The MLB Draft concluded yesterday, and as expected, there was mixed fanfare among Royals fans with how Kansas City’s draft overall played out.
While some were happy with how Day 2 panned out, others were disappointed that the Royals didn’t make a bigger splash on Day 3, especially in the last few rounds of the draft. Last season, Kansas City selected Austin Charles with their 20th-round pick, and he has suddenly become one of the hottest prospects in the Royals’ system this season.
Here’s a look at all of the Royals’ selections on Day 2:
And here’s a look at the Royals’ final 10 picks on Day 3 of the MLB Draft:
I am not going to analyze all 17 of the Royals’ draft picks on Days 2 and 3 like I did in my Day 1 Draft review. Rather, I wanted to look at the 10 most intriguing players the Royals selected over the last two days of the draft.
Here’s a look at those 10, including three honorable mentions who just missed the cut.
Honorable Mentions
- Dustin Dickerson, SS, Southern Miss, 8th Round
- Jacob Widener, P, Oral Roberts, 9th Round
- Connor Oliver, P, Miami (Ohio), 17th Round
Dickerson is a high-floor infielder who also pitched at Southern Miss. He hit .328 last season and also added 11 home runs and 14 stolen bases for a Golden Eagles team that made it to the Super Regionals. Dickerson is an intriguing prospect, and he should fit a system that is chock-full of infielders with similar projections.
It sounds like Dickerson will get going ASAP, as he announced that he had come to an agreement with the Royals on Wednesday.
Widener is a power lefty reliever who is 6’7 and has a side-arm delivery that reminds some of Randy Johnson. It seems that Widener’s primary outlook is as a reliever, so that’s why he misses the cut for me, but he could move quickly, especially if he can transition his command from his final season at ORU to Kansas City (3.81 K/BB ratio).
After bouncing around at Wichita State and TCU, Oliver settled down at Miami of Ohio last year where he transitioned to the rotation. Even though he had not started much previously, he kept up his strikeout numbers as a starter, striking out 102 in 78.2 IP. Oliver seems like a late bloomer, and his pitching profile reminds me of Cole Ragans, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on how Ragans performs at the Major League level.
10. Trevor Werner, 3B/TWP, Texas A&M, 9th Round
Werner being announced as a two-way player was a bit peculiar since he hadn’t pitched at Texas A&M since 2021. That said, it’s probably a testament to his arm strength, which rates his one of his best tools, according to most scouts.
What sticks out the most about Werner though is the power, as Royals fans can see in the highlight below where he hit three home runs against SEC foe Alabama back in May.
Werner’s power appears legit, and he hits absolute nukes when he connects with the ball. Even in a limited stint in the Cape Cod this year leading up to the draft, he was turning heads with his power, as he hit .340 with a .940 OPS in 38 plate appearances with Brewster.
Strikeouts were a bit of an issue as he struck out 68 times last season with the Aggies. He made up for it though with walks, as his BB/K ratio was 0.51, which is palatable for a guy with his kind of power potential. His swing and profile may remind some of Hunter Pence, as it looks kind of wonky at the plate, but the bat is legit and he’s more athletic than meets the eye.
Werner seems like he could be a Tyler Gentry-esque kind of prospect, though I may like his pure power profile more than Gentry, even if he doesn’t have as much polish.
9. Mason Miller, Florida Gulf Coast, P, 14th Round
Miller, a left-handed pitcher out of FGCU, didn’t have the best season statistically, which explains why he fell to the 14th round.
In seven starts, Miller posted a 5.68 ERA in 25.1 IP. Despite the higher ERA, he did produce a K/9 of 12.4 and improved his K/BB ratio to 2.19 in 2023. Thus, there are seeds of some high-end potential, as long as he can stay healthy and keep his command in check.
FGCU has a pretty prestigious history of developing MLB talent, including pitchers. Chris Sale, Richard Bleier, Jacob Barnes (former Royal), and Kutter Crawford are all FGCU products, and it’s possible to see Miller join that group when watching highlights of him on the mound.
Miller was also highly rated out of high school, as he was seen as a Top-200 prospect back in 2020. Things didn’t turn out as hoped, but the potential is there for Miller to be a big left-handed arm in the Royals system who could make it as a spot starter or in relief at the Major League level in two to three years if everything breaks right.
There’s some Austin Cox to Miller’s profile, which makes sense since Cox also came from a mid-major college. I do think Miller carries more upside than Cox, though with considerably more risk.
8. Logan Martin, Kentucky, P, 12th round
Martin is an interesting story as he pitched at the University of the South, a DIII school, for most of his career until transferring to Kentucky last year. It was a bit of a transition for Martin, as he posted a 4.44 ERA and 1.76 BB/K ratio in nine outings (eight starts) and 26.1 IP. He also wasn’t helped by injury, which cut his season short.
