The Royals signed Arronde for $100,000 out of Cuba in June 2021, two months past his 18th birthday. Arronde debuted stateside two years later and took off in the Arizona Complex League, earning 2023 end-of-season All-Star honors after posting a 1.85 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 39 innings. He made a pair of starts for Single-A Columbia to end last season and returned to the Fireflies with continued promising results to begin 2024.
Standing in at a listed 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, the right-hander has long been super projectable, and that room to add strength is paying off this summer as his fastball has begun to touch 96 mph early in starts. Arronde will typically settle a few ticks below that at 92-94, and without killer movement, the fastball can be rather hittable as it slips down the velo band. But the current trajectory for more heat is certainly promising. Arronde gets his best grades for his disappearing mid-80s changeup that looks much like the heater out of his hand but falls below bats at the last second. His low-80s slider lacks bite and will need to improve to be a quality third pitch.
Arronde repeats his mechanics well and looks loose on the mound. Limiting walks hasn’t been much of an issue early in his career, and he tends to run a high groundball rate, in part because of the diving changeup. He has backend starter potential but could work as a two-pitch reliever in time, especially if he continues to add velocity the higher he climbs toward The Show.
