Well we are 15 picks in to the 2012 MLB Draft, and the Kansas City Royals have yet to select a college senior among the picks thus far.
Keep in mind that is an oddity this year, with the new draft rules causing not only confusion, but many more college seniors to be selected than in the past. J.J. Cooper of Baseball America wrote about the issue on Tuesday evening.
Though Kansas City didn't select any seniors, it certainly had an effect on the type of players the organization took. In recent times, Kansas City was the big bad boy on the block. The Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, two of the most downtrodden teams of the past two decades, commonly were the most aggresive with the checkbooks in the last few drafts. Those days are no more.
So let's take a quick look back at whom the Royals selected thus far-
1st round (5) - 6'3" 210 lb RHP Kyle Zimmer University of San Francisco Age 20
2nd round (66) - 6'3" 185 lb LHP Sam Selman Vanderbilt Age 21
3rd round (100) - 6'0" 180 lbs LHP Colin Rodgers Parkview Baptist HS Baton Rouge, LA Age 18 Commited to Auburn
4th round (133) - 6'2" 200 lb SS Kenny Diekroeger Stanford Age 21
5th round (163) - 6'1" 175 lbs C Chad Johnson Galesburg HS Galesburg, IL Age 17 Committed to Illinois State
6th round (193) - 6'0" 185 lbs RHP Zach Lovvorn Oxford HS Oxford, AL Age 17 Committed to Samford
7th round (223) - 6'5" 200 lbs OF Fred Ford Jefferson College Age 20 Committed to Western Kentucky
8th round (253) - 6'1" 180 lbs CF Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado The Pendleton School, FL Age 17 Committed to Stetson
9th round (283) - 6'2" 200 lbs LHP Daniel Stumpf San Jacinto College Age 21 Committed to Lubbock Christian
10th round (313) - 6'2" 225 lbs OF Alexis Rivera Montverde Academy, FL Age 17 Committed to Florida International
11th round (343) - 6'4" 190 lb RHP Zebulon Sneed Northwest Nazarene College, ID Age 21
12th round (373) - 5'9" 180 lb 2B Jackson Willeford Ramona HS Ramona, CA Age 18 Committed to Arizona
13th round (403) - 5'9" 175 lbs LHP Hunter Haynes Mexico HS Mexico, MO Age 18 Committed to Missouri
14th round (433) - 5'11' 195 lbs C Mike Morin Utah
15th round (564) - 6'3" 175 lbs LHP Dylan Sons Halifax County Sr HS South Boston, VA Age 17 Committed to Winthrop
Knee Jerk Reactions
Best value - Jackson Willeford
The Arizona Wildcat commit was ranked the 162nd overall prospect by Baseball America, and for the Royals to pick him at 373 is great value. The question now will be if the Royals will be able to sign Willeford. He's a offensive second basemen and his game as been compared to big leaguers Marcus Giles and Aaron Miles.
Biggest reach - Fred Ford
Ford came from completely off the radar in the seventh round, but he appears to be a good athlete by successfully stealing 32 bases in 35 attempts this season. That, combined with a batting average over .400 leads me to be intrigued.
Most intriguing - Alexis Rivera
The guys at Perfect Game had this to say about Rivera, which makes me interested in the 17 year old who is already built more like a man who is already in the big leagues-
Alexis Rivera is a 2012 OF/1B with a 6-2 220 lb. frame from Kissimmee, FL who attends Montaverde Academy. Big, strong muscular build. Ran a 6.88 sixty. Shows raw arm strength in outfield. Online with carry. Good reads on balls in games. Power left-handed bat the big potential. Open start, gets closed, loose extension with easy bat speed. Can handle bat and uses natural strength very well. Looks to drive and elevate. Consistent hard contact to all fields, very big power to pull side. In games showed ability to recognize pitches and adjust to spin and location. One of best power bats in country.
Look for continued reports on Royals draft picks, along with video in the near future as tomorrow we close out the 2012 MLB Draft.