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Coming into this year’s draft, there were two main storylines for the Kansas City Royals. First: who would the Royals select with the second overall pick, the first time they had that pick since they took Mike Moustakas at second overall in 2007? Second: would the Royals continue with a college-heavy strategy after selecting 11 consecutive college players to open last year’s draft?
After the three-day draft, we have answers to both questions. The Royals selected Bobby Witt Jr., son of 16-year MLB vet Bobby Witt, with the second overall pick, a selection that surprised nobody. Witt has been on scouts’ minds for years, and after a wildly successful senior year of high school that saw Witt win the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year, the hype led to his selection at second overall. Witt has prodigious power for a shortstop and has been compared to Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story.
And for the second year in a row, the Royals leaned heavily on college players for almost the entirety of their draft. After two straight years of this, it’s not a fluke anymore. Kansas City had three additional picks within the first 100 overall. Shortstop Brady McConnell—Florida teammate of 2018 Royals draftees Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar—was the 44th pick. Pitchers Alec Marsh out of Arizona State and Grant Gambrell out of Oregon State were the 70th and 80th overall selections, respectively.
The Royals selected only six high schoolers overall, and the only other high schooler within the top 1000 selections was Erick Figueroa, selected 469th overall. The Royals’ preference for college arms in particular was striking. Out of 41 overall selections, the Royals picked:
- 12 college position players
- 23 college pitchers
- 4 high school hitters
- 2 high school pitchers
Not all players will sign, but many will. Most players will go to either the Arizona instructional leagues or one of the two short season rookie leagues in Burlington or Idaho Falls.
Royals 2019 Draft Class
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) | Potential five-tool shortstop with excellent intangibles |
| 2 | 44 | Brady McConnell | SS | Florida | Draft-eligible sophomore; elite tools except questionable hit tool |
| CBB | 70 | Alec Marsh | RHP | Arizona State | Five-pitch mix, all of which grade as average pitches |
| 3 | 80 | Grant Gambrell | RHP | Oregon State | 6'4" righty with a low-to-mid 90s fastball and good curveball |
| 4 | 109 | Michael Massey | 2B | University of Illinois | High-contact, low-power infielder with defensive acumen to be a utility guy |
| 5 | 139 | John Rave | CF | Illinois State | Plus runner with decent power, could stick in center long-term |
| 6 | 169 | Dante Biasi | LHP | Penn State | Three-quarter arm slot yielded 102 strikeouts in only 74 innings this year |
| 7 | 199 | Noah Murdock | RHP | Virginia | 6'8" with 6.33 ERA, but is returning from Tommy John; has mid-90s fastball when healthy |
| 8 | 229 | Drew Parrish | LHP | Florida State | Short righty with solid pitchability, a 3.87 college ERA, and a good changeup |
| 9 | 259 | Clay Dungan | SS | Indiana State | Hit .305/.406/.481 in the leadoff role with Indiana State |
| 10 | 289 | Anthony Veneziano | LHP | Coastal Carolina | Large 6'5" southpaw with low-90s fastball, raw pitcher with some walk issues |
| 11 | 319 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | Old Dominion | Hit career high 15 home runs, walked more than he struck out |
| 12 | 349 | Adam Lukas | RHP | Evansville | Hard thrower that can throw triple digits but below average control |
| 13 | 379 | Tyler Tolbert | SS | Alabama - Birmingham | Significant improvements each year of college but remains a contact shortstop |
| 14 | 409 | Justin Hooper | LHP | UCLA | Threw mid-90s from a 6'8" frame before Tommy John in 2018, throws low-90s now |
| 15 | 439 | Sean Bretz | RHP | Houston | Career college ERA of 2.29 with a K rate of over a batter an inning |
| 16 | 469 | Erick Figueroa | RHP | Juan Jose Maunez HS (PR) | 6'6" pitcher, played at 6'4" and 229 lbs as a 13-year-old in Little League World Series |
| 17 | 499 | A.J. Franklin | LHP | Vanderbilt | High strikeout rate but high ERA in return from 2018 injuries |
| 18 | 529 | Burle Dixon | OF | Cosumnes River College | Long and lanky with power that he could grow into, has a chance to stick at center |
| 19 | 559 | Austin Manning | LHP | USC | Boom or bust reliever with sky-high strikeout and walk rates |
| 20 | 589 | Cody Davenport | RHP | Central Arkansas | Excellent control, closed out senior year with 1.98 ERA in 15 games started |
| 21 | 619 | Matthew Stil | RHP | Rowan College at Gloucester County | Low-90s fastball, turns 19 after the draft |
| 22 | 649 | Jake Means | 3B | Indiana State | .312/.414/.475 hitter over college career with walk rate at 10% |
| 23 | 679 | Elliott Anderson | LHP | Auburn | 4.13 ERA and 9.11 K/9 over 24 games |
| 24 | 709 | Alex Smith | LHP | Memphis | 9.42 K/9 over college career to go along with a 5.35 ERA |
| 25 | 739 | Josh Broughton | 3B | Valdosta State University | Two-way player with a .357 average over 221 AB |
| 26 | 769 | Jay Charleston | OF | Tennessee | Speedy center fielder with 38 stolen bases in only 56 games, but a .591 OPS |
| 27 | 799 | Zack Phillips | LHP | Ole Miss | 3.81 college ERA over 36 games |
| 28 | 829 | Riley Boyd | RHP | Jefferson College | Mid-90s fastball, struck out over a batter per inning in college despite control issues |
| 29 | 859 | Jon Beymer | RHP | Wabash Valley College | 6'3", 180lb righty with 15.3 K/9 over 10 innings |
| 30 | 889 | Jimmy Govern | 2B | Eastern Illinois | OPS of 1.002 senior year, walked as much as he struck out with 14 HR |
| 31 | 919 | Mikey Filia | CF | University of California - Irvine | .653 OPS over 54 games with 6 stolen bases |
| 32 | 949 | Saul Garza | C | LSU | .309/.366/.493 slash with 5 home runs in 146 PA |
| 33 | 979 | Patrick Smith | LHP | Purdue | Reliever-turned-starter with a 5.10 ERA in 17 games and a 2:1 K/BB ratio |
| 34 | 1009 | Justin Fall | RHP | Brookdale CC | Overpowered JUCO competition with a 1.95 ERA with a good fastball and not much else yet |
| 35 | 1039 | Jonah Dipoto | P | UC San Diego | Son of Mariners GM Jerry DiPoto, throws 89-92 with high spin rates on secondary pitches |
| 36 | 1069 | Andy Martin | CF | Hialeah Senior HS (FL) | Plus rnner, brother of MLB outfielder Leonys Martin, toolsy |
| 37 | 1099 | Reggie Crawford | RHP | North Schuylkill HS (PA) | 6'4" two-way player, could hit or pitch if he signs |
| 38 | 1129 | Augue Sylk | RHP | USC | Effective in limited action out of the bullpen after injury |
| 39 | 1159 | Jorge Corona | C | Miami Killian HS (FL) | 6'2" outfielder with commitment to Louisiana |
| 40 | 1189 | David Estevez | RHP | Pembroke Pines Charter HS (FL) | 6'1" reliever, also plays football |
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