Dominican Summer League Royals

Reader's Guide

The DSL Royals represent a key developmental arm of the Kansas City Royals organization in the Dominican Republic. Their significance lies in their role as a training ground for young prospects, with the team's 2019 championship—the organization's first Dominican Summer League title—marking a notable achievement. The team's history of shared affiliations with the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Colorado Rockies reflects the fluid nature of minor league partnerships in the region. In 2018, the Kansas City Royals were ranked the top educational program among all 30 MLB teams and their respective programs in the Dominican Republic, as voted by MLB, highlighting the organization's commitment to player development beyond the field. The existence of two DSL Royals squads underscores the depth of the Royals' investment in Dominican baseball.

Did You Know?

• The DSL Royals1 won the organization's first Dominican Summer League title in 2019.
• The team defeated the DSL D-Backs2 on Sept. 6, 2019, by a score of 1-0.

A Cornerstone of the Rookie Pipeline

The Dominican Summer League operates at the very foundation of professional baseball, sitting at the Rookie level—the lowest tier beneath Major League Baseball. Founded in 1985, the league functions as a summer showcase where each of the 30 MLB franchises fields at least one affiliate, with many organizations, including the Kansas City Royals, maintaining two separate DSL squads. The season traditionally kicks off in early June and wraps up by mid-August, with each club logging 72 games over that roughly two-month window. What distinguishes the DSL from other rookie circuits is its geographic and cultural specificity: it is the sole Latin America-based rookie league remaining after the Venezuelan Summer League folded following the 2015 campaign. For the Royals' DSL affiliates, this means operating within a tightly competitive pool of international prospects while serving as the first professional proving ground for young talent signed from the Dominican Republic and beyond.

The Kindergarten Philosophy

The Dominican Summer League earned the nickname "the kindergarten of professional baseball" because its core mission prioritizes individual player growth over winning and losing. Rather than treating the 72-game slate as a conventional competitive schedule, the league and its affiliated organizations—including the Royals—view each summer as a developmental laboratory. Players typically range from 17 to 22 years old, and a large share are recent international signings from various Latin American nations who are still acclimating to the rhythms of professional baseball. These young athletes spend the rest of the year training at their respective MLB organizations' academies scattered across the Dominican Republic, returning to the field for professional competition only during the summer window. For the Royals' DSL players, this structure means the emphasis falls on refining mechanics, building baseball intelligence, and adjusting to the cultural and professional demands of the game rather than chasing a division title.

From Informal Ties to a Formal System

The relationship between Major League Baseball and the Dominican Republic did not begin with a formal league. As early as 1951, the Dominican Professional Baseball League opened its doors to MLB organizations, allowing teams to send signed or prospective players to compete there while, in return, the clubs dispatched American coaches to work within the DPL. By the 1980s, the pipeline had matured to the point where more MLB players were arriving from the Dominican Republic than from any nation other than the United States. It was also during that decade that the Los Angeles Dodgers, prompted by staff member Ralph Avila's observation that many talented Dominican prospects stalled out due to a lack of structured support and cultural adjustment, built the academy model that would reshape the entire system. Avila and the Dodgers crafted a baseball academy designed to prepare prospects for success both on and off the field, and other franchises—including the Royals—followed suit, laying the groundwork for the modern academy-based structure that still underpins the DSL today.

Postseason Format and Modern Adaptation

Since the league's 1985 inception, the method for crowning a DSL champion has evolved. The current postseason, as of 2025, features 16 qualifying teams—eight division winners and eight wild-card entries—split into four pools of four. Each pool competes in a round-robin tournament known as the DSL Cup, with the top team from each pool advancing to a two-round championship bracket consisting of semifinals and a final. All postseason series are contested in a best-of-three format, keeping the elimination pressure intense over a short span. The 2025 title went to the DSL Padres Gold, one of the San Diego Padres' two Dominican affiliates. The league also faced unprecedented disruption in recent years: the 2020 season was cancelled outright on June 30 due to the pandemic, while the 2021 campaign was delayed to July 12 and stretched to October 2 without a postseason. The league has since reverted to its traditional June-through-August calendar, restoring the familiar rhythm for all 30 MLB affiliates.

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