With our draft guide coming out, which you should buy for just $3 right now, I thought I’d glance at a few mocks out there over the next few days and see who might be available for the Royals at pick 44.  Now, that being said, we rank a few of these players differently and we have no idea what scouting directors think of these guys or are actually going to do.  So here is the link for the Perfect Game Mock Draft 3 just so you can see they have us picking Bobby Witt, Jr. at second overall.

PG only does picks 1-41 meaning there are two more picks before the Royals select again.  Don’t forget that Boston got penalized for being more than $40 million over the luxury tax and got moved down ten spots so their pick at 33 became 43.  Two of these guys may go at 42 and 43 meaning we can’t pick them, but we’ll just say all are available. Who cares about how things really work any way, right?

I won’t get into too much detail because I want you to look at the in depth scouting reports we produced in our draft guide that is available for just $3 today!

You’ll notice these guys are all pitchers.  I’m a pitching coach.  I look at them differently than position guys and I hate small strike zones.  Just had to put that in there but I think we need to continue adding pitching to this system even though we have the four studs currently at Wilmington.  I think Witt is the guy at 2 so I think we need to add a fast-track arm to go with the other guys.  This creates competition and mitigates the injury risk that so many teams run into as well.  I went with a few guys from NCAA, JUCO, and HS to give you some options on who you might want.  Post in the comments or hit us on twitter with your thoughts on the draft.  Love hearing what you think.

Guys that are still available that I like are:

RHP Noah Song – Best arm left in the college ranks but he is from the Naval Academy meaning he is going to flight school in November and he has a service commitment.  If he isn’t in the Navy, he is a Top 15 pick.  Take him and figure the other stuff out later.  He was the first NCAA pitcher to 100 strikeouts this season.  Okay, I wrote his profile in the eBook so go buy the book and read it.  Love this guy.

RHP Isaiah Campbell – I’ve been telling the guys I want Campbell at 44 since Day One but Song is available in this scenario.  I’ve watched every start he made this year.  He is a legit ace in the SEC and a local high school product.  He has a big frame and can slot in as the fifth starter in Wilmington right now behind Singer, Kowar, Lynch, and Bubic.

LHP John Doxakis – Another top notch pitcher from the SEC with a little funk and he threw 8.0 no-hit innings with 10 Ks yesterday in the SEC tourney.  He also threw 7.0 no-hit innings in his start last year at the SEC tourney.  By the way, when he came out they got beat 1-0.

RHP Carter Stewart – I know, he has an agreement for $7M with a Japanese team but that is a bargaining chip you probably have to buy out meaning you need to give him a big bonus.  If you like the potential, go for it.  Remember he was taken at 9 last year by the Braves.  Personally, I like him but not ahead of Song, Doxakis, or Campbell.  I needed a JuCo RHP to choose from so I gave you one to look at.

LHP Antoine Kelly – #JuCoMade from Wabash Valley.  Smooth lefty with some high helium.  The Royals like their JuCo guys.

RHP Bryce Osmond – From Jenks HS in Oklahoma.  Very good under-the-radar arm.  May not be there because he is a guy Boston might take but is a high level talent committed to Oklahoma State.  He will move slower so if you are looking to build the second wave, he is a good guy to put there with Witt.  If you are wanting to supplement the first wave, go one of the three college arms I listed.

LHP Blake Walston – Tall lefty who won’t turn 18 until after draft day.  The North Carolina State commit has silently been sneaking up draft boards.  I needed to add a LHP HS option to pick from and I like him.

Don’t forget to buy the eBook we released today for only $3!  Seriously, it’s too cheap.  They need to raise the price but I can’t talk Pat or Alex into it.