Back in 2023, J.J. Picollo and his staff were preparing for their first draft since taking over in the offseason. Fans were looking for a change of pace after several frustrating years of under-slot picks and blowouts in development through the minor leagues. The Royals were picking at eight, and fans were hoping the 2023 draft would help the team turn around one of the worst farm systems in baseball.
Picollo and his staff were also hoping that the 2023 draft would be a turning point for the organization, but not quite in the way that fans wanted. The Royals spent three of their first four picks on prep players (Blake Mitchell, Blake Wolters, and Hiro Wyatt), much to the chagrin of fans who were hoping to see a top college player who could have an early impact. With the low hit rate on prep catchers and prep right-handed pitchers, fans were frustrated that the Royals took on a lot of risks so early in the draft.
Blake Mitchell was widely seen as a reach in the draft, but the staff assured fans that they had confidence in the pick. Selecting Mitchell also allowed the Royals to save money for later rounds, money they spent on prep pitchers like Blake Wolters and Hiro Wyatt. While there was frustration over the Mitchell pick, it was short-lived, and Mitchell is widely viewed as the best prospect in the Royals organization. Today, I take a look at one of the pitchers the Royals were able to land later on in the draft… Hiro Wyatt.
Hiro Wyatt was the fourth player selected by the Royals when they added him in the third round of the 2023 class. They were able to sign him with a hefty signing bonus that came in more than $500,000 over slot. Wyatt was widely viewed as the best prep pitcher out of Connecticut, the same state that produced Royals’ 2021 first-round pick Frank Mozzicato.
Wyatt dealt with various injuries when he first arrived in the organization, and did not make his organizational debut until the middle of the 2024 season. As Wyatt started to get healthy, the team elected to start him in rookie ball and moved him to Low-A Colombia for the rest of the year. In Colombia, Wyatt impressed, throwing just 27 innings and posting a 2.67 ERA over his six starts.
Wyatt had flashes of brilliance in Colombia, showing exactly what made the Royals fall in love with him during the draft. His mid-90s fastball also came with good life, giving him a strong primary pitch he could land for strikes with consistency. But the real calling card for Wyatt is his elite mid-80s slider that he could slow down and morph into a big sweeper, getting a lot of swing and miss on both pitches. The two pitches play well off each other and proved to be a doozy for other Carolina League hitters to catch up with.
Since being drafted, Wyatt was viewed as a raw prospect who relied heavily on his stuff but had the projectability to become a reliable starter in the major leagues. His thin frame showed room for even more power on his six-foot-one frame, and the Royals felt that if they could help him build a consistent offspeed pitch, he could move quickly through the organization. Command was always shaky for Wyatt, and taking some effort out of his delivery helped, but the hope was that an effective offspeed pitch could help balance some of the control issues.
Wyatt spent the entire 2025 season with the Fireflies, continuing to refine his throwing motion and build his offspeed offering. The stats for Wyatt may not catch your eye, but he has made noticeable steps forward, keeping him in the conversation as one of the Royals’ top pitching prospects. This season, Wyatt has a 4.97 ERA over 70.2 innings and has struggled with his changeup shape and command, leaving the ball in the middle too often and giving up a lot of hard contact.
This season, Wyatt has shown some flashes, but late-season struggles were a setback, and this offseason will be key for his development. The changeup simply has not been working so far, and he could benefit from working on his grip and arm motion with hopes of finding some consistency. He could look to transition to a split-finger grip that eliminates the use of other fingers on the ball and may be more comfortable for him. Nonetheless, the ceiling is still sky high for Hiro Wyatt, and if there is anyone who can make the most out of him, it’s Brian Sweeney and the Royals.