Kansas City Royals Draft Class Among Best In Baseball With Bubba Starling, Bryan Brickhouse

While Bubba Starling made the most noise among the Kansas City Royals draft class, the overall haul is quite impressive. And it's drawing the attention of amateur baseball analysts who are describing it as one of the best in baseball this year.

Of course it helps to have a top five overall choice when it comes to public perception, since landing that major name anchors a draft class for most pundits. But Baseball America's Jim Callis is pleased with the Royals overall effort, pointing to their ability to spend in the draft compared to years prior.

Callis writes, "The Royals used to be known as an organization that would spend for a first-rounder but often skimped in the rest of the draft. Those days are long, long gone, as Kansas City signed seven players to bonuses of at least $600,000...The Royals' draft is about more than just Starling. Third-rounder Bryan Brickhouse, a Texas prep righty, got the next-largest bonus, signing for $1.5 million. This draft class could produce another wave of prospects like the one crashing in Kansas City right now, led by Eric Hosmer."

That 2008 Draft class that Callis alludes to also included Mike Montgomery, Johnny Giavotella and John Lamb among others. It's a class that's anchored several positions among the Royals top prospects, and that's good news as many of the prospects hit the majors since the farm system will need to be restocked. The Royals can only hope that Starling, Brickhouse, Cameron Gallagher and Kyle Smith, among others, can have the same level of impact.