Shushkewich: Langevin named Royals' top minor league reliever

ABC alum L.P. Langevin (Quebec, Que.) has been named the winner of the Kansas City Royals’ first Dan Quisenberry Award as the top reliever in the Royals’ minor league system.

September 28, 2026

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

An ABC alum is heading home with some personal hardware this offseason.  

L.P. Langevin, a fourth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals in 2024, earned the Dan Quisenberry Reliever of the Year Award last week as part of the Royals' annual organizational honours.

Langevin (Quebec, Que.) is the inaugural winner of the award, which celebrates the legendary Quisenberry who recorded 238 saves in 10 seasons with the Royals from 1979 through 1988.  

Langevin spent the 2026 season with the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits and struck out a whopping 106 batters in 55 1/3 innings. His 17.2 K/9 and 44.9 K% led the entire affiliated minor league ranks (minimum 50 innings pitched).

In 40 appearances, the right-hander posted a 3.42 ERA and registered three holds and three saves, while ranking second on the team in innings pitched.

Langevin also held opponents to a .140 batting average, which ranked fourth among minor league pitchers with at least 50 innings.  

Fast forward to the postseason and the River Bandits turned to the right-hander with the championship on the line in the bottom of the ninth inning. Leading 2-1 over the Dayton Dragons in the Midwest League final, Langevin entered the game and struck out all three batters he faced to secure the title.

Across four postseason outings (appearing in every game), Langevin closed out each contest for the River Bandits, striking out eight while allowing one hit and notching two saves.  

Armed with a mid-90s fastball that has some significant rise and run, Langevin generates strikeouts from bats on both sides of the plate. He also mixes in a slider to keep hitters honest, but his fastball is his go-to pitch.  

Ranked No. 30 on the Royals' top prospects list, Langevin will enter next season looking for a spot on the double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals.