Kansas City Royals: Every First Round Pick Since 2000

Every Royals first-round draft pick since 2000: Matthew Campbell (2004)

In the same year that they scooped up Billy Butler, the Royals had two other first-round picks. With the 29th pick, they selected Matthew Campbell, who never made it to the majors.

Campbell was a pitcher who just couldn’t prove himself enough as a first-round pitching prospect. As expected, he struggled in his first season, but never got much better after that. He sported an ERA of 2.57 in Wilmington in 2007, but that was about as flashy as Campbell ever got.

The former first-rounder was out of the league after 2007 after posting poor career numbers in the minor leagues. In three seasons (he missed all of 2006), Campbell had an ERA of 4.63 in 24 starts and 33 total games with 138 innings thrown and struck out 106 batters. He had a 1.471 WHIP during that time as well.

Matthew Campbell would never go on to be the answer in the Royals rotation, but sometimes first-round prospects don’t work out. So it goes.