Kansas City Royals: Every First Round Pick Since 2000

Every Royals first-round draft pick since 2000: Nolan Watson (2015)

The Royals’ last pick in the first round was Nolan Watson in 2015. He was taken 33rd overall and also hailed from Indiana. Watson hasn’t been much better than Russell to this point, but he’s only 21 years old.

Watson had a decent first season with an ERA under five, but year two saw him get lit up time and time again. His 7.57 ERA didn’t look good and his 11 losses looked even worse.

Pitchers have to work harder in the minors because they have to get their command in order and figure out what pitches work best for them. Watson ran into some issues in 2017, however, as he was shut down after injuring his shoulder, per Jeffrey Flanagan.

Staying healthy is another huge factor for pitchers and Watson hopefully can come back from this injury and provide something to the major league club in the next few years.

In 2018, Watson had an ERA of 5.28 from his time with Wilmington and Lexington. He made just one start in 2019, but pitched well, twirling 4.1 scoreless innings with Wilmington. Will we hear much from Watson moving forward?