Things have been rough for the Kansas City Royals, as they are 18 games under .500 as of Friday, July 3rd. Sporting a 0.7% playoff odds before the Fourth of July isn’t the greatest place to be as an organization or fanbase. That said, there is some lingering hope in the Royals’ Minor Leagues that should help this fanbase be more optimistic about 2027 and beyond.
Let’s take a look at the top hitters in June from each Royals affiliate, and what these strong performances over the past month mean for not just the players themselves, but the farm system as the MLB Draft looms on July 12th.
*All Statcast summaries courtesy of TJ Stats.
I talked in a recent post about Lugo deserving a shot in Kansas City. His strong June at the plate is the reason why.
In 21 games and 80 at-bats with the Storm Chasers this month, Lugo hit .325 with a 1.035 OPS. He hit seven home runs, the most of any Omaha hitter in June, and scored 17 runs, which tied Abraham Toro for the June lead. Toro technically produced the better average (.326) and OPS (1.041). Still, I gave the edge to Lugo considering Lugo’s power (more home runs and higher slugging than Toro) and youth (25 to the 29-year-old Toro).
Lugo still had flaws this month. His 4.7% walk rate ranked in the 3rd percentile, and his 34% O-Swing% ranked in the 12th percentile. That said, his barrel rate ranked in the 90th percentile (11.5%), his LA Sweet-Spot% ranked in the 97th percentile (45.9%), and his Pull Air% ranked in the 88th percentile (19.7%). The Royals need bats who can not only hit for power but also pull the ball effectively, especially at home, where the stadium’s dimensions are modified.
Hopefully, the former Angels prospect will get a chance to do that in Kansas City sooner rather than later.
Double-A Northwest Arkansas: Jack Pineda, 2B/SS/3B
The Naturals struggled in June hitting-wise. That was especially true of their top players. Carson Roccaforte, our No. 8 prospect at Royals Keep, hit .200 with a .683 OPS. Daniel Vazquez, our No. 18 prospect, hit .247 with a .687 OPS. Sam Kulasingam, who looked to be on the verge of a promotion to Omaha in May, only hit .173 with a .612 OPS.
One Northwest Arkansas player that did NOT struggle was Pineda, a Royals 12th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
In 78 at-bats (second most of any Naturals player this month), the utility infielder hit .346 with a .908 OPS. He launched two home runs, scored 10 runs, and collected 14 RBI. The latter led all Naturals players this month in that category. The former Baylor product also drew 11 walks to only 9 strikeouts and stole 9 bases on 10 attempts in June.
The 26-year-old infielder also had a 15-game on-base streak that extended from June 13th to July 1st (it ended on July 2nd against Corpus Christi).
Pineda is an aggressive hitter who can chase a lot (31.8% O-Swing% this month), but he makes contact frequently (82.5% Z-Contact%). If the Royals opt to promote Peyton Wilson this year, Pineda could replace him on the Storm Chasers roster.
The 5’8, 170-pound infielder isn’t a high-ceiling prospect, and his profile seems more similar to Nicky Lopez than Michael Massey. That said, the Royals need gritty guys who play good defense, are efficient on the basepaths, and can put the ball in play. Perhaps Pineda can satisfy that role in Kansas City in 2027.
High-A Quad Cities: Luke Pelzer, OF
There are a lot of big names in Quad Cities, as catcher Blake Mitchell and pitcher Kendry Chourio were the two representatives chosen to represent the Royals in the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, June 12th (the same day as the Draft). However, while Pelzer doesn’t have the prospect status of those two, or position players like Ramon Ramirez (No. 6), Asbel Gonzalez (No. 9), or Austin Charles (No. 17), he has arguably been one of the most productive hitters this season in Davenport.
In 77 at-bats in June, the 2025 17th-round pick hit .390 with a .966 OPS. While he didn’t hit a home run, he produced a .494 Slugging thanks to six doubles and one triple. Pelzer also scored 14 runs, collected 15 RBI, and stole 6 bases on 7 attempts. The University of Illinois-Chicago product also drew 12 walks to just 17 strikeouts, good for a 0.71 ratio.
Another intriguing aspect of Pelzer’s profile is that he’s been extremely productive with ducks on the pond. He has produced a .525 average in RISP and 2-Out situations this season, according to the Royals Player Development social media account.
Pelzer didn’t pull the ball much this month (13th percentile Pull Air%), but he is a patient hitter (27th percentile in June) who doesn’t chase (70th percentile O-Swing%), whiff (79th percentile whiff%), or strike out (81st percentile). That profile should earn him a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas soon.
Gamble’s overall numbers this year in Columbia are atrocious. In 70 games and 304 plate appearances, he is hitting .182 with a .565 OPS. However, that was mostly due to brutal months in April (23 TJ Bat+) and May (46 TJ Bat+).
It’s been a much different story in June for Gamble, and he’s finally showing fans why the Royals drafted him 23rd overall in last year’s MLB Draft.
In 77 at-bats this month, Gamble is hitting .260 with a .760 OPS. His TJ Bat+ in June is 107, 84 points higher than his April mark and 61 points higher than his May mark. The former IMG Academy scored 13 runs, collected 14 RBI, and stole 10 bases on 11 attempts. Another impressive development? He drew 13 walks to 20 strikeouts, good for a 0.65 mark.
The 19-year-old showed much better plate discipline in June, with a 22.2% O-Swing% (81st percentile), a 21.8% whiff rate (84th percentile), and 84.7% Z-Contact% (76th percentile). He also pulled the ball much better this past month, as his 15.5% PullAir% ranked in the 66th percentile. That resulted in some big hits, as he had four doubles, a triple, and a home run this month.
Fellow 2025 MLB Draft selection Josh Hammond has gotten more attention in Columbia, and he had a great month as well, hitting .316 with two home runs in 98 at-bats. However, Gamble actually had a better OPS than Hammond in June (.746), with Gamble striking out the same amount (20), but walking six more times than Hammond this month.
Many jaded Royals fans have already chimed in that Gamble is another Royals draft “bust.” That said, this past month has demonstrated that Gamble has made the necessary adjustments to Low-A pitching (a promising development sign), and he’s showing he could have a future as a defensive and speed specialist who can maintain discipline at the plate and make regular contact.
A strong July and early August could help propel Gamble to a short stint in Quad Cities during the stretch run in late August and September, something that seemed unthinkable back in May.
Interested in learning more about the Kansas City Royals’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalskeep.com ’
