[duncan_idaho]

I did some dips into the minor leagues since the question came up the other day, and honestly, I haven't really paid attention as closely as I have in the past.

And BOY did those 20-22 drafts shit the bed.

Asa Lacy is a tough one. The team was also connected heavily to Pete Crow-Armstong, who is a legit top 50 prospect.

I made my disdain for the approach in the 21 draft clear at the outset, and so far Mozzicato and Kudrna have done nothing to dispel that disquiet. Progress for each has been slow and inconsistent. The team was also connected to both Brady House and Matt McLain leading up to it. Either would have been a much more helpful pick.

The 22 draft, they were all over Gavin Cross and he has been a disaster. Not looking like he has turned it around so far this year, either.

And then there's 23. Where they end up drafting 8th thanks to the lottery. I am not confident in Blake Mitchell at all. I'm going to take a moment to be sad they didn't land one of the top 3 picks as a make-up for a few years of bad luck (sobs) because Wyatt Langford, Dylan Crews, and Paul Skenes would all offer MAJOR help this year.

Not much reinforcement to see for the 2024 MLB squad as a result, and not really much in the farm system to trade should it come to that point.

KC does have 3 of the top 41 (6, 39, 41) picks in the coming draft, and it simply has to start doing better in this regard. The 2024 draft class looks to be college-heavy (which I guess shouldn't be surprising - COVID disrupted the MLB draft a lot in 2020-21, and a lot more kids ended up in college than drafted than normal).

They won't get Trevor Bazzana, the current favorite to go 1st, which is a shame. But a guy like J.J. Weatherholt would be a fun fit - LH hitter who makes a lot of hard contact while also having plus bat-to-ball skills and can run. Projects at 3B or 2B as a pro and is really polished coming out of West Virginia.

If you want a toolshed guy, there are a few in range for KC. Texas A&M OF Braden Montgomery is a switch hitter with a big arm and great raw power and speed. It sounds like his RH swing needs work, but he has shown progress this spring.

Charlie Condon at Georgia also has crazy tools, with a Kris-Bryant like profile (tall, lanky, huge power). I don't expect him to make it to 6. He's a 3B-LF type.

A guy I like a lot that I don't expect KC to have any interest in is Nick Kurtz, a 1B at Wake Forest. He's a bat-first/bat-only guy but is a really complete hitter who controls the strike zone, has great power, translates it to game action, and covers the plate well.

He has a few teammates KC could be in on, though. Chase Burns is a RHP, formerly at Tennessee, with a big fastball and nasty slider. As a college pitcher, he reminds me a LOT of Max Scherzer (not surprising considering both were recruited by the same coach out of HS).

Burns and Kurtz play with Seaver King, a 2B/OF prospect with a lot of tools - hit for power, hit for average, good speed. Seems Royals-y.

There's also Iowa's Brody Brecht, a really hard-throwing RHP.

All in all, I think KC SHOULD be able to get at least one college guy who moves quickly and has high upside. I'd be super disappointed if they go the high school route again.

In a dream world, the Royals fixate on Bazzana or Condon and make it know that they are willing to outspend Cleveland's #1 slot to get them (which would be $11.5M). That might be enough to scare those teams off of their guy and let him slip.

I'd like to see them get aggressive and use that extra pool to get one of the top 2-3 guys to slip for them. Hasn't really been KC's MO but it is positioned to do that this year.

If you're wondering how the hell that works, here is how. Teams talk to players about what they're looking for to sign. It's a lot more set these days with the slot amounts, but not every team is looking to spend its slot amount on a guy. So Cleveland gets $10.5M in bonus pool money for the No. 1 pick slot amount, but the Indians might prefer to sign a player for $8M and spread the extra $2.5M around. Etc. So, if a team with a bigger bonus pool that is willing to be aggressive with it makes it clear to "their" guy that they will overpay his projected slot, that player might start telling other teams that's what it would take and run them off drafting him.

So, say KC is determined to get Bazzana or another player that should be gone long before them. They can meet with that player and his representation and make it clear what they're willing to do to get them. That player/his reps can then overshoot that number to other teams drafting ahead of the Royals, and let the guy fall.

It doesn't happen often because it is literally putting all your eggs in one basket, but this is a year the Royals MIGHT be able to do it.

How fun would it be to add a dynamite 2B who hits for average and power, doesn't strike out, and walks a bunch to the middle of the lineup in 2025?

Fun, right?

That's Trevor Bazzana.