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With the minor-league season winding down, organizations are shuffling players to either bolster the big-league club or give prospects a late chance to strengthen their case. <\/p>\n
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The Kansas City Royals made one such move in late August, promoting right-hander Shane Panzini from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Triple-A Omaha<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Panzini was another prep player selected high in the 2021 MLB Draft class that included catcher Carter Jensen<\/a> and pitcher Ben Kudrna. Panzini was selected in the draft’s fourth round<\/a> out of Red Bank Catholic in Red Bank, New Jersey. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It took a few seasons of Panzini to get things rolling professionally, however. Between 2022 and 2024, he struggled across Low-A Columbia and High-A Quad Cities, making 46 starts with a 5.20 ERA and matching 5.20 FIP. Command issues, namely, too many walks and home runs, hampered his progress, though his strikeout stuff kept him firmly on the radar of die-hard Royals prospect watchers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In his age-23 season<\/a>, Panzini looks to have turned a corner. He opened the year back in Quad Cities and immediately resembled a different pitcher. Used more as a bulk arm than a traditional starter, he posted a stellar 2.76 ERA with a 29.8% strikeout rate, earning a promotion to Double-A for a larger workload. Over 13 games (10 starts) with the Naturals, the sample may be modest, but the consistency stood out\u2014he maintained an above-average 27.0% strikeout rate while cutting his walk rate to a career-low 8.7%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shane Panzini was \ud83d\udcb8 tonight!<\/p>\n Final Line: \u2014 Northwest Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) June 11, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n July was his best month this season, recording a 1.40 ERA within four starts, including a 4.1 shutout start against the Arkansas Travelers on July 24. Panzini struck out six batters in that start, the second-most of his Double-A body of work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what\u2019s changed? It all comes back to velocity<\/a>. Panzini has always had above-average extension and a quirky over-the-head delivery that helped his 91\u201393 mph fastball play up. But in 2024, he\u2019s sitting more in the 92\u201397 mph range as a starter, with both his curveball and slider ticking up as well. Whether that\u2019s the product of offseason work or simply better overall health, the results speak loudly. His curveball remains a strong complement with true 12\u20136 break, while his slider still lacks some of the bite evaluators want. Even so, Panzini has shifted his trajectory from being viewed as a reliever-only arm to once again being a legitimate starting prospect.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The looming Rule 5 Draft adds extra urgency<\/a> to Panzini\u2019s stint in Triple-A. A strong finish could catch the eye of a team willing to stash him as a two-pitch reliever in the majors right now. Kansas City, however, wants more evaluation time, looking to see if he can consistently handle multi-inning work against more polished competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This promotion isn\u2019t just a reward for Panzini\u2019s recent performance but a vote of confidence in his growth. If he can carry his Double-A success into the tougher Triple-A environment, he could soon earn a spot on the Royals\u2019 40-man roster and put himself on track for a major league debut in 2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe Royals are bumping up another forgotten pitching prospect to close out 2025<\/h2>\n
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5\u20e3.0\u20e3IP, 1\u20e3H, 0\u20e3R, 0\u20e3BB, 7\u20e3K pic.twitter.com\/UN1NVmFb2h<\/a><\/p>\n