Royals 2015 draft update

It's really hard to get a grasp on really what you have in the months after the draft. Many players haven't even hit full season leagues and some are only on the field to get experience with the results being secondary. Thanks to the signing deadline being moved up we now get a slightly longer look at some of the prospects.

I thought the Royals 2015 class was just okay. I wasn't impressed immediately and I'm not sure how I feel about it even in the small sample size of returns so far. It'll likely be 5-7 years before we know how it ends up looking. I'll highlight a few guys specifically then give a total view of the class.

Round 1, Pick 21 - Ashe Russell (Burlington)

Russell was divisive as a pick pre-draft and the same remains post-draft. I'm not sure where he'll be on my top 50-60 list this winter but I'm pretty sure he won't be in the top five at this point (however that's extremely preliminary). Jim Callis and John Mayo at MLB.com just ranked Russell as the Royals 2nd best prospect, giving him two plus pitches and average control.

I think I can agree on having two above average pitches in his fastball and slider, but I don't think the control is there yet and there are some mechanical concerns too.

Russell has struggled a bit too so far with an underwhelming K/9 of 5.94 and BB/9 of 3.22. He also has a 4.21 ERA and 6.22 FIP.

It's hard to ignore results but Russell is a raw prep pitcher so there will be growing pains and it's about getting accustom to pro ball right now for him.

Round 1, Pick 33 - Nolan Watson (Burlington)

On my mid-season list I put Watson over Russell and I think it'll be the same this winter or at least the two should remain close together until one of them separates their self.

Watson obviously isn't really going to do that in his low-rookie pro debut really regardless of results, but like Russell he hasn't quite lit the league on fire.

Round 2, Pick 64 - Josh Staumont (Idaho Falls)

Staumont is going to be a bit of a project as well (like most prep pitchers) but there of course is one really good tool to work with. Staumont is the owner of an 80 grade fastball, arguably the best in the minors, that has touched 102 MPH so far in pro ball.

Staumont has a nice and easy delivery and generates extreme velocity with low effort (which is nice), but the command is very, very far away and may never come. His pro ball numbers show that:

The Royals haven't been using him as a full on reliever as they've given him generally 2-3 innings of work at a time, and he was a starter at Azusa  but there's a pretty good chance he'll be a reliever in the majors. Despite that he could be pretty dang good if the control comes more in line.

Round 3, Pick 98 - Anderson Miller (Lexington)

Usually the Royals keep their college draftees in Idaho Falls for all of the year, but Miller jumped over IDF and after a few games in Burlington he went to A-Ball in Lexington.

The Royals like athletes, defense, and guys who put the ball in play and Miller fits that profile. He also has average or so power giving him potentially 4 average tools (power, defense, arm, speed) with hopes the hit tool comes forward. He also has a non-zero chance of staying in centerfield too, but a corner position may happen instead.

Round 5, Pick 159 - Roman Collins (Idaho Falls)

Collins didn't make the Baseball America Top 500 this summer, but the former FAU Owl has hit fine in his pro debut.

He's another guy who plays decent defense in the outfield, puts the ball in play, and has average or better speed. He's going to be a guy who'll have to hit at every level to be on any map.

Full picks