Anthony Veneziano

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #5 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: Veneziano has had an up-and-down pro career since signing with Royals in 2019 as a 10th-round pick from Coastal Carolina. After a down year in 2022 in his first shot at Double-A, he returned to northwest Arkansas and showed drastically better control. His walk rate dropped from 11.7% to 3%, while his strikeout rate ticked up from 22.8% to 28.4%. The improvement earned him a promotion to Triple-A Omaha before getting to the big leagues late in the season for two short relief appearances.
  
  Scouting Report: The keys to Veneziano’s improvement in 2023 were figuring out his body, gaining confidence and challenging hitters more effectively. His fastball has ticked down a few miles per hour in the last two years, but it’s still an effective pitch when sitting 93-94 mph and touching 97. Against righthanders, he likes to use the pitch up and away. Veneziano’s heater helps his above-average changeup play up. It’s an out pitch for him at 86-88 mph, and he went to it more often in 2023. Veneziano throws his 85-86 mph sweeping slider for strikes, using it as a chase pitch. It’s more of a contact pitch than something to use to put hitters away. Veneziano loses the zone at times when he lowers his arm slot, causing him to miss up and away to his arm side, but he usually has a clean delivery from a three-quarters slot.
  
  The Future: Veneziano can be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter or could thrive as a multi-inning power lefty in the bullpen. Now that he’s on the 40-man roster and has gotten a taste of the big leagues, he’ll head to spring training with a chance to earn a spot on the Royals’ Opening Day pitching staff if he continues throwing consistent strikes.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #21 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Kansas City’s 10th-round pick in 2019, Veneziano wasn’t on many radars until a heavily scouted appearance late in 2021 minor league spring training, where he flashed a fastball up to 97 mph. The Coastal Carolina product built on his solid spring, enjoying a very good season with High-A Quad Cities, where he struck out 127 batters in 93.2 innings. He was especially tough down the stretch for the eventual High-A Central champions.
  
  Scouting Report: Veneziano attacks hitters with a heavy, bat-missing arsenal out of an easy three-quarters arm slot and repeatable motion. His sinking fastball sits 94-97 mph and plays above his velocity due to his whippy arm motion and good extension. Veneziano needs to become more confident in his secondary offerings to take another step forward. His breaking ball is a slurvy slider that he commands inconsistently. He also throws an average changeup with tumble and fade.
  
  The Future: Veneziano is nowhere near a finished product, but he has the upside of a mid-rotation starter. He should move to Double-A in 2022.
  

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Kansas City’s 10th-round pick in 2019, Veneziano wasn’t on many radars until a heavily scouted appearance late in 2021 minor league spring training, where he flashed a fastball up to 97 mph. The Coastal Carolina product built on his solid spring, enjoying a very good season with High-A Quad Cities, where he struck out 127 batters in 93.2 innings. He was especially tough down the stretch for the eventual High-A Central champions.
  
  Scouting Report: Veneziano attacks hitters with a heavy, bat-missing arsenal out of an easy three-quarters arm slot and repeatable motion. His sinking fastball sits 94-97 mph and plays above his velocity due to his whippy arm motion and good extension. Veneziano needs to become more confident in his secondary offerings to take another step forward. His breaking ball is a slurvy slider that he commands inconsistently. He also throws an average changeup with tumble and fade.
  
  The Future: Veneziano is nowhere near a finished product, but he has the upside of a mid-rotation starter. He should move to Double-A in 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  The 2019 10th round pick from Coastal Carolina has been up to 98 mph in his full season debut, striking out more than 13 batters per 9 innings at High-A Quad Cities.