KC Royals: Royals Take Shortstop In MLB Mock Draft

The KC Royals are currently atop the American League Central almost two full months into the 2015 season. That being said, the MLB Draft isn’t necessarily on many Royals’ fans minds.

The Royals hold the 21st overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft and the most recent MLB Mock Draft, courtesy of Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, has the boys in blue taking shortstop Cornelius Randolph out of Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia.

"The Royals could decide to go arm here if Kaprielian is in play, or if Louisville’s Kyle Funkhouser or College of Southern Nevada’s Phil Bickford are still available. If they want a bat, Randolph is one of the better pure ones in the class, one that should profile even if he moves to third.– Mayo"

This is a different set of events for the Kansas City Royals, as over the years, the team has normally selected within the first five picks (maybe 10 sometimes, after a season where they didn’t lose 100+ games). Last year, the Royals selected 17th overall and took Brandon Finnegan out of TCU, who actually made an impact with the team late in the season.

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As for Cornelius Randolph, his player profile on PerfectDay.com, he has committed to the University of Clemson and is also interested in playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks. He weighs in at 190 pounds and is 6’1″.

Shaun Newkirk of Royals Review had a nice writeup on Randolph last week. Here were some noteworthy things Newkirk had to say about the young shortstop,

"Most importantly for his draft stock, Randolph has hit very well on the circuits leading up to the draft and the high school season. Meanwhile, Randolph has helped carry his teams into the Georgia state playoffs and into the second round (where they lost to St. Pius). Randolph has done everything out of a hitter you can ask for. He’s hit for average, power, and walks while limiting the strikeouts.~~~Randolph has at least above average raw power which you can easily tell by his size and hard contact, while the potential average hit tool could help the raw power play to its fullest in-game.Speed wise Randolph grades as an average runner (timed at 6.94 on his PG summer 60 yard dash), but may slow down some if he puts on additional weight and size.So, a SS with potential average hit and plus power, excellent bat speed and an average or so speed? That sounds like a top-5 pick right? Well, all the above is true except his potential position."

Most of the draft sites I’ve been reading up on state that Randolph more than likely won’t stay at shortstop. They see him more at second base or even at third base, which Newkirk mentioned in his article as well.

Personally, I’m much more of an NFL Draft guru than I am MLB Draft. These guys who get drafted spend time in the minors for a few years before being brought up to prove themselves, whereas in football, the guys are brought in to make an immediate impact (well, most of the time). It’s a different concept for a football gal like myself.

Regardless though, if the KC Royals do decide to go with Cornelius Randolph in the first round, he’ll hopefully be an impact hitter and will help out on the dominant defense that’s proven to be one of the best in the MLB the last two seasons.

Check out these highlights of Cornelius Randolph from YouTube.

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