No. 3 prospect Kudrna to be managed by childhood idol

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. LOUIS -- As a Kansas City native, Ben Kudrna is a Royals fan through and through, one who attended many games at Kauffman Stadium when he was at Blue Valley Southwest High School in the Kansas City suburbs.

But a good part of Kudrna’s life was spent in the Dallas area. His family moved there when he was young before moving back to Kansas City when Kudrna was in middle school. The now 21-year-old Kudrna said he was “obsessed” with all things baseball growing up, so any chance he could go to a Rangers game in Arlington, he’d go watch Adrian Beltré and Ian Kinsler on those early 2010s Texas teams.

So when Kudrna attends the 2024 Futures Game in Arlington next week, along with Gavin Cross as the Royals’ representatives, it might not be a true homecoming -- but it will be a full-circle moment for the Royals’ No. 3 prospect.

Especially because Beltré will be in the dugout with Kudrna on Saturday as the American League Futures manager, while Michael Young manages the National League Futures team. Kinsler will serve as the NL bench coach.

“When you’re a little kid, you just like sports, any and everything,” Kudrna said. “I was 7 or 8 years old, watching Beltré play, and now he’s going to be my manager for the day.

“It’s an honor to represent myself and the organization and our players. Just to be able to go out and have fun, compete. It’s a pretty special opportunity not many people get, so it means a lot. And it’s important. But it’s all about having fun there and going out there to get the experience.”

The Futures Game is one of the biggest prospect events of the year, and each team sends at least one player to the event held as a precursor to the All-Star Game. The Royals’ second-round Draft pick in 2021, Kudrna has a 3.20 ERA this year across 13 starts in High-A Quad Cities, with 66 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings.

Cross, the Royals’ first-round pick in 2022 and current No. 7 prospect, is slashing .295/.369/.448 with 16 doubles and eight homers in Double-A Northwest Arkansas this year, finally healthy after a crazy and at times scary health journey last year.

“To have two players representing the organization at the Futures Game is really great,” Royals director of player development Mitch Maier said. “We know the track record of being the best of the best in the Minor Leagues, and to have Gavin and Ben represent us in Arlington on Saturday is a huge honor to them and a testament to their successes. Really excited for them.”

For Kudrna, this year has brought more consistency from start to start than he saw last year, when he posted a 4.22 ERA across Single-A and High-A. His ability to limit the damage of one bad start and bounce back the next time has been a good step forward for him in his career, and part of the maturation process the Royals wanted to see from the young pitcher. Two starts ago, he fired six scoreless innings with no walks and nine strikeouts.

“That’s been the big thing this year is just to stay levelheaded and evaluate where I’m at day to day, start day to start day, how I can put up zeroes no matter what?” Kudrna said. “Being able to find what’s working and get guys out, that’s allowed me to stay consistent.”

Kudrna, who was on a pitch limit in his last start on Tuesday so he can pitch Saturday in the Futures Game, has emphasized staying on the attack with his fastball to get ahead of hitters instead of relying too heavily on his slider and changeup. That allows him to use his secondary stuff more effectively.

“Hitters are better at every level, and he’s made the adjustment with pitch execution with his entire arsenal to be able to match that,” Maier said. “He’s on the attack with strikes, and it shows every time he steps on the mound.”

Kudrna will have his family in town for the Futures Game. When he’s not on the mound, he’ll try to learn as much as he can from his peers and the star-studded staff he’ll be surrounded by on the field.

“It’ll be fun from the competitive side, because everyone there is really good,” Kudrna said. “That’ll be exciting, just to throw in front of everyone. But then you look at the other side, pick people’s brains, talk about things, see what people see. That’s the beauty of having an event like this. You get so many aspects of baseball that it’s hard not to learn what you can from it.”