Kansas City Royals: 5 Prospects That Could Be Called Up Soon

It's no secret that the Royals have possessed one of the best farm systems in baseball over the past few years.

Last year, they were able to begin calling up several of their top prospects to the majors, including third baseman Mike Moustakas and left-handed pitcher Danny Duffy.

Now, it's almost time for the next wave of talented prospects to be called up to the big leagues.

Here are five prospects that could be getting that call from the Royals in the near future.

Wil Myers

Wil Myers is easily the best hitting prospect in the Royals farm system right now.

The former third-round pick hit .343 with 13 homers and 30 RBI in 35 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this year and is versatile enough to play several different positions on the diamond.

Earlier on Wednesday, Myers and fellow prospect Jake Odorizzi were promoted to Triple-A Omaha after their recent dominance at the Double-A level.

If Myers continues to stay hot at the plate while playing for the Storm Chasers, he could be getting his big-league call-up very soon.

Mike Montgomery

Highly-touted prospect Mike Montgomery has been labeled with having one of the best arms that Kansas City's minor league system has seen in years.

He showed it off during his first three years in the minors, but has managed to go just 7-11 with an ERA around five in his last one-plus seasons combined at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

To make matters worse, Montgomery got to watch as several of his former Double-A teammates got called up to the Royals during the year.

With that being said, if he can turn things around some over the next month, Monty might finally be able reunite with Hosmer, Moustakas, Duffy and Giavotella very soon.

Jake Odorizzi

When the Royals acquired right-hander Jake Odorizzi in the six-player trade that sent former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke to the Brewers, they knew that they were getting a talented starting pitcher.

After two-plus seasons in KC's minor league system, Odorizzi is now knocking on the door of the big leagues, as he will make his Triple-A debut later this week.

The 22-year-old righty not only has the best chance out of any of the current KC pitching prospects to make the big league squad, but he also could provide the Royals with immediate help in their starting rotation.

If he has a good showing at Omaha, I expect to see Odorizzi in Kansas City by midseason.

Will Smith

Pitching prospect Will Smith is one of the many talented left-handed starters that the Royals have brought up through their system in the past few years.

Similar to his current Triple-A teammate, Ryan Verdugo, he joined the Royals organization via trade in the '11 offseason.

With a 4.30 ERA in his first eight starts at Omaha this year, Smith clearly needs a little more time in the minors before he will get that big call-up to the next level.

However, if he can string together a few more quality starts, he could get that call sooner than some might think when you consider the need for left-handed pitching in KC's starting rotation.

Ryan Verdugo

At this time last year, Ryan Verdugo was just a Double-A starting pitcher who wasn't sure if he was ever going to reach the big leagues.

Now, he is just one step away from reaching that goal with the Royals.

The former Giants prospect has pitched very well to start this season, as he is currently 3-0 with a 3.22 ERA in eight starts for Triple-A Omaha heading into Thursday's' action.

The Pasadena, Calfornia native is a darkhorse candidate to get called up to the majors in the coming weeks.