Kansas City Royals: Recent Notable First Round Picks

Kansas City Royals pitcher Brandon Finnegan (27) – Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Finnegan was the Royals’ first pick in the 2014 draft (17th overall) out of TCU. He is currently the only player in MLB history to have pitched in both the College World Series and the World Series in the same year, as he pitched for the Horned Frogs at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha and in Game 3 of the World Series in San Francisco.

Finnegan will always have a special place in Kansas City Royals fans hearts for what he was able to do in the Wildcard game against Oakland. This 22 year old kid was able to come into an extra innings POSTSEASON game and pitch two and one thirds innings while striking out three batters. It was incredible to watch. I mean, that game was magical in every way possible, but Finnegan was the MVP that night for sure.

One of the highlights afterwards was when James Shields came up behind Finnegan during a post-game interview and yelled, “This kid has ice in his veins!” That had to be a pretty cool moment for Brandon Finnegan.

All right, let me stop gushing now.

This 22 year old kid was able to come into an extra innings POSTSEASON game and pitch two and one thirds innings while striking out three batters. It was incredible to watch.

Finnegan will likely be a work in progress for the Royals, as many would like to see him in a starting role. It was a good sign when the team sent him to Omaha for the beginning of the 2015 season, but it didn’t last too long.

In mid July, it was announced that the Royals were trading Brandon Finnegan to the Cincinnati Reds for the services of Johnny Cueto. Royals fans were bummed about the trade at the time, but it was done with the hopes of winning a World Series, and the Royals did just that. It just sucks that Finnegan couldn’t be apart of it.

Career stats through May 20th, 2015

• Wins-Losses: 1-1
• ERA: 1.98
• Games: 11
• Innings Pitched: 13.2
• Strikeouts/Walks: 16/6

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