Royals Rumblings - News for June 5, 2018

Royals Rumblings - News for June 5, 2018

Rustin Dodd talked to Royals GM Dayton Moore and Director of Scouting Lonnie Goldberg on how the draft evolved.

“The fact that Brady Singer was there,” Moore said. “Did we anticipate that? No. But were there other factors involved in that, based on signability, based on other things? Perhaps. Based on taking advantage of the pool money that we have? Perhaps.”...

“We were obviously very surprised,” Goldberg said. “But our guys did a heck of a job lining up the board.”

Sam Mellinger writes that this is just the beginning.

So, you know. Maybe the Royals just drafted their next championship rotation. They have dozens more picks to add to the haul. A franchise in need of it can dream.

”We feel like they’ll continue to get better and better,” Moore said. “(You want to) put together a high-quality pitching staff in the minor-league level and once you do that, you have a chance to get them to the major leagues. That’s the plan.”

But the Royals also know this draft class — even in in the most optimistic view — is more like starting the manuscript than publishing the book.

The farm system needs to be flipped, from among baseball’s worst to the best.

Marcus Meade at Royals Farm Report grades day one of the draft for the Royals.

1 (33) Jackson Kowar – RHP, University of Florida

My Grade: A-

As I see it, Kowar has more potential than Singer. At 6’5”, 180 pounds, Kowar has an electric fastball that sits in the mid-90s with an easy delivery. He could fill out that frame and take his stuff to the next level. Right now, his changeup is his best secondary pitch, which Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline both call a future 60 pitch.

This is probably the most “upside” pick of day one for the Royals, and like Singer, it might represent a steal. Kowar was mocked much higher than this in many earlier mocks.

Clint Scoles at Baseball Prospectus Kansas City discusses organizational depth and the draft.

The Royals lack potential starting pitchers, especially on the high end, with only Carlos Hernandez giving the appearance of a possible front-line starter currently in the system. There are a few backend option development pieces spread throughout the ranks, but as Dayton Moore once said, it can take ten pitchers to get one starter; currently the Royals lack that number of pitchers to turn into one.

Brady Singer may be the top prospect in the system, assuming he signs.

At the draft, Bo Jackson jokes about throwing out Harold Reynolds.

George Brett stops by the White House and reveals he was invited to be in the Las Vegas Golden Knights ownership group.

Rustin Dodd also looks at how things would have been much different if the Royals made different draft selections and how DeNunez ended up wearing a Kansas City Monarchs cap in the movie The Sandlot.

The son of former Royals outfielder Jeff Conine was one of two sons of former big leaguers taken on day one of the draft.

Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray was selected ninth by the Athletics - so what happens next?

Baseball Prospectus gives us the best names of the draft.

There is a Japanese import that is pitching better than Shohei Ohtani this season.

Jose Ramirez is off a fantastic start, so how does it compare to other great third base seasons like George Brett in 1980?

Joe Torres pushes for sports betting in New York.

A third Rays pitcher will undergo Tommy John surgery this year.

Some Nationals players showed up to the Stanley Cup Finals in full hockey gear.

The White House cancels the celebration meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles.

An account of the first bare-knuckled boxing match in the United States in more than a century.

Media reports on the death tolls in Puerto Rico are needlessly confusing.

Apple is launching a FaceTime group chats with up to 32 people.

The new documentary on Fred Rogers will probably make you cry.

Your song of the day is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with I Need to Know.