The Royals selected JuCo product Dayton Dooney 169th overall. Dooney started his career at Arizona where he was a Freshman All-American, transfered to Central Arizona, and was committed to Tennessee for 2022. He was a very coveted recruit for next season ultimately selecting Coach Vitello’s program.

Dooney played hurt most of the year as he dealt with a hamstring issue so his numbers were slighly lower than where they could have been. However, that didn’t seem to slow him down too much. Dooney is a switch-hitter with a bat with pop. There were some knocks on his speed but remember he was dealing with a hamstring issue. In Dooney’s freshman year at Arizona he hit .323 with 10 home runs. At Central Arizona he hit .367 with 9 home runs. He is a run producer that can hit from either side of the plate.

Second base or left field seem to be the best fits defensively for Dooney as the Royals like the switch-hitting ability even with the lack of premium defense. At Arizona, Dooney was a utility player starting at 1B, 2B, SS, and 3B. Dooney has power, drives in runs, and has played on winning teams everywhere he has gone. The Royals hope he will bring all that with him to the pro game.

Image from the University of Arizona.