According to scouting director Danny Ontiveros, the Royals were able to get him in the 12th round because of that injury and felt that he had the potential to be a Day 1 or 2 talent if fully healthy last year.
His DIII numbers and Summer League numbers are kind of insane, especially when one looks at his K/BB ratios, which were regularly over 3.50, which is impressive. His fastball also offers good shape and movement potential, and I’m curious to see how he could do under the Royals’ revamped pitching development system.
He could remind some fans of Jonathan Bowlan, who also was a very high K/BB ratio guy in college, and also was affected by injury as well. He doesn’t have Bowlan’s size of course, which will make it interesting to see how Martin recovers from injury and if this will stay with him as he progresses as a professional.
7. Stone Russell, IMG Academy (FL), C, 18th round
The son of former MLB catcher and Pirates manager John Russell, Stone Russell was the second prep catcher selected by the Royals in the draft. While he doesn’t have the upside of Blake Mitchell, he has the big-league genes, considerable upside, and a good motivated head on his shoulders.
What’s interesting about Russell is that he’s athletic enough to play multiple positions, so he’s not a pure catching prospect by any means. In some tape of him on the prospect circuit, Russell was taking groundballs in the infield, and it’s plausible to think that he could move to a corner infield or outfield spot if catching doesn’t work out.
Russell strikes me as a lot more raw than Mitchell, which explains why he lasted until the 18th round. He looks a little skinny for his 6’1, 200-pound frame, but it’s easy to also see him fill out and add more power as he commits to professional ball full-time. The swing looks easy, and he seems to be analytically inclined as well, which isn’t surprising considering he attended IMG Academy which is an athlete factory.
It will take some over-slot money to get Russell to sign and not honor his commitment to Florida. If the Royals can swing a deal though, he could be a high-upside prospect who may take a few years but could find a place in the Royals starting lineup in multiple places, much like MJ Melendez.
6. Coleman Picard, Bryant, P, 6th round
Picard may be one of my favorite arms from the draft, even if he carries some considerable risk. If he hadn’t been shut down due to shoulder fatigue during his last season at Bryant, I might’ve been tempted to put him in the top three of the day two and three lists.
After spending his first year at Hartford, Picard transferred to Bryant in 2022 and made a transition to the rotation last season. In 10 starts and 42 IP, he posted a 3.43 ERA, struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings, and posted a 4.92 K/BB ratio. He got on the national radar back in February, when he struck out 12 Virginia Tech batters in six innings in a Bryant-upset victory.
Picard’s profile and background reminds me a lot of Shane Bieber of Cleveland. Bieber came from a mid-major in UC Santa Barbara and was drafted in the 5th round. So the backstory for Picard is similar, and he sports some incredible breaking stuff, which Bieber was known for as well as a draft prospect.
The big key for the Royals will be developing Picard as well as the Guardians did Bieber, which is a task easier said than done.
On the other hand, if Royals fans are looking for a sleeper pitching prospect for 2024, Picard may be the guy, much like Steven Zobac from last year’s draft.
5. Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt, P, 4th round
For Royals fans looking for a more polished and “safer” pick, Owen fits the bill, as he is a big lefty from Vanderbilt. In 12 starts, Owen posted a 3.52 ERA and 4.47 K/BB ratio, highlighted by 76 strikeouts in 64 IP with the Commodores.
For a program that’s considered a “pitching factory” in the SEC, Owen fits the mold of that reputation perfectly, with some shades of former No. 4 overall pick Asa Lacy.
Owen could be what Royals fans were hoping Lacy to be but at a fraction of the cost. Of course, it will be interesting to see if Owen’s delivery and size will help him hold up over a full professional season. That said, Owen struggled with walks less than Lacy did at A&M, so I’m hopeful that Owen will at the very least pile up the K’s while keeping the walks to a minimum.
There’s a potential No. 3-4 MLB starter here in Owen and he should be a fun pitcher to watch in 2024.
4. Spencer Nivens, Missouri State, OF, 5th round
The Royals have had a solid history of finding value in the draft with mid-major position players, with Kyle Isbel, Nicky Lopez, and Vinnie Pasquantino being prime examples. Nivens may be another one that adds to the Royals’ scouting legacy.
Because in addition to the accolades, Nivens also sports the batted-ball and plate discipline profile to be a utility or even starting outfielder at the MLB level.
The reigning Missouri Valley player of the year, Nivens hit .341 with 14 home runs and seven stolen bases in 56 games and 270 plate appearances in 2023. He is also still 21 years old, so he could be a fast mover in the Royals system and still be young for a prospect drafted out of college.
At 5’11, 185 pounds, he doesn’t sport an impressive or intimidating profile. That said, he sports real-deal power, and he hit plenty of home runs that were absolute nukes throughout the 2023 season. His power should transition fine to a wood bat professional ball.
