Kansas City announced that its Nos. 1 and 5 prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline. have been promoted to Triple-A Omaha and will begin play there on Tuesday when the Storm Chasers host St. Paul (Twins) for a six-game set at Werner Park. Both spent the first part of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, anchoring the infield and the middle of the lineup for the Naturals, and both started for the American League in the All-Star Futures Game last Sunday at Coors Field, with Witt Jr. leading off and playing shortstop and Pratto at first base.
And both had been dominating Double-A.
Witt Jr. -- MLB’s No. 7 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- entered Sunday hitting .292/.367/.564 for a .931 OPS. The 21-year-old phenom and No. 2 overall Draft pick in 2019 led the Double-A Central Division with 50 RBIs and ranked second in hits (71) and homers (16). The majority of his playing time came at shortstop, but he also started eight games at third base and excelled defensively at both.
Pratto entered MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list earlier this season, ranking No. 99. The 22-year-old had been mashing as much as Witt Jr. did, often hitting right behind his teammate in the Double-A lineup. The duo hit back-to-back homers four times this season for the Naturals.
Pratto entered Sunday hitting .273 with 13 doubles, four triples, 15 homers and 43 RBIs. He tops the division in extra-base hits (32) and is tied for the lead in walks (46). An elite defender at first base, Pratto has committed just one error in 60 games this season.
Pratto’s story is especially special after the struggles he went through at the plate in 2019, when he hit just .191 in 124 games at Class A Advanced Wilmington. After over a year of working to get his swing back to what it looked like when the Royals selected him in the first round of the 2017 Draft, Pratto and his coaches were adamant those struggles were behind him. And from the start of Spring Training until now, he’s proven that.
The expectations surrounding Pratto and Witt Jr. specifically have been at an all-time high since they impressed everyone during Major League Spring Training this year. But the Royals wanted to see consistent production at the Double-A level before making any moves, especially after Pratto’s 2019 season and Witt Jr. having played just 37 professional games before the 2021 season.
That box is now checked, and the Royals will likely want to see both play consistently and succeed at the Triple-A level -- which brings a new atmosphere and new challenge -- before making the next move.
Now, though, they’re both just a call away from Kansas City.
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July 19, 2021 at 08:09AM
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Royals promote Witt Jr., Pratto to Triple-A - MLB.com
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