DRAFT - KC Royals

[SubGod22]

Royals opt for more high school seniors as draft continues

[SubGod22]

Royals covet high school talent on Day 2

"We feel like we're at a point, organizationally, where we can go get some young kids with high ceilings, similar to what we did in '07 and '08," said J.J. Picollo, Royals Assistant General Manager of Scouting and Player Development. "We were looking to load up on the lower ends so we can start the next wave."

The Royals took high school catcher Cameron Gallagher in the second round, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Lancaster, Pa. Gallagher earned a reputation for his catch-and-throw abilities, but this past spring, showed his bat was catching up quickly to his defense.

Kansas City got two more high schoolers in the next two rounds, taking right-handed pitchers Bryan Brickouse in the third round and Kyle Smith in the fourth.

Brickhouse is a 19-year-old from The Woodlands High School in Texas. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Brickhouse has a fastball clocked between 90-95 miles per hour and was named a 2011 Rawlings second-team All-American. Originally from North Carolina, he is committed to play for the Tar Heels. Most scouts project him as a No. 3 starter who has a lot of potential and a high ceiling.

"Kind of the prototypical thing you look for in high school kids -- power arms that can pitch with their fastball," Picollo said of Brickhouse. "But he's got a very good curveball [too]."

They give a little info on each pick yesterday.

Gallagher, Royals excited about Draft choice

"We actually have a little bit of a family rivalry because they were both third-rounders," Cameron said with a laugh in a phone interview. "I was hoping maybe today that I could beat them out and get some bragging rights. Finally, it did and I have some competition in the house now."

Cameron was rated the No. 64 prospect by Baseball America. A 6-foot-3, 210-pound catcher out of Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, Pa., he has only been catching for about two years. But a strong arm and good bat led the Royals to show interest in the high school senior.

"We're real excited. We were happy with the selection and we're happy with the Kansas City Royals," Glenn Gallagher said in a phone interview. "We were kind of hoping to go that way. The whole way through, we've had a pretty close relationship with their area scouting supervisor."

Glenn Gallagher coached college baseball for 12 years and high school baseball for six after his playing career. He currently runs the Gallagher School of Baseball in Lancaster and offered this scouting report on his son:

"Cameron's only been catching for two years, this is his second full year," he said. "He is a big, strong kid, has very good hands for having only caught for two years. He's pretty polished for just catching for two years. He's got real quick hands, great arm strength, he's got a lot of power potential with his bat."

Cameron Gallagher has a commitment to play for East Carolina University, but sounds excited to begin his pro career. His father said he doesn't think negotiations with the Royals should be a problem and expects Cameron to turn down his college commitment.

[SubGod22]

Resetting The Process

The second day of the draft is in the books and the numbers break down as such:

- 13 High School players
- 17 College players

By position:
- 17 Pitchers
- 12 Right-handers
- 5 Left-handers
- 5 Outfielders
- 5 Infielders
- 3 Catchers

The Royals sprinted out of the gate taking high school players with their first five picks. It’s an interesting gambit and one that suggests Dayton Moore is confident enough with both The Process and his status as the general manager to essentially restock the lowest levels of the minor league pool.

These high schoolers, Bubba Starling included, are all the rawest of prospects. There aren’t any hidden gems in this group like Wil Myers. This was a draft that will represent the restocking of the second wave of The Process.

I feel this also tells us that Dayton Moore is extremely comfortable in his position and is under no pressure from ownership. There is no Eric Hosmer in this group – no player who is two or three years from making his debut. These are all players who will fall into the organization as role players. Some will develop, many won’t. But we won’t see the fruits of this draft for several years. If Moore was under any kind of pressure, he would have pushed for college players in the early rounds. Guys that would be closer to the major and could slot into this team with the first wave of The Process. Of course, that was the stated plan as far as we thought we knew, the Royals were targeting a college pitcher. That plan was foiled when Seattle went off the plan and passed on Rendon to take Hultzen.

No, this was a draft to restock the lower levels of the minors. It’s too bad in a deep draft such as this, the Royals didn’t have the Tampa Bay luxury of multiple picks in the first, second and third rounds. Jealousy on my part. But given the way the Royals have been able to draft in the last several seasons, you have to think about what could have been if they had been able to score just one or two more picks in the early rounds.

[SubGod22]

Royals’ selection of Schemenauer highlights local draft picks

The Royals continue to draft talent in their own backyard. A day after making Gardner Edgerton’s Bubba Starling their top pick, the Royals selected 6-foot-9 left-handed pitcher Adam Schemenauer from Park Hill South in the 12th round (366th overall) in Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft on Tuesday.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Schemenauer said. “It still hasn’t even sunk in yet. I don’t know when it will.

“It’s just really exciting for me just being a local kid watching them all my life and possibly having the opportunity to go play for them. It’s definitely a thrill for me.”

The Royals remained interested despite Schemenauer’s shortened senior season at Park Hill South. He missed nearly the entire month of April because of left-shoulder soreness and finished with a 5-2 record and 1.76 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 13 walks.

On Tuesday morning, Schemenauer said the Royals’ scouting director called to alert him of the possibility that he would become a member of their draft class. That afternoon, he got a text message that the team would pick him in the 12th round.

“They’ve been really nice to me,” Schemenauer said. “All along, I knew they were one of the teams that would pick me if I was going to be picked.”