This was one of my favorite college picks of the draft, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nivens move quickly in the Royals system next year, with an outside chance to make it to Double-A by the end of the season.
3. Donovan Lasalle, Barbe High School (LA), OF, 19th round
Royals fans looking for this year’s Austin Charles shouldn’t look any further than Lasalle, a prep outfielder who hails from Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Lasalle played for a Barbe program that won back-to-back state titles in Louisiana. He also came up big in the most recent state title game, as he hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh which gave them the lead and eventually proved to be the difference in the victory.
Lasalle seems to have been on the Royals’ radar for quite some time, as he got some time to showcase himself in front of scouts at Kauffman Stadium and in the Royals’ hitting facility as well back in June. The fact that the Royals were able to have the red carpet for him in Kansas City, and they still got him in the 19th round goes to show how honed in the Royals were on Lasalle compared to other teams.
Compared to Mitchell and even Garrett, Lasalle is as raw as it gets. There are a lot of moving parts to his swing and he relies a lot on his natural strength to take over. He also has a commitment to Oklahoma State, a Big 12 program, so it will be interesting to see if the Royals will be able to convince Lasalle to sign, even if it may be a bit over-slot.
On the flip side though, I love his profile and athleticism, and think he could be a sneaky good outfielder with some surprising pop as a professional. He doesn’t have the raw tools of Charles, but the athleticism isn’t far off, and I think there’s more polish there too with Lasalle.
If he signs quickly, he could take a similar route to Charles and spend some time in the Arizona Complex League and extended Spring Training next year before making the move to Low-A Columbia.
2. Jared Dickey, Tennessee, OF, 11th round
Last year, the Royals got a steal in the 11th by nabbing pitcher David Sandlin out of Oklahoma. Well, Dickey may be cut from the same cloth, especially since he was ranked as the 115th-best prospect going into the draft, according to MLB Pipeline.
Dickey sports an advanced approach at the plate and was seen as the prize of the third day after hitting 12 home runs and posting an OPS of .917 in 273 plate appearances for the Volunteers last season.
For those complaining about the riskiness of Mitchell and Wolters as the Royals’ first two picks, Dickey provides a nice buffer to that risk. He is the kind of player who’s already pretty polished, and he could move fast in the Royals system, with a High-A assignment next season all but guaranteed.
Dickey also sported a 0.59 BB/K ratio a year ago and had an over 1.00 ratio in 2022, his first season with the Volunteers after transferring from Charlotte.
Dickey doesn’t appear to be wasting any time in the decision-making process, as he is reported to be on the verge of signing with the Royals soon and has let the Volunteers coaching staff know that he won’t be returning to school next fall.
Once Dickey signs with the Royals, I would expect him to see a little time in the ACL to develop with the Royals’ complex group. If he can do well in Arizona, it may be possible for Dickey to get a shot in Low-A in the last month of the season, much like Gavin Cross and Cayden Wallace a year ago.
1. Hiro Wyatt, Staples High School (CT), P, 3rd round
Royals fans lost their collective minds when the Royals selected Wyatt because he was under-ranked according to most prospect experts. MLB Pipeline had him at No. 234, and Baseball America had him unranked in their respective draft rankings.
But when you watch highlights of Wyatt, there’s just something special about him, especially with his breaking stuff.
Here’s another compilation of Wyatt’s highlights, this time from a Perfect Game showcase last summer in Tampa Bay. Though he doesn’t have his size, there’s a lot in Wyatt’s delivery and stuff that compare favorably to Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie.
Now, McKenzie is obviously a lofty comp because McKenzie was a comp-round pick. However, Wyatt’s ceiling feels like it could be quite high, and he has the prep pedigree, even in a cold weather state like Connecticut, to make Royals fans feel good about his outlook as a professional.
To compare, Frank Mozzicato also hailed from Connecticut with a similar kind of pedigree, and we have seen Mozzicato take some nice steps in the right direction this season under the Royals’ pitching development team.
I think Wyatt’s stuff, especially his fastball, is a bit ahead of where Mozzicato was when he was drafted back in 2021. That’s a good sign that Wyatt could be a gem for the Royals, and he should sign for a decent amount, even with the commitment to USC.
For an organization looking to be more like the Guardians, the Royals getting a pitcher in Wyatt (and also Picard) is a promising step forward as a club. Wyatt feels not only like a pitcher who would be targeted by the Guardians in the draft but also find success with their development team as well, much like McKenzie.
Don’t be surprised if Wyatt becomes the Royals’ pitching development team’s biggest success story from this draft. The tools and potential are there to be something special, perhaps with No. 2 or No. 1 upside, even if it may take a few years at the earliest.
Photo Credit: Pete Paguaga/Hearst Connecticut