With the Kansas City Royals having potentially 7 of the top 100 picks in next June’s draft (currently own numbers 18, 31, and 37), we’re going to be doing a ton of draft coverage here at Royals Farm Report. Part of our draft coverage will include draft targets for the Royals for the upcoming draft. Our next draft target comes from a mock draft done by Taylor Blake Ward over at 247sports.com. 

Mason Denaburg is a 6′ 4″ 195′ RHP that hails from the Sunshine State. A 2018 Florida Gator commit, Denaburg features an electric arm and a fastball that has no problems reaching 97 mph. His curve ball is one of the better breaking balls of any prep pitcher in this draft class.

Denaburg uses a strong lower half and great levers to create effortless velocity on his fastball. Every now and then he’ll get some great sink out of it too with that high 3/4 delivery. Denaburg’s breaking ball comes out of the same 3/4 arm slot, giving hit a nice sweeping motion to go along with the depth. The changeup is still developing but could become a + pitch with some more work.

Here’s what Taylor Blake Ward had to say about Denaburg in his mock draft:

“Kansas City hasn’t shied away from prep pitchers and Denaburg fits their standard mold. With an ideal pitcher’s frame and two-sport athleticism, there’s plenty to like about his mid 90’s fastball and pitchability. Focus on one sport may be the defining item on Denaburg’s draft status, but teams are still going to see him regularly hoping to “woo” him with million-dollar bonuses.”

One thing that some people will be impressed with is the fact that Denaburg is also arguably a draft able catcher. He’s almost certainly a pitcher first, but he does catch regularly. I find this to be incredibly concerning for a potential first round pick. Pitchers throw a ton of baseballs every year (duh). The position that throws the next most baseballs however would be the catcher, because someone has to throw the ball back to the pitcher. That is a ton of wear and tear that comes on an arm that I’m not sure is worth the investment it will take to woo him away from Florida.

There’s no denying the talent, however. The fastball is electric. The breaking ball is devastating. The arm angle is tricky. The pitchability is there. The changeup is effective. There is a lot to like about Denaburg. If the Royals swooped him up in the 2nd or 3rd round I would approve of the pick. Unfortunately, I think it’s going to cost a little too much money to sign Denaburg outside the first round. He’s that talented. Take a look:

Oh, by the way, he can hit too.