KC Royals Select Pitchers With First Three Picks In MLB Draft

Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Callis: [Nolan] Watson is committed to Vanderbilt, so there was some concern about his signability if he wasn’t picked early, but teams usually do their homework on that so the Royals are presumably confident they can sign him. He has four solid pitches and made a nice push to get into the first round, so between him and Russell, it’s a nice daily double of Indianapolis prep hurlers for the Royals here in the first round.

My Thoughts: Based on what I’ve read, Watson may be the more polished pitching prospect over Russell. Having an arsenal of four pitches, and a pretty smooth delivery gives him the advantage over Russell.

Most of what I’ve read suggests he doesn’t have the power arm Russell has, but some suggested Watson was starting to shoot up the draft boards late due to an uptick in velocity, where he was touching mid-90’s, and doing so in a cold weather state.

Kerkhoff:  The 6’2″, 200 pound [Josh] Staumon has a fastball that has touched 100 mph, but has command issues. In 68 2/3 innings this season, Staumont struck out 109 and walked 54. He finished with a 3.67 ERA, and a .155 opponent batting average.

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