Royals Blake Mitchell’s prospect pedigree takes brutal hit after MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 update

Boy, if Kansas City Royals prospect hounds did not already have a polarizing view on prospect Blake Mitchell, MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 update will not help things. The MLB Pipeline team put together a pre-draft update for their top 100 prospects in the game, a ranking that has not been kind to the Royals since the prospect days of shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

This update was especially unkind to Mitchell, who was the only top-50 ranked prospect to fall out of the rankings altogether. That is a steep drop that should not be taken lightly. But the Pipeline team’s reasoning remains sound as Mitchell battles in High-A.

“Mitchell’s power, patience and ability to lift the ball remain tantalizing, but his overall contact rate has taken a step back from 2025 to 2026, leading him to continue to strike out in more than one-third of his High-A plate appearances. It’s an untenable trend for this T100 list.”

Sam Dykstra, MLB Pipeline

Blake Mitchell’s 2026 results don’t cement him in the Royals’ future plans.

“Untenable” is the right word to describe Mitchell at the plate right now. Sure, he is on pace for a 20/20 season with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases through 67 High-A games, but his 24.6% walk rate and 34.8% strikeout rate are impossible to ignore. That puts him squarely in the three-true-outcomes profile, a spot that is hard to carry from the farm to the majors.

He is also being more passive than ever, yet still making contact at a career-low 57.6% rate. For reference, the worst qualified MLB batter in that regard is Oneil Cruz, who has a 64.6% contact rate.

The Texas native is likely still dealing with the aftereffects of a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, which limited him to 60 games last year. He had an up-and-down year with the Quad Cities River Bandits but posted some exemplary metrics and a .745 OPS in 19 Arizona Fall League games last year. He earned an invite to big league camp this past spring, but still looks far, far away from being a big league regular.

This update leaves the Royals with two Top 100 prospects, though. Right-handed pitcher Kendry Chourio comes in at 70th, while 2025 draftee Josh Hammond sits at 87th. Both have had solid starts to the 2026 season, headlined by Chourio earning a promotion to High-A at just 18 and Hammond slashing .375/.444/.550 in his last 10 games at Low-A. Kansas City still lacks the overall prospect power that most other teams have, and that feels even more empty with most of the pipeline not ready for The Show.

Mitchell was already an unpopular first-round selection back in 2023, and this fall in his prospect profile will not help matters.