Royals know every pick matters in shortened MLB draft. How they plan to make ‘em count
Years will be needed to accurately assess how fruitful this year’s MLB draft ultimately becomes, but there’s no doubt it will be the most unique in decades.
After a spring with organized baseball across the country at a standstill and uncertainty remaining about the possibilities of major- and minor-leagues seasons due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a new crop of the nation’s top amateur talent will find new homes with professional baseball clubs Wednesday and Thursday.
Once again, the Royals sit near the top of the draft order. Last year, with the No. 2 overall pick, they selected the nation’s top high school player in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. from Texas.
This year, they’ll pick fourth overall when the first round begins Wednesday night. The draft, which will be broadcast via ESPN and MLB Network starting at 6 p.m. CT, will follow a similar path as April’s NFL Draft, in that it will be a “virtual” process done largely through video conferencing to accommodate social-distancing guidelines.
This year’s draft will feature just five rounds, per an agreement reached earlier this spring between MLB and the MLB Players Association.
The first round and first competitive balance round will take place Wednesday night, while the remainder of the draft takes place Thursday.
“We’d love to get more players opportunities to play, but we’ll be as strategic as we can with the opportunities we do give,” Royals assistant general manager/amateur scouting Lonnie Goldberg said. “It’s made us dig and compete even harder for players. It’s fun to see scouts compete and do the things they do with conviction and fight for guys.
“If you get an opportunity to play professional baseball this year in this climate, it says something about your ability as a player and it says something even more about your ability as a person, just because it’s going to be hard. Jobs are going to be tough to come by. For a scout to put his neck out on the line and say, ‘I want you to have an opportunity to take our organization to the next level,’ says something and it means a lot.”
The Royals have a total of six picks in the draft, including two Wednesday (Nos. 4 and 32). On Thursday, they’ll select at Nos. 41, 76, 105 and 135. Their total draft-bonus pool will be $12,521,300.
With a much shorter draft — reduced from 40 rounds to five — there will be a large pool of undrafted free agents teams afterward, and clubs will be vying to sign them for no more than $20,000 apiece.
A 48-hour quiet period is expected to follow the draft before teams can start signing those free agents, though teams will have done plenty of prep work on all draft-eligible candidates.
This year’s draft preparations have been different than any other year because of the limitations placed on scouting departments due to coronavirus health measures. The elimination of most of the college and high school seasons also played a major role.
“We’re prepared,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said during a recent video call with reporters. “You know, we haven’t been able to finish off those evaluations like we normally do, but that’s the case for everybody. There are no excuses. We’ve had more calls with people at the amateur levels. I’ve spoken to multiple college coaches at every level, as has Lonnie Goldberg and all of our scouts. We’ve spoken to coaches at academies throughout the country. We’ve developed better contacts.
“We have dug deeper — in some respects because we’ve had to — and we continue to rely on the data. Dr. (Daniel) Mack, who heads up our research and development — his work is spectacular. Austin Driggers, our performance science director; Ryan Maid, our director of behavioral science; they’re all involved. ... And we’re just really fortunate to have some very talented people that can help us navigate through this trying time.”
How to watch the 2020 MLB draft
What: A five-round selection process for amateur baseball players by the 30 teams in Major League Baseball
When: Wednesday evening and Thursday
TV: ESPN and MLB Network; 6 p.m. CT Wednesday and 4 p.m. CT Thursday
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Royals know every pick matters in shortened MLB draft. How they plan to make ‘em count."
