Ben Kudrna

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #11 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Kudrna stayed close to home by signing with the Royals after being drafted in the second round in 2021, with the Overland Park native passing on a commitment to Louisiana State. He signed for $3 million, more than $1.25 million above slot, and inked the largest bonus of the second round that year. After making his pro debut in 2022 at Low-A Columbia, Kudrna returned to that team for another 14 outings in 2023 before finishing his season with eight starts for High-A Quad Cities. He improved his strikeout rate from the previous season at Columbia, jumping from 19.6% to 24.1%.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna has added strength to a solid 6-foot-3 frame since joining the Royals organization, but he already has a mature body, raising questions about how much more projection remains. He attacks hitters with a fastball that sits between 92-94 mph and touches 97, but with limited deception. Kudrna can unlock more velocity by using his body better, which he’s going to need to do in order to allow his other pitches to play up. He relies heavily on his sharp 82-84 mph gyro slider with late bite and depth that he can throw for strikes. Kudrna’s best secondary pitch is a changeup with sink that flashes plus and is delivered at 83-84 mph. His change is effective against both righthanded and lefthanded hitters, but the effort in his delivery from a three-quarters arm slot affects the consistency of the pitch.
  
  The Future: With the projection of a no. 4 or 5 type starter, Kudrna will return to High-A Quad Cities for more seasoning. His next big test will be a jump to Double-A during the 2024 season, with hopefully a little more zip on his fastball to generate swings and misses across his arsenal.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Kudrna was a known commodity to the Royals given that his high school career was spent just 30 miles south in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. The Royals drafted him in the second round in 2021 and signed him for just shy of $3 million, going more than $1.25 million over slot and handing out the largest bonus of the second round. Both Kudrna and fellow top pick Frank Mozzicato were brought along slowly, not making their official pro debuts until May 2022. Kudrna pitched his first game at Low-A Columbia on May 21 to begin a promising first season in which he posted a 3.48 ERA with a .239 opponent average.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna has a big 6-foot-3 frame that has added strength since he turned pro, and he projects to continue to get stronger as he grows into his body. He attacks hitters with a fastball that has generally been in the range of 92-95 mph but can touch a couple of ticks higher. The pitch has good vertical break and plays up in the zone. Kudrna's velocity dipped later in the season, which was unsurprising for a pitcher in his first full season. A developmental goal coming into the 2022 season was to improve his mid-80s changeup, and he used it so much that it was a better pitch for him than his slider. His changeup plays well off his fastball but needs more deception. Kudrna's gyro slider at 82-84 mph has late bite and depth but needs to get firmer to reach its ceiling as an above-average pitch. His delivery is clean and repeatable, which leads evaluators to project Kudrna to have average control, though at times he'll work across his body and spin open.
  
  The Future: Kudrna projects as a hard-throwing back-end starter, especially if his slider develops into more of a swing-and-miss pitch. The next step will be an assignment to High-A Quad Cities.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 50
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #8 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Kudrna started building his reputation at the 2020 Area Code Games and continued with a strong senior season at Blue Valley Southwest High in Overland Park, Kan., about 30 miles south of Kansas City. The Royals selected the local product in the second round, 43rd overall, and signed him for an above-slot $3 million bonus. Like Royals first-round pick Frank Mozzicato, Kudrna was held out of games during the regular season and didn’t pitch until instructional league in the fall.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna presents an imposing presence on the mound and backs it up by attacking hitters with a 96-98 mph fastball. He generates easy velocity from his loose, quick arm and makes hitters uncomfortable with his downhill angle and late hop on his pitches. He may have more velocity in the tank as he adds strength to his solid, high-waisted frame with broad shoulders. Kudrna is still developing his slider and shows the potential to turn it into an above-average pitch with depth and tilt. He began incorporating his changeup, a hard pitch that he throws with arm speed and deception, more during instructs. Kudrna is very competitive on the mound, with Royals coaches noting he bears down and gets better with men on base.
  
  The Future: Kudrna will likely make his professional debut with Low-A Columbia in 2022. He has a chance to be a hard-throwing, mid-rotation starter.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #47 prospect in 2021 draft
  Arguably the top prep arm in the upper Midwest in this year’s draft class, Kudrna has the projectable body, clean delivery, athleticism and strike-throwing ability that teams want to work with. He had a loud performance at the Area Code Games last year that helped solidify his position on the map, and he has continued to perform and rise up the board since. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound righthander has run his fastball up to 97, and he will sit 92-95 mph. The metrics are not great on the pitch right now, but with his size and the projection of future physicality, the belief is that he is going to end up throwing very hard. Kudrna has the ideal high school body when it comes to that projection, being narrow and high-waisted, tall with broad shoulders, and lean with plenty of room in the frame for physical growth and development. He has a fluid and pretty delivery, is very athletic, and offers a three-pitch mix with high upside. The 18-year-old’s secondaries still need work, but he has shown progress this year. Kudrna has also shown feel to spin his breaking ball and has flashed a plus slider with good tilt in the mid 80s at times, but he needs to continue to find more consistency with the pitch. The Louisiana State commit has a decent changeup in the low 80s right now, and he throws strikes.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Kudrna was a known commodity to the Royals given that his high school career was spent just 30 miles south in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. The Royals drafted him in the second round in 2021 and signed him for just shy of $3 million, going more than $1.25 million over slot and handing out the largest bonus of the second round. Both Kudrna and fellow top pick Frank Mozzicato were brought along slowly, not making their official pro debuts until May 2022. Kudrna pitched his first game at Low-A Columbia on May 21 to begin a promising first season in which he posted a 3.48 ERA with a .239 opponent average.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna has a big 6-foot-3 frame that has added strength since he turned pro, and he projects to continue to get stronger as he grows into his body. He attacks hitters with a fastball that has generally been in the range of 92-95 mph but can touch a couple of ticks higher. The pitch has good vertical break and plays up in the zone. Kudrna's velocity dipped later in the season, which was unsurprising for a pitcher in his first full season. A developmental goal coming into the 2022 season was to improve his mid-80s changeup, and he used it so much that it was a better pitch for him than his slider. His changeup plays well off his fastball but needs more deception. Kudrna's gyro slider at 82-84 mph has late bite and depth but needs to get firmer to reach its ceiling as an above-average pitch. His delivery is clean and repeatable, which leads evaluators to project Kudrna to have average control, though at times he'll work across his body and spin open.
  
