The intrigue derived from the velocity, at least initially, but as Royals scouts further studied Kyle Zimmer in 2012, they were awed by the full repertoire. Ahead of the June draft that year, Baseball America graded Zimmer’s fastball as unmatched in the college game, and ranked his curveball third among college draft prospects.
But while his predecessors in the organization — Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and the like — led the Royals to a world championship, Zimmer’s career never sidestepped the disabled list long enough to take flight.
On Thursday, the Royals finally cut bait on Zimmer, a former first-round pick once labeled the organization’s top prospect, by designating him for assignment hours before the season opener with the White Sox.