Royals are able to keep Stephen Woods, Jr.

The Royals decided not to keep Rule 5 pick Stephen Woods, Jr. on their active roster.  Because he was a Rule 5 selection, the Royals had to place him on waivers and then after he was unclaimed, offer him back to the Rays.  However, the Royals and the Rays were able to work out a…

2020 Shadow Draft

I got the idea to do a shadow draft from John Sickels. He always did a shadow draft over at Minor League Ball which was part of SBNation focusing on the minors. The goal is to pick along with your team and follow the guys you “bring” to your system. You have to pick real…

MLB Draft Day Two Recap

The Royals made four selections to go with the Day One picks Asa Lacy and Nick Loftin.  The Royals did not disappoint immediately making a splash with the selection of RHP Ben Hernandez from De La Salle HS in Chicago.  Hernandez pitched very well on the showcase circuit and on national television in the Under…

Royals select RHP Will Klein at #135

I love this pick for the Royals!  He is a big RHP that throws up to 100.  Here is the Draft Profile I wrote up on him earlier this spring. Will Klein was not a guy that would have gone high in the draft last year.  He might not even have been taken.  The problem…

The Royals select LHP Christian Chamberlain at #105

Christian Chamberlain is the next player selected by the Royals at 105th overall.  He is a shorter pitcher at 5’10” weighing in at 170 pounds.  Most people see him as a reliever in professional baseball but the Royals often give pitchers the chance to start until they can’t. Chamberlain had a fantastic start to the…

The Royals Select Tyler Gentry at #76

The Alabama Crimson Tide OF was off to a great start this spring hitting .429/.554/.750.  Gentry had six double and four home runs providing power from the Alabama four-hole.  Scouts really like his power giving him a 60 grade.  Gentry has a strong arm and profiles in one of the corner outfield spots.  His running…

A More In-Depth Scouting Report on Ben Hernandez

Ben Hernandez was someone I admittedly was not looking at for the Royals at 41.  I was really expecting a college pitcher or possibly college bat like Cabrera or DeLoach.  However, this is a good pick. By taking a high school kid at 41 after an overnight break, the Royals and Hernandez must already have…

Royals select RHP Ben Hernandez at #41

The Royals go with Ben Hernandez from the De La Salle Institute.  The 6’2″ RHP was the 72nd rated player on MLB.com.  The 18-year-old has a really strong change up to go with his 90-94 MPH fastball.  He has touched 95.  What has held Hernandez back is the development of his breaking ball. Hernandez has…

2020 MLB Draft Recap: Day One

The Draft took some crazy and unexpected twists and turns last night.  When the Royals pick came calling at number four overall, they had their choice between the best all-around position player in the draft, the best college LHP in the draft, the best college RHP in the draft, and the best high school player…

Royals select SS Nick Loftin at #32

The Royals have selected Baylor SS Nick Loftin 32nd overall.  Loftin is a guy I watched play quite a bit but didn’t write up because the season got canceled.  Loftin was named the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year.  Here are my notes on him. Loftin hit third for the Bears and played 2B,…

Royals Select Asa Lacy at #4

Asa Lacy is the best left-handed pitcher in the country.  There is talk of him being a potential ace if he can stay healthy and reach his full potential. The Royals had a choice between Lacy, Hancock, Veen, and Martin.  The Royals valued all those players, but in the end they chose the LHP that…

2020 Draft Profile: Cole Wilcox

This is the last draft profile I actually wrote just a few days after the College season was shut down.  There are quite a few more guys that I had scouted heavily and have detailed notes on, but I gave up writing about them once the season was called and the Draft was in jeopardy. …

2020 Draft Profile: Tanner Burns

As a freshman, Tanner Burns watched everything the 2018 number one overall pick Casey Mize did to prepare himself for his junior season at Auburn.  Now, Burns has taken those lessons and applied them to himself.  Add into the equation that Burns father is in the University of North Alabama Hall of Fame, was a…

2020 Draft Profile: Sam Weatherly

The Clemson lefty has become the ace and is doing a good job of it.  It is fitting he pitch like this considering Weatherly is from Michigan and watched his favorite player Justin Verlander pitch in his prime for the Tigers.  In his first four starts of 2020, Weatherly put up an astounding 17.43 K/9…

2020 Draft Profile: Jared Kelley

Kelley is considered one of the best high school pitching prospect in the 2020 class for good reason.  The Texas commit is already highly refined and nearly a finished product.  Kelley was awarded the Gatorade National Player of the Year award last week.   He is a mature player who takes control of the field when…