  The Future: Kudrna projects as a hard-throwing back-end starter, especially if his slider develops into more of a swing-and-miss pitch. The next step will be an assignment to High-A Quad Cities.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Kudrna was a known commodity to the Royals given that his high school career was spent just 30 miles south in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. The Royals drafted him in the second round in 2021 and signed him for just shy of $3 million, going more than $1.25 million over slot and handing out the largest bonus of the second round. Both Kudrna and fellow top pick Frank Mozzicato were brought along slowly, not making their official pro debuts until May 2022. Kudrna pitched his first game at Low-A Columbia on May 21 to begin a promising first season in which he posted a 3.48 ERA with a .239 opponent average.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna has a big 6-foot-3 frame that has added strength since he turned pro, and he projects to continue to get stronger as he grows into his body. He attacks hitters with a fastball that has generally been in the range of 92-95 mph but can touch a couple of ticks higher. The pitch has good vertical break and plays up in the zone. Kudrna's velocity dipped later in the season, which was unsurprising for a pitcher in his first full season. A developmental goal coming into the 2022 season was to improve his mid-80s changeup, and he used it so much that it was a better pitch for him than his slider. His changeup plays well off his fastball but needs more deception. Kudrna's gyro slider at 82-84 mph has late bite and depth but needs to get firmer to reach its ceiling as an above-average pitch. His delivery is clean and repeatable, which leads evaluators to project Kudrna to have average control, though at times he'll work across his body and spin open.
  
  The Future: Kudrna projects as a hard-throwing back-end starter, especially if his slider develops into more of a swing-and-miss pitch. The next step will be an assignment to High-A Quad Cities.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 50 Control: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Kudrna started building his reputation at the 2020 Area Code Games and continued with a strong senior season at Blue Valley Southwest High in Overland Park, Kan., about 30 miles south of Kansas City. The Royals selected the local product in the second round, 43rd overall, and signed him for an above-slot $3 million bonus. Like Royals first-round pick Frank Mozzicato, Kudrna was held out of games during the regular season and didn&#39t pitch until instructional league in the fall.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna presents an imposing presence on the mound and backs it up by attacking hitters with a 96-98 mph fastball. He generates easy velocity from his loose, quick arm and makes hitters uncomfortable with his downhill angle and late hop on his pitches. He may have more velocity in the tank as he adds strength to his solid, high-waisted frame with broad shoulders. Kudrna is still developing his slider and shows the potential to turn it into an above-average pitch with depth and tilt. He began incorporating his changeup, a hard pitch that he throws with arm speed and deception, more during instructs. Kudrna is very competitive on the mound, with Royals coaches noting he bears down and gets better with men on base.
  
  The Future: Kudrna will likely make his professional debut with Low-A Columbia in 2022. He has a chance to be a hard-throwing, mid-rotation starter.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 50
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Kudrna started building his reputation at the 2020 Area Code Games and continued with a strong senior season at Blue Valley Southwest High in Overland Park, Kan., about 30 miles south of Kansas City. The Royals selected the local product in the second round, 43rd overall, and signed him for an above-slot $3 million bonus. Like Royals first-round pick Frank Mozzicato, Kudrna was held out of games during the regular season and didn’t pitch until instructional league in the fall.
  
  Scouting Report: Kudrna presents an imposing presence on the mound and backs it up by attacking hitters with a 96-98 mph fastball. He generates easy velocity from his loose, quick arm and makes hitters uncomfortable with his downhill angle and late hop on his pitches. He may have more velocity in the tank as he adds strength to his solid, high-waisted frame with broad shoulders. Kudrna is still developing his slider and shows the potential to turn it into an above-average pitch with depth and tilt. He began incorporating his changeup, a hard pitch that he throws with arm speed and deception, more during instructs. Kudrna is very competitive on the mound, with Royals coaches noting he bears down and gets better with men on base.
  
  The Future: Kudrna will likely make his professional debut with Low-A Columbia in 2022. He has a chance to be a hard-throwing, mid-rotation starter.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Kudrna ranked just below first-rounder Mozzicato on most draft lists, giving the Royals a pair of highly-ranked high school arms in the first two rounds. The Louisiana State commit's projectable frame means he'll be able to add velocity to a fastball that touches 97 mph.