Just like Starling, Schemenauer must decide whether to sign with the Royals or take his Division I scholarship. Schemenauer had previously signed to pitch at Louisville and said he would not make his final decision on where to go until later this summer.

[SubGod22]

Finished.

[SubGod22]

Royals use Draft to prep budding talent

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals know they're close. It should only be a year or two until they're looking at winning an American League Central title, instead of competing to stay out of the division basement.

So, with many of the guys who made up the most recent group of talent sliding from the Triple-A roster onto the Major League lineup card, the Royals spent the early rounds of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft readying the next wave.

Kansas City's first five picks were high school players with lots of potential, but no concrete timetables for when they would actually reach the big leagues. But with baseball's top-ranked farm system, time is a luxury the Royals had with these picks.

"I think that's a fair assessment," said J.J. Picollo, Royals assistant general manager of scouting and player development. "Our system, our strengths right now -- Double-A, Triple-A -- we feel good. We know we still have a long way to go before they're here in Kansas city, but we feel good about where we are with our system in that regard. But then you look on the back half, now it's time to fill in."

[SubGod22]

Five more Draft picks sign with Royals

OAKLAND -- The Royals have signed five more Draft picks on Monday, including seventh-round pick Kellen Moen, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Oregon

That makes 21 of the 50. Moen is the highest pick to sign and makes 3 of the top 10 under contract.

[SubGod22]

9 Innings with Nick Piscotty Royals 32nd Round draftpick A nice Q&A

Wasn't sure where to put the following, but figured this would be as good a place as any. July 2nd Dominican Prospects to lookout for

A listing of some of the top prospects in the Dominican that the Royals might look at besides Elier Hernandez. While the Hernandez rumor was nice this isn’t the MLB Draft and until the Royals ink a player and get his age authenticated by MLB they aren’t delivered to the Royals. That being said it seems like the Royals are very active in the market which is something they need to be considering there is a chance of a major league slotting system coming during the next draft.

We know the Royals love athleticism, middle infielders and bloodlines but is there a player that can fit all three?

Raul Alberto Mondesi - the son of the former Dodger outfielder by the same name he is a speedy switch hitting shortstop who can run in the 6.6-6.8 range while possessing a average arm currently. While currently he looks rail thin if his fathers bloodlines kick in he’ll thicken up and that arm could become a weapon like his fathers. Originally born in Los Angeles the transition to the United States is nothing compared to what other Dominican prospects have to deal with.

9 Innings with Jim Sanson International Prospects League Principal

9 innings with Brian Mejia Co-Founder of the Dominican Prospect League

[SubGod22]

Bubba.

For better or for worse, whether Bubba Starling winds up in the Hall of Fame or winds up ahead of Roscoe Crosby on the list of “Five-Tool High School Outfielders Who Went Bust” – he is a Kansas City story now. The highest-drafted high school player in the history of the state of Kansas, and the highest-drafted player of any sort from the Kansas City area, was selected by his hometown team. With the fifth pick in a loaded draft, the Royals bypassed numerous other options, including Baseball America’s consensus #1 prospect in the draft, Anthony Rendon, in order to take the local kid.


It’s a fairy tale story, even if we’re still on chapter one, and even if we have no idea whether the story has a Disney ending or a Tim Burton one. Decades from now, stories will still be written about the day the local kid fell in love with the local team, and the team fell in love with him, and how these two entities were destined to wind up together in lifelong bliss or heartbreak or War of the Roses-like acrimony or however the story turns out.


What might be lost to history, or buried as an inconvenient truth, is this: the Royals didn’t really want Bubba Starling. He wasn’t the love of their life; he was their BFF who was still standing there when all their true loves were spoken for.

[SubGod22]

KC expects lengthy talks with top pick

Starling's decision is complicated by his football scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Nebraska, where he'll also play on the baseball team. The family is using agent Scott Boras as an adviser throughout the process.

From everything I hear, his future is definitely not in football. This deal will get done, but sadly, not until the end of the summer. Bubba, and other top draft picks, would do themselves a lot of good if they'd sign earlier and get some experience. Oh well. Can't wait to start following him next year.

[lostshocker]

boras is gonna milk every penny out of kc he can get from that football scholarship. picking quickly would actually benefit bubba more. wish him well in whichever he chooses.

[SubGod22]

Looks like we've also signed picks 6, 11 and 13. (6/19) That gives us 15 of the top 25. 1-5, 8, 12, 16, 19, 21 are unsigned as of right now. Outside of the top 25 picks, we've signed 33-36, 38, 41, 43, 45, 46.

[RoyalShock]

The football scholarship also works to KC's advantage, as they can spread his signing bonus over several years.

But I agree with Sub and lost. Once you're in the $7mil range, why sacrifice two months of professional development for a few hundred grand? Those two months might be the difference in reaching arbitration sooner and getting more out of his career over the long haul.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

From my understanding its not necessarily all of the agent/draft picks doing but primarily MLB's front office.

I only example I can think of is Wil Myers and someone else a few years back. They were 2 and 3 round picks and both signed WELL over slot but the league wouldnt approve until the last day possible.

I do recognize that Bubbas situation is a bit different being a top 5 pick compared to a supplemental or later round pick.

[SubGod22]

BA reporting 6th round Cesar Ogando signed. We knew of this a week or so ago, but there are some bonus reports of a few of the picks in the link.

None of the Top 5 round guys have signed yet expect Gallagher to ink very soon.