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KC Royals: An early look at Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar this weekend

Pitcher Brady Singer #51 of the Florida Gators (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Pitcher Brady Singer #51 of the Florida Gators (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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The KC Royals drafted Florida pitcher Brady Singer 18th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft. Now this weekend, Royals fans can watch their first pick in the college baseball playoffs.

Kansas City Royals fans might want to turn on ESPN at 11 AM on Saturday because Brady Singer will be taking the mound for the Florida Gators in the first game of the Super Regionals. This is a unique opportunity for Royals fans, as they will not just get to see Singer pitch on Saturday, but Jackson Kowar, another Royals draft pick, is scheduled to pitch on Sunday.

Florida is always contending for a College World Series title and I doubt a lot of Royals fans actually know that. This year, however, a lot of Royals fans will be pulling for the Gators to make a run in the tournament. The further Florida goes, the more Royals fans will get to see of their future pitchers.

Singer was selected 18th overall after posting an ERA of 2.27 and an 11-1 record during Florida’s regular season. On the draft show on MLB Network, one of the analysts said that Singer was the safest pick and didn’t mean it as a bad thing whatsoever.

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The number two man in the Gators rotation is Jackson Kowar, who the Royals took at pick 33. Kowar had an ERA of 3.37 with a 9-5 record and will be throwing for Florida on Sunday in Game 2.

Singer will be squaring off against Auburn ace Casey Mize, who actually went number one overall to the Detroit Tigers. If we really want to get geeky with all of this, just picture this is a few years down the road and it’s a game pitting the Kansas City Royals against the Detroit Tigers. Hopefully we’ll see a few of those Singer vs Mize showdowns in the big leagues in a few years!

In Singer’s outing in the regional round, he went seven innings while only allowing five hits and two runs with six strikeouts. While Gainesville is a long way from Kansas City, it’s safe to say that it’ll be one of the highest markets for this particular series. Royals fans have a rare opportunity to watch their future stars in action on the biggest stage in college baseball and they should definitely take advantage.

If both Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar could become staples in the KC Royals’ rotation like they have for Florida over the years, then pitching won’t be an issue down the road. That’s the dream.

*STATS COURTESY OF THIS ARTICLE FROM MATTHEW STEVENS OF USA TODAY*