Kansas City Royals: Five round 2019 MLB Mock Draft
By Cullen Jekel
Competitive Balance Round B, Pick 70
Selection: Spencer Jones, 1B/LHP, La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High School
Others Considered: Ethan Hearn, C, Mobile Christian (Ala.) High School & Matt Cronin, LHP, Arkansas
Ethan Hearn is an interesting possibility for the Royals at pick 70. He’s a left-handed hitting high school catcher who rates, according to MLB Pipeline based on the 20 to 80 scale, 50 in power and 55 in arm. If the Royals nab Rutschman in the first round, Hearn won’t be a consideration here. However, it’s likely the Royals brass discuss the 18-year-old currently committed to Mississippi State.
Then there’s Matt Cronin, a 6-foot-2 left-handed reliever for Arkansas. In somewhat of a rarity, Cronin has never before been drafted. In three seasons with the Razorbacks, he’s never made a start, coming in out of the bullpen for all 62 of his appearances.
This season, through 22 outings, he’s pitched 26 innings, striking out 39 while walking only 14 and holding opposing hitters to a .169 batting average. His fastball, which comes in at the mid-90s, is complemented by his curve, which MLB Pipeline describes as “a true hammer in the mid[-]70s” due to Cronin’s “over-the-top arm slot.”
But in staying true to form with the Royals’ preferring athletes who provide a range of options, the pick here is Spencer Jones, a left-handed first baseman who can also touch 93 MPH from the mound.
Jones, who stands 6-foot-7, turned 18 earlier this month and is currently committed to playing for Vanderbilt next fall. Yet, in the age of Brendan McKay and Shohei Ohtani, perhaps more teams will be willing to indulge players who want to both hit and pitch. The Royals need every