Kansas City Royals select Nick Pratto with 14th pick in MLB Draft

The Kansas City Royals have selected first baseman Nick Pratto with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. Pratto is 18 years old and hails from Huntington Beach, California.

The Kansas City Royals decided to add first baseman Nick Pratto as their first selection in round one of the MLB Draft. Pratto was a hero in the 2011 Little League World Series, singling home his teammate and giving California the championship with his walk-off hit.

Pratto had committed to the University of Southern California, but now that he’s been drafted in the first round, perhaps he’ll be heading to the minor leagues to make his Major League Baseball dreams come true. The first baseman is good at the plate, as Minor League Ball notes that the kid has a tremendous feel for the strike zone.

With the Royals potentially losing Eric Hosmer after this season, they’ll need their next first baseman of the future. Obviously Pratto wouldn’t be ready for several years, but he very well could step into that role in three or four years and become an Eric Hosmer type of player for the Kansas City Royals.

He's 6'1", 200 lbs, bats and throws left-handed. The dude's a winner, hit the walk-off winner in the 2011 Little League World Series.
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) June 13, 2017

I’m a bit surprised not to see the Royals go after a pitcher in the first round, but they must have liked what they saw in Nick Pratto. Baseball prospects can be hit or miss and the KC Royals haven’t done all that well with their first round selections over the past few seasons, but Pratto has the intangibles, at least according to all of the “experts”.

With prior “clutchness” in his genes earlier on in his baseball career, Pratto could fit in extremely well with the Royals. The need at first base could definitely be there soon, as Hosmer might not be back in Kansas City. Could Nick Pratto be the future at first base? Only time will tell, but for now… Let’s not jump to conclusions with this pick.

Pratto is only 18 and will need time to be polished in the farm system. It’ll probably take him at least until the 2020 season to get his Major League call up, but when it does happen, Kansas City will be ready. Perhaps Nick Pratto will be the first of the next wave of prospects to help the Royals win another World Series down the road.

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What do you think of this selection Royals fans? Are you excited or do you wish the Royals had gone with another prospect?

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