Pitching prospects Singer, Lynch, Kowar and Bubic headline Royals’ spring invites
The Kansas City Royals’ non-roster invites to big league spring training will feature a large contingent of the club’s top-rated pitching prospects, including Brady Singer, the team’s 2018 top draft pick and the organization’s Double-A Pitcher of the Year for 2019.
The Royals announced their list of 26 players who will be non-roster invitations to major league spring training on Monday.
Recent draft picks and minor-league pitchers Kris Bubic, Jake Kalish, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, Daniel Tillo, Tyler Zuber and Singer will be part of big league camp for the first time in their careers.
Bubic, Lynch, Kowar and Singer were all drafted in the 2018 first round. Singer and Kowar finished last season pitching at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, while Lynch spent the entire year at High-A Wilmington.
Lynch, a left-hander, missed several starts because of elbow discomfort, and he pitched in the Arizona Fall League after the conclusion of the minor-league season.
Bubic, a left-hander, was chosen the High-A Pitcher of the Year after beginning the season with Low-A Lexington.
Baseball America ranks Lynch the No. 2 prospect in the club’s farm system, followed by Kowar (No. 3) and Singer (No. 4). Bubic ranks eighth.
Pitchers also invited to spring camp are Ofreidy Gomez, Arnaldo Hernandez, Andres Machado, Yunior Marte and Conner Greene.
Outfielders Kyle Isbel and Khalil Lee, the No. 5 and No. 7 prospects, respectively, lead the group of minor-league position players not on the 40-man roster who’ll be in camp. Lee stole 50 bases on his way to earning the Royals’ Double-A Player of the Year award.
Also earning invitations were catchers Nick Dini, MJ Melendez, Freddy Fermin and Sebastian Rivero. Dini, Melendez and Rivero spent time in big league camp last year. Dini got called up to the majors for the first time in his career last summer.
Infielders Gabriel Cancel, Humberto Arteaga and Emmanuel Rivera also garnered invites. Arteaga, a shortstop/second baseman, was also called up to the majors last season. They’ll be joined by infielder Kevin Merrell, acquired via trade from the Oakland Athletics last summer, and infielder/outfielder Erick Mejia, who got called up to the majors in September.
Pitchers Trevor Rosenthal and Braden Shipley as well as infielder Matt Reynolds were signed as free agents this offseason. They’ll all also be in big league camp as non-roster invitees.
The club’s spring training roster now includes 66 players. Pitchers and catchers report to Surprise, Arizona, on Feb. 11. The first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 17.
