Okay…so…now that we’ve all had a good sleep, here’s a quick roundup of reactions around the interwebs of the Royals selections of Connecticut prep LHP Frank Mozzicato:
Based on how the first 6 picks of the draft went, here is the short list of names that the Royals could have chose from when they made their pick at #7:
Kumar Rocker
Kahlil Watson
Brady House
They note that while he lacks velocity, he has an advanced feel for pitching for his age. In addition to his “knockout curve” he has a good feel for a change up that could develop into an average pitch.
Mozzicato was ranked No. 39 overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list and wasn’t expected to go on Day 1 of the Draft, let alone in the Top 10, but the Royals are getting an athletic lefty who has high upside and projectability. Kansas City will likely be able to sign him for below the allotted value for this slot ($5,432,400), giving the club some signing bonus money to save for later in the Draft.
I’ll have more on Mozzicato and the Royals draft strategy later today. For now, there was actually Minor League Baseball on yesterday, including the MLB All-Star Future’s Game.
AAA Omaha (37-21): W 6-5
Cam Gallagher, on a rehab assignment, walked it off for Omaha last night with a HR. Gallagher finished 2-5 with the HR and figures to join the Royals in Kansas City when they resume their season on Friday night. Kyle Isbel also homered last night, finishing 1-3 with the HR and a BB. Edward Olivares hit HR #10 and finished 2-4. Dylan Coleman fired 1.1 scoreless innings in relief with 3 K.
AA Northwest Arkansas (31-27): L 3-5
Rough going the last couple days for the Naturals without Bobby Witt Jr. and Nick Pratto. Clay Dungan finished 2-4, Kevin Merrell finished 2-4 with a HR and a 2B, and Freddy Fermin finished 2-4 with his 5th HR. Austin Cox struck out 3 in 4 innings while allowing 2 runs.
A+ Quad Cities (38-20): L 3-4
Rare rough day at the plate for the River Bandits. Vinnie Pasquantino finished 1-2 with a double and a pair of walks. Will Klein struck out 3 batters and walked just 1 in 2 scoreless innings of relief. That’s about it.
A- Columbia (29-27): L 1-7
Rough way to end a series for Columbia. Maikel Garcia walked 3 times. Darryl Collins finished 1-3 with a double and a walk. Omar Hernandez finished 2-4 with a double. Herard Gonzalez finished 2-3 with a double and a walk.
Over in Denver at the All-Star Future’s Game, Bobby Witt Jr. finished 0-2 with two scorched line drives, one hit 113 mph and the other hit 103 mph. Nick Pratto finished 0-1 with a BB.
Royals Farm Report 