Kansas City Royals prospect Chandler Champlain turned heads with 6 no-hit innings
Kansas City Royals Double-A right-hander Chandler Champlain’s performance turned heads on Thursday — at the ballpark and throughout the organization.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ starter threw six no-hit innings in a 3-1 win over the Arkansas Travelers.
In his second win of the season, he made quick work of the opposing lineup, retiring the first 14 batters before giving up a walk in the fifth inning. Although manager Tommy Shields handed the keys over to right-hander Noah Murdock after the sixth, Champlain finished with six strikeouts and a no-hit bid that the bullpen carried into the ninth.
Royals general manager JJ Picollo on Friday said he saw Champlain’s stat line but wasn’t able to watch the performance. However, he did highlight that both Champlain and Triple-A lefty Cole Ragans, who threw five scoreless innings on Thursday, had impressive outings.
“It was a pretty good night all together with pitching,” Picollo said. “(Right-hander) Beck Way has had a tough start to the season, but now we’ve put him in the bullpen — he’s done well. Champlain’s done a good job, you know, (lefty T.J.) Sikkema’s in a different role making that adjustment.”
Coincidentally, Champlain’s no-hit bid came on the anniversary of when he, Way and Sikkema were traded from the New York Yankees to the Royals as part of the Andrew Benintendi trade. All three pitchers are currently in Double-A.
Although Champlain was drafted in the latest round among the trio (ninth) and is the most recent draft pick (2021), the Royals No. 24 prospect via MLB.com has ascended through the Royals’ farm system quickly.
Royals rookie and starting pitcher Alec Marsh started the 2023 season with the Naturals but didn’t overlap with Champlain, who began the year with the organization’s High-A affiliate Quad Cities River Bandits. However, Marsh did talk to him during spring training.
Marsh had high praise for the second-year Champlain. And as a player who rose through the Royals farm system fast in his own right, Marsh emphasized the importance of staying in the present.
“(Champlain’s) really good, he’s hungry and he wants it,” Marsh said. “The best in the world are really good at flushing it and getting back out there and believing in their stuff, believing in their preparation and going to win games.”
Meanwhile, with the big-league club, Picollo announced starter and left-hander Daniel Lynch IV would be shut down for the next 2-3 weeks due to his left shoulder injury. Additionally, right-hander Brad Keller, who struggled in nine Triple-A appearances as part of a rehab stint, faced a setback yesterday.
Multiple arms going down doesn’t guarantee a promotion for Champlain or Ragans, who was acquired in the Aroldis Chapman trade and made his KC debut earlier this year.
However, Royals manager Matt Quatraro noted that does provide opportunities and chances for younger pitchers to step up.
“Anytime there’s an injury for one guy, it’s a negative and somebody else’s opportunity,” Quatraro said. “We certainly have guys that we feel good about and think highly of. And, you know, whoever that turns out to be, we look to them to take a step forward.”
