] In 2018, his junior year, Isbel slashed .357/.441/.643 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs over 59 games,[39] earning All-MW First-Team honors.[40] After the season, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[41][42][43]

Isbel signed with the Royals and made his professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars before being promoted to the Lexington Legends.[44] Over 64 games between the two clubs, Isbel hit .326 with seven home runs, 32 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases.[45] In 2019, he began the year with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He was placed on the injured list in April,[46] and was activated in July.[47] He appeared in seven rehab games before being reassgned to Wilmington.[48] Over 52 games with the Blue Rocks, Isbel hit .216 with five home runs and 23 RBIs. He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros after the season,[49] earning All-Star honors.[50]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Khalil Rashad Lee (born June 26, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Lee graduated from Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia, where he played on their baseball team as both a pitcher and outfielder. As a senior, he pitched to a 7–0 record with a 0.33 ERA, striking out 87 in 43 innings pitched, along with batting .471 with six home runs, 23 RBIs, a .634 OPB and a .941 OPS. He was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for the state of Virginia.[51]

Lee was committed to play baseball at Liberty University.[52] However, after he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he chose to sign with the Royals for $579,700[53] rather than attend college. The Royals chose to assign him to the Arizona League Royals as an outfielder,[54] and in 49 games, he batted .269 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, 43 runs scored, and eight triples along with an .880 OPS. He spent 2017 with the Lexington Legends and posted a .237 batting average with 17 home runs, 61 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .344 OBP in 121 games.[55] In a July 2017 game with the Legends, Lee set a professional baseball record for strikeouts in a single game, striking out eight times in a 21-inning game against the Delmarva Shorebirds.[56][57]

MLB.com ranked Lee as Kansas City's top prospect going into the 2018 season.[58] He began the season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, with whom he was named a Carolina League All-Star,[59] and was promoted to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in June. In 100 games between the two clubs, he batted .263 with six home runs and 51 RBIs.[60] He returned to Northwest Arkansas in 2019, earning Texas League All-Star honors.[61] Over 129 games, he slashed .264/.363/.372 with eight home runs, 51 RBIs, and 53 stolen bases.

On November 20, 2020, Lee was added to the 40-man roster.[62]

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Daniel A. Lynch (born November 17, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Lynch played baseball at Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico, Virginia. As a junior, he compiled a 0.97 ERA.[63] After high school, he enrolled at the University of Virginia where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team.[64] During his freshman year at Virginia, he appeared in 13 games with nine starts and went 1–3 with a 5.49 earned run average (ERA) and 37 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he made 14 starts, going 7–5 with a 5.00 ERA with 45 strikeouts. The following summer, he pitched for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League, making six starts and posting a 4–0 record with a 2.04 ERA and 25 strikeouts. During his junior season, Lynch went 4–4 over the course of 13 starts with a 3.96 ERA and 105 strikeouts.[65]

The Kansas City Royals selected Lynch with the 34th overall pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[66] He signed with the Royals on June 10, 2018 for $1.7 million.[67] He made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League[68] before being promoted to the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 12 starts between the two clubs, he went 5–1 with a 1.58 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.[69]

Lynch spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League and was named a Carolina League All-Star midway through the season.[70][71] Over 15 starts, he went 5–2 with a 3.10 ERA. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros following the season,[72] earning All-Star honors.[50]

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Seuly Matias (born September 4, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Matias signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in July 2015.[73] He spent his first professional season in 2016 with the Dominican Summer League Royals and Arizona League Royals, batting a combined .235/.333/.439 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 53 total games between both clubs.

In 2017, Matias played for the Burlington Royals where he hit .243 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 57 games,[74] and in 2018 he played with the Lexington Legends[75][76][77] where he batted .231 with 31 home runs and 63 RBIs in 94 games,[78] earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors.[79]

Matias spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks,[70] but missed time due to injury; over 54 games, he hit .148 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

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Mervyl (MJ) S. Melendez (born November 29, 1998) is an American professional baseball catcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Melendez attended St. James School in Montgomery, Alabama for three years before transferring to Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Florida for his senior year. He was a member of the United States national team in 2016.[80] He committed to play college baseball at Florida International University.[81] After his senior year, the Kansas City Royals selected him in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[82] He signed with Kansas City for $2.1 million.[83]

After signing, Melendez made his professional debut with the Arizona League Royals where he posted a .262 batting average with four home runs and thirty RBIs over 47 games.[84] He spent 2018 with the Lexington Legends, slashing .251/.322/.492 with 19 home runs and 73 RBIs in 111 games,[85] earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors.[86] Melendez spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks[70] and was named a Carolina League All-Star.[87] Over 110 games, he batted .163/.260/.311 with nine home runs and 54 RBIs.[88]

Melendez's father, Mervyl Melendez, is the head coach of the Florida International Panthers baseball team.[89]

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Kevin Custer Merrell (born December 14, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Merrell was on the Citrus Park team that advanced to the 2008 Little League World Series. He attended Steinbrenner High School. In 2014, as a senior, he hit .462.[90] He was not drafted in the 2014 MLB draft and he then enrolled at the University of South Florida where he played college baseball.[91][92] In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[93] In 2017, Merrell's junior year, he slashed .384/.464/.569 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 52 games. After the season, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[94]

Merrell signed with Oakland and was assigned to the Vermont Lake Monsters where he batted .320 with two home runs, nine RBIs, and a .786 OPS in 31 games.[95] He spent 2018 with the Stockton Ports, with whom he was named a California League All-Star, slashing .267/.308/.326 with 24 RBIs in 62 games.[96] He began 2019 with the Midland RockHounds.[97]

On July 14, 2019, Merrell was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Homer Bailey.[98] Following the trade, he was assigned to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals,[99] with whom he finished the year. Over 124 games between Midland and Northwest Arkansas, Merrell batted .242/.287/.330 with two home runs, 47 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases.

