The Royals are everyone's favorite underdog; how can you not be a fan of a guy like Salvy? He's clearly on the downside of his illustrious career, but is still the heartbeat of this, now, up-and-coming team. Perez is the sole remaining member of the 2015 World Series team, which was widely regarded at the time as the beginning of a potential dynasty. The Royals had developed a pitching strategy that shortened the game to 5 or 6 innings, allowing the small-market team to effectively compete without having to shell out large contracts for starting pitchers. Immediately following that magical championship run, they began a run of eight straight losing seasons.
The Royals are now coming out of that slide, and 2025 was their second straight winning season. The core is young and exciting, and the farm is as deep as it's been in years. They have top-end hitting, solid pitching, and they play very good defense. The biggest challenge for this organization right now is to build the depth needed to navigate a 162-game season and make a run deep into October.
This hitting group took a big step forward in 2025. When you have a perennial MVP candidate on your roster, you almost take for granted what he does for your lineup. Bobby Witt Jr. is a special player, and he makes so many of his teammates better. Two key offensive pieces stepped up in a big way, with Vinnie P. and Maikel Garcia becoming key cogs in the Royals' order. Throw Salvy into the mix, and the quartet of hitters combined for 102 homers; no small feat when half your games are at the "K". The Royals have a couple of more young sluggers who will try to lengthen the lineup in Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen; both possess top-of-the-scale power that could make this lineup a nightmare to face.
The rotation is a strength, led by staff ace Cole Ragans. Ragans made just 13 starts in 2025 but returned in September looking like himself. He's the type of arm you want in a Game 1 playoff scenario. Veteran righties Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha provide quality innings in the middle of the rotation, while lefthanders Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron add some youth and upside to the group. The bullpen is anchored by the 42-save arm of Carlos Estevez, who used his defense and the roomy confines of his home ballpark to secure wins for Kansas City. Lucas Erceg might be the most talented arm in this pen, and he could end up stealing saves or even taking the job altogether if Estevez falters.
The farm system has some very interesting prospects, headlined by Carter Jensen. Behind him, there are some extremely talented teenage pitchers in Kendry Chourio and David Shields; both have high ceilings and could move quickly through the system. The Royals' most recent draft brought in a couple of high school hitters in Sean Gamble and Josh Hammond. They are both years away, but have the talent to be big leaguers someday.
This team is on the upswing, and the hope is that they can have a more sustainable playoff success this time around. Plenty of Royals have dynasty value, and we should all be paying attention.
This is an easy one after his hot finish to the season, but it still feels like there could be room for profit with Carter Jensen. Maybe some were checked out while playing fantasy football, maybe others think it was a mirage - but he’s just not being priced as a potential top-5 catcher, something the metrics and his minor league stats indicate he is capable of becoming one day. While that level of stardom may never happen, it’s worth checking in with your league’s GMs to see if you can trade a DSL darling for Jensen’s proximal talent.
Jac Caglianone
While it was tempting to write about young stud SP David Shields here, his value is on the upswing while Jac Caglianone’s prospect shine has worn down considerably since his big-league promotion. There’s still a towering level of power here, and the Royals will give him every shot to prove himself as an impact bat, given the team’s need for help on offense. His contact rates and strikeout % were actually pretty good for a rookie last year, so there’s likely to be a ton of positive regression as soon as 2026.
Dynasty Sells
Carlos Estevez
While Estevez has a fine 2025 season, his velo was down, command was shaky, and he generated fewer whiffs than ever. As a 33-year-old pitcher with a ton of body mass, these are not the trends you are looking for…no matter how cool his closing celebration may be. Perhaps it was only a bump in the road, but if the Royals start looking like a playoff contender and the 6’6, 277 lbs beast starts blowing saves, don’t be surprised if the team looks to Lucas Erceg to take over closing duties in Kansas City.
Kris Bubic
This pains me to write, as I am one of Bubic’s bigger fans, but it just seems like it’s hard to find over-hyped value in the middle of America! While my heart is convinced that Bubic has a legitimate SP1 profile, the injury history is growing hard to ignore - and he’s also making headlines in a dull period of the offseason due to trade rumors. That could create a good selling window for a player who carries significant risk due to availability, despite the nice upside. Like the Royals, I recommend you be willing to hold him if the right offer doesn’t come along in dynasty leagues. Don’t sell cheap!
Top Fantasy Prospects
Players are in order of their fantasy prospect ranking from our September end of season list.
Carter Jensen excelled in Triple-A last season, posting a 15-game on-base streak at one point and a zone-contact rate above 90% and had a batting practice showcase for the ages at the Futures Game in Atlanta, peppering the roof of the Chop House in right field of Truist Park with his homers. One year ago, in his fantasy outlook, I said Jensen might see a September cup of coffee prior to a “significant stint in 2026”; Jensen debuted on September 1, 2025. Through a 20-game, 69-at-bat stint in the Show, Jensen’s bat led the way with aplomb, lifting and pulling the ball 24.6% better than average while posting a 58.3% hard-hit rate, a 20.8% barrel rate, and 95.4 MPH average exit velocity based on his 74.8 MPH average bat speed. Despite the very real power, Jensen also operated under sound discipline at the plate, balancing some of the swing-and-miss in his profile with 24% chase and 13% walk rates. Breaking balls gave him some issues, but he cracked fastballs and off-speed pitches well. The Dynasty Team slotted Jensen as its 75th overall prospect in September 2025, but he is likely to be among the first MiLB players selected in any startup league due to the immediate impact he will have. There’s absolutely All-Star upside with Jensen and his combination of effortless power and improving defense at the dish, so invest confidently in the 22-year-old. - Drew Wheeler
Chourio accomplished a rare feat in 2025: he pitched so well in the Dominican Summer League (2.04 ERA, 1.88 FIP) and then again at the Complex (2.45 ERA, 1.95 FIP) that the Royals rewarded him with a second in-season promotion, sending him to Single-A at just seventeen years old. Though his six starts in full-season ball were more of a challenge (5.16 ERA, 3.66 FIP), the Venezuelan right-hander’s meteoric rise through Kansas City’s system caught the attention of the fantasy world. Though a bit undersized at just 6’0, 160 lbs., Chourio’s command might be double-plus when fully developed. He walked an astoundingly low 2.4% of all batters faced in 2025, while still posting a strikeout rate of 25% or higher at all three levels where he featured. If his secondaries mature into true plus-offerings to match his mid-90s fastball, Chourio will see his stock soar even higher in 2026. For now, he enters his age-18 season as the Royals’ top pitching prospect and a fringe top-100 prospect overall. - Lucas Morel
Shields already possesses poise and pitchability well beyond his years, and while his stuff isn't overpowering, it was good enough to strike out 28% of batters in Single-A. As a former two-sport athlete who also excelled as a quarterback and reclassified to enter the draft a year early, he debuted at just 18 years old and will likely take the step to High-A as a 19-year-old with plenty of projection remaining. He gets a healthy amount of ground balls, nearly 50% on the year, and fills up the zone to the tune of a 65% strike rate and 5% walk rate. Without a significant uptick in velocity and other key metrics (which could very well happen), he may not have the makings of a fantasy ace, but he does look like he could be a steady two or three if everything comes together. He climbed the ranks to near the top 150 range in 2025 and could quickly enter the top 100 conversation with a strong start in 2026. - Kyle Sonntag
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Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Dynasty player of 10+ years. Helping you find the building blocks of your championship rosters as a co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023, joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
