Welcome to a new series called Get to know a Royals prospect! In this series, I’ll be looking at prospects at each level, giving you some background and analysis about each of them. The talent in the Kansas City Royals minor league system runs extremely deep. This series will aim to help you get to know about some of the great players that make up the Royals minor league system, including the ones you read and hear about daily and some of the not-so-well-known prospects. I’ll give you the background of where the player came from, take a look at their minor league numbers, provide some analysis about each player, and potentially feature some incredible stories that look at the human behind the athlete. 

I am kicking this series off with shortstop Brennon McNair. The Royals took him in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB draft out of Magee High School in Flowood, Mississippi. He was the only high school player to be drafted out of Mississippi. McNair was committed to South Alabama to play baseball, but the Royals convinced him to sign by giving him $222,500 over slot value. McNair is an immensely talented player that the Royals were lucky to sign.

Brennon McNair is my favorite late round steal by the Kansas City Royals in the 2021 draft (11th Round). The upside is high. Very athletic SS with a simple swing approach that generates solid pop. Hit the ground running early in the ACL. Keep an 👀 on him! pic.twitter.com/uqNOIKQNRh

— Jared Perkins (@JaredCP1) November 27, 2021

McNair tore it up in high school, hitting .527 with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, and 43 RBIs. He also had more home runs than he had strikeouts his senior year! In a small sample size (10 games) in the Arizona Complex League, he continued to show off his hot bat. McNair slashed .323/.432/.548 with a .981 OPS. It was great to see that he wasn’t overmatched in his first taste of pro ball, even though it was a small sample size. He is one of the quietest sleepers in the draft and could be an absolute steal for the Royals this late. 

McNair seems to be quick out of the box and looks like he could be a speed threat as he improves his base stealing instincts. He does a great job defensively as he’s a sure-handed infielder with soft hands. As with many high school prep bats, the questions will lie around how his hit tool develops and his ability to adjust to pitching at the professional level. He is exceptionally athletic and carries a simple swing approach that generates solid pop. He has plenty of room to grow with his frame, so he could build more strength that could help him in the power department in the future. Even this high school bomb was fun to watch:

Good win Trojans against Lawrence County pic.twitter.com/MVQ1iKrTnO

— Brennon McNair (@brennon_mcnair) March 10, 2021

One fun fact about McNair is that the kid is brilliant! He was valedictorian and student body president at his school. All around seems like a great human being with great character. It will be fun to watch McNair develop in 2022, especially as he moves up levels. We don’t know yet whether McNair will begin his 2022 season in the Arizona Complex League again, or if he’ll make the jump to Low-A Columbia, but he is definitely a name to follow regardless of where his season begins.