Royals prospect Justin Lamkin rising fast in minor leagues

Left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin has rocketed through the Kansas City Royals’ minor-league system since being drafted in 2025. The 21-year-old Texas native recently earned a promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas after dominating in High-A.

FULL STORY: Meet the Royals’ left-handed pitching prospect skyrocketing through the minors

Here are key takeaways:

• The Royals selected Lamkin in the Competitive Balance Round B (71st overall) of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Texas A&M, where he played three seasons after a standout prep career at Calallen High School in Corpus Christi, Texas.
• The 6-foot-4, 210-pound southpaw posted a 1.27 ERA in six starts with High-A Quad Cities before his promotion. He now has a 3.97 ERA in 11 ⅓ innings at Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
• Lamkin throws four pitches: a fastball at 91-93 mph, a gyro slider, a changeup and a curveball. His deceptive crossfire delivery helps hide his pitches during his windup.
• Royals senior director of pitching performance Paul Gibson compared Lamkin to Royals lefty starter Kris Bubic, citing similarities in “makeup, work ethic, deception and delivery.”
• In a recent start against the Amarillo Sod Poodles, Lamkin allowed one run and struck out eight, throwing 52 of 73 pitches for strikes.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.