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The Kansas City Royals sent a strong prospect contingent to the Arizona Fall League this offseason, and the results have been mixed. <\/p>\n
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Shortstop Daniel Vazquez has stood out as the club\u2019s most productive position player<\/a>, while catcher Blake Mitchell continues to search for his power stroke after an injury-plagued 2025. On the pitching side, names like A.J. Causey have struggled, while reliever Dennis Colleran has emerged as one of the Surprise Saguaros\u2019 top bullpen arms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals\u2019 2024 AFL group yielded tangible big-league impact the following season. If there\u2019s a player from the 2025 class with the potential to follow that path, it\u2019s outfielder Carson Roccaforte.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Royals vice president of research and development Daniel Mack praised Roccaforte, noting that the outfielder \u201ckept that momentum going\u201d after climbing from High-A Quad Cities to Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2025. That momentum has carried straight into Arizona.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHands in and crushed it.\u201d<\/p>\n Carson Roccaforte connects for Surprise. #RaisingRoyals<\/a>\ud83d\udc51 pic.twitter.com\/6qapYZSVC8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Raising Royals (@KCRoyalsPD) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n The Louisiana-Lafayette product is slashing .279\/.393\/.485 through 18 AFL games, good for a .878 OPS over 84 plate appearances. He leads all Surprise hitters in extra-base hits (10) and ranks second on the team in RBI (18), trailing only Vazquez. After going homerless for much of the fall, Roccaforte has now also gone deep twice in the past week<\/a>, a welcome development even if power has never been his primary tool.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This production continues a strong second half from Roccaforte, who impressed after his midseason promotion to the Texas League. After a disappointing 2024, the biggest question surrounding his profile was whether he could bounce back at the plate and he emphatically answered that in 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roccaforte posted a 138 wRC+ across 127 minor league games, along with 18 home runs and 43 stolen bases, both career highs. He was one of only four minor leaguers to record at least 18 home runs and 40 stolen bases this past season, joining top overall prospect Konnor Griffin on that exclusive list.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Congratulations Carson Roccaforte\u2026<\/p>\n 2025 Frank White Defensive Player of the Year! #RaisingRoyals<\/a>\ud83d\udc51 pic.twitter.com\/9VqeZWghh5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Raising Royals (@KCRoyalsPD) September 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n Roccaforte\u2019s defensive skills have also translated well to the AFL, reinforcing his status as MLB-ready in the field. He captured the Frank White Defensive Player of the Year Award <\/a>in both 2024 and 2025, becoming the first player to win it in back-to-back years since the award was created in 2008.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Royals fans may be wary of yet another glove-first, left-handed-hitting center fielder, Roccaforte\u2019s offensive ceiling appears higher than Kyle Isbel\u2019s based on minor league performance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n His combination of plus defense, speed, and gap-to-gap power gives him a realistic path toward a big-league future. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now 23, Roccaforte seems primed for his first Major League spring training invite in 2026, where he\u2019ll get the chance to prove himself on a bigger stage. He remains an extreme long shot for the Opening Day roster, but continued momentum could push him further into Kansas City\u2019s plans for the upcoming season<\/a> and beyond.<\/p>\n <\/div>\nThe Royals outfield picture gets deeper with Carosn Roccaforte’s strong fall.<\/h2>\n
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