Royals Promote No. 9 Prospect Drew Waters From Omaha

Waters is slated to make his big-league debut on Monday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

Back in July when the Kansas City Royals shipped the No. 35 pick in this year's MLB Draft to the Atlanta Braves and got a prospect package headlined by outfielder Drew Waters in return, the organization was taking a shot in the dark and banking on its ability to turn Waters into a productive hitter. That's been the case, and now the 23-year-old is being rewarded for his production.

Per the Royals, Waters is being promoted from Triple-A Omaha on Monday. Outfielder Nate Eaton, who is hitting just .182 with a 33.3% strikeout rate in 19 games with the big-league club this season, will be sent back down to join the Storm Chasers in a corresponding move. 

Waters has made one heck of a first impression on the Royals organization, hitting the cover off the ball in Omaha while flashing his patented speed (13 stolen bases in 31 games) and defense in the outfield. In 143 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers, the switch-hitting prospect is slashing .295/.399/.541 with five doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 17 RBIs. Waters's 150 wRC+ and .410 wOBA are both outstanding, and he's also walking at a professional career-high 14.0% rate.

Strikeouts are still a major part of his game (28.7% in Omaha), but the rest of his game has been nothing short of stellar since coming over in the trade. Earlier this month, I wrote about the impressive production from Waters and what it could mean if it turns out to stem from legitimate, tangible changes with hitting coordinators and coaches such as Drew Saylor and company:

It remains to be seen whether Waters can keep this (or anything resembling this) up. His history as a prospect suggests that his newfound power and patience may not be here to stay for long, but this was always a possible outcome when the Royals pulled the trigger on that trade. Waters is a former top 100 prospect for a reason; his potential is legitimate. If the Royals truly do unlock that upside, they could have their center fielder of the future on their hands. It's far too early to declare that a fact, but Waters is getting off to about as good of a start as possible nonetheless. 

The Royals' No. 9 prospect will make his debut on Monday afternoon in a make-up game against the Chicago White Sox, and he's set to play in right field. His first taste of big-league action will come in front of the Royals' home crowd at Kauffman Stadium. Per Pete Grathoff of The Kansas City Star, Waters will wear jersey No. 6 with the Royals.