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Arizona Complex League Royals: Kansas City’s rookie affiliate in Surprise
The ACL Royals play out of Surprise and call Surprise Stadium home, serving as the Kansas City Royals’ rookie-level affiliate in the Arizona Complex League [4][2]. Distinct from the Major League club, this complex roster is built for development and summer competition on the back fields [2].The franchise began play in 2003 and won the league championship that inaugural season [4]. In some years the Royals have fielded split squads—Blue/Gold or 1/2—when depth allowed, a familiar feature of complex ball [4][3]. The club also carried the AZL Royals name prior to the league’s rebrand to the ACL [4][3].Fans tracking the pipeline can find the current roster and staff on the MiLB page, which reflects frequent moves typical at this level [1]. League-wide, the ACL operates as MLB’s Rookie classification circuit, emphasizing instruction, short travel, and managed workloads for first-year pros [2].