While the Kansas City Royals’ mindset and leadership changes years ago revealed more immediate impacts, the change was more slow rolling down the farm. After all, a new front office cannot just undo years of development and drafting to accommodate a new mindset or mold.
That is why when the Royals moved on from Lonnie Goldberg overseeing Kansas City’s amateur drafts, the change in ideology took a while to take hold. The early players in that process are in the minors’ lower levels, which is why so many prospect hounds are watching the Low-A Columbia Fireflies and High-A Quad Cities River Bandits in 2025. If fans tune in to that elite River Bandits rotation, there is a 2024 draftee standing head and shoulders above his peers so far this season.
Enter Drew Beam.
KC Royals fans should know the name Drew Beam, and his 2025 start proves that.
After a standout career at Tennessee—capping off a College World Series title and a stint on the 2023 USA Collegiate National Team—the Royals grabbed right-hander Drew Beam in the third round of the 2024 draft. Now Beam’s championship pedigree is on full display with the River Bandits…