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Blake Alexander Perkins (born September 10, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization.

The Washington Nationals drafted Perkins in the second round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft out of Verrado High School in Buckeye, Arizona. He was the 69th overall selection.[100] Although an Arizona State University Sun Devils commit, Perkins chose to sign with the Nationals for an $800,000 bonus.[101]

After signing, Perkins made his professional debut with the GCL Nationals where he hit .211 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 49 games. He spent a majority of 2016 with the Auburn Doubledays, slashing .233/.318/.281 with one home run, 16 RBIs, and ten stolen bases in 59 games. He also played in seven games for the Hagerstown Suns at the end of the season.[102] In 2017, Perkins was Hagerstown's starting center fielder and usual leadoff hitter, sharing an outfield with the likes of top Nationals prospects Juan Soto and Daniel Johnson.[103]

Perkins was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Nationals' 11th-best prospect entering the 2018 season, in which he started the year with the Potomac Nationals.[104] After batting .234 with one home run, 21 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases through 65 games at the new level,[105] during the Carolina League All-Star Break, Perkins was traded to the Kansas City Royals as part of a prospect package for Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera on June 18, 2018.[106] He was assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 64 games for the Blue Rocks, he batted .240 with two home runs, 18 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.[102] He returned to the Blue Rocks to begin 2019.

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Sebastian Rivero (born November 16, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball.

The Royals added Rivero to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft.[107]

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Ashelee "Ashe" Brenton Russell (born August 28, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Russell attended in Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Indiana both his junior and senior seasons.[108][109] As a sophomore, he went 12–1 with a 1.23 earned run average (ERA) with 101 strikeouts and as a junior he was 8–1 with a 0.88 ERA and 74 strikeouts.[110] In 2015, his senior year, he went 5–1 with a 0.63 ERA.[111] He committed to play college baseball at Texas A&M University.[112]

Russell was selected by the Kansas City Royals as the 21st overall pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft.[113] Russell signed with the Royals,[114] and was assigned to the Burlington Royals, where he posted a 4.21 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched. Russell only played two games in 2016 for the AZL Royals, compiling a 9.00 ERA in those two games,[115] before deciding to take a leave of absence from the game.[116]

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Nolan Michael Watson is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

At the time of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, Watson was 5–1 for Lawrence North High School, with an 0.63 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. Prior to the draft, he was ranked 56th by Baseball America's annual rankings of prospects. He committed to play college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores.[117] After his senior year, the Kansas City Royals selected Watson with the 33rd overall pick in the draft. He signed for $1,825,200.[118]

After signing, Watson was assigned to the Burlington Royals, going 0–3 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 starts. Watson spent 2016 with the Lexington Legends where he posted a 3–11 record, a 7.57 ERA, and a 1.75 WHIP over 24 starts. In 2017, he returned to Lexington, appearing in 15 games (13 starts) where he pitched to a 1–10 record with a 6.78 ERA,[119] and in 2018, he played for both Lexington and the Wilmington Blue Rocks, pitching to a combined 10–10 record with a 5.24 ERA in 24 total starts between both teams.[120] He began 2019 with Wilmington, but pitched in only one game due to injury.

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Stephen Hugo Woods Jr. (born June 10, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization.

Woods attended Half Hollow Hills East High School in Dix Hills, New York. While pitching for the school's baseball team in 2013, he threw two consecutive no-hitters.[121]

The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB draft, but he did not sign with the Rays. He enrolled at State University of New York at Albany, and played college baseball for the Albany Great Danes.[122] In the summer of 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball for the North Fork Ospreys of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League.[123] After his junior year, the San Francisco Giants selected him in the eighth round of the 2016 MLB draft. Woods signed with the Giants rather than return to Albany for his senior year.[122][124] He spent his first professional season with both the AZL Giants and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, posting a combined 1–2 record and 3.34 ERA in 35 total innings. In 2017, he played for the Augusta GreenJackets, going 6–7 with a 2.95 ERA in 110 innings.[125]

On December 20, 2017, the Giants traded Woods, Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, and Matt Krook to the Rays for Evan Longoria and cash considerations.[126] He did not pitch in 2018 due to injury. Woods returned to pitch in 2019, spending the year with the Charlotte Stone Crabs and compiling a 9–3 record with a 1.88 ERA over 18 games (12 starts), striking out 79 over ​86 ¹⁄₃ innings.[127]

On December 12, 2019, Woods was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2019 Rule 5 draft.[127]

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Ángel David Zerpa (born September 27, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Kansas City Royals organization.

Zerpa signed with the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in 2016. The Royals added him to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season.[62]

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