3 Royals prospects who lost their shine after disappointing 2025 seasons

The Kansas City Royals may have been largely disappointing from the major league sense in 2025 after missing the postseason following their magical 2024 run.

But falling short wasn’t a universal trend throughout the organization this season, as there were plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the Royals’ farm system in 2025, with the meteoric rises of several names as well as some overall team success from specific squads.

That being said, there were a few promising names that brought the Royals prospect excitement back down to earth with underwhelming seasons of their own.

3 Royals prospects who lost their shine after disappointing 2025 seasons

RHP Chandler Champlain

While 2024 may not have been the best season for Champlain – after he tossed to a respectable 3.50 ERA in seven starts in Double-A – there was reason to believe that his 5.61 ERA in 104.1 Triple-A innings could very well have just been growing pains to a new level.

Nothing could be further from the truth though, as 2025 was a season of nightmares for the 26-year-old righty.

In 119.1 innings of work across 29 outings in Omaha (25 of which were starts), Champlain threw to a 7.84 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .316 BAA. He was only striking out hitters at a 17.7% clip and walking them 9.0% of the time.

Once ranked 12th overall in the Royals’ system as recently as 2024 by MLB Pipeline, Champlain has rightfully found himself on the outside of the Top 30 looking in this season.

And at the age of 26 with such poor statistics, he looks closer to being left unprotected for this year’s upcoming Rule 5 Draft than he does to coming remotely close to stepping foot on a major league mound.

RHP Steven Zobac

Next we move to Zobac, who has a bit more of an excuse for his poor numbers than someone like Champlain has, but has still lost some of his prospect shine nonetheless.

Injuries plagued his season this year, as after pitching in Double-A Northwest Arkansas on April 10, he didn’t make his next start for the Naturals until June 13 due to a knee injury. Then after nearly two months on the mound, his season would end early after being placed on the IL again on August 11.

When he was on the mound though, he looked nothing like the mid-3.00s ERA arm he was in 2024 or the pitcher that looked promising during spring training this year. In 44.2 innings across 14 starts, Zobac threw to a 7.68 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and .348 BAA.

He still seems to be held in high regard in the Royals system, with MLB Pipeline ranking him at No. 11 in the system. However, with the rise of names like Kendry Chourio, David Shields and Drew Beam to add to an already crowded pitching mix, perhaps the Royals prospect system is outgrowing him.

2B/OF Javier Vaz

This one might be harsh, as Vaz could perhaps still have a role to play on this Royals team in the future, but it’s hard to look at his 2025 season in the minors and feel he took a step forward.

In his second full season in Double-A, the 25-year-old second base and corner outfield prospect only mustered an average looking .256 AVG along with an underwhelming .685 OPS and 99 wRC+, which overshadowed his visible skills like his strong plate discipline – he walked 11.5% of the time while striking out only 9.2% of the time.

Unlike Champlain and Zobac, it’s easier to see a path to the majors for someone like Vaz who’s positionally versatile, has solid plate discipline and can hit for a decent average. However, it’s hard to see someone more than a bench option at the moment, especially considering he’s yet to reach Triple-A and just came off a below average year in Double-A.

With the rise of outfield prospects like Carson Roccaforte, Asbel Gonzalez along with the strong start to the professional career of Nolan Sailors, paired with the rise of infielders like Yandel Ricardo and the presence of the newly drafted Josh Hammond and fellow utility man Sean Gamble, there seems to be more and more promising competition for Vaz to compete with.

And considering that he’s only gotten worse at the plate statistically the further he’s gotten into his pro career, it’s not crazy to say he’s lost his shine. His Pipeline prospect ranking also plays into this argument, as he dropped from No. 16 to No. 24 in the span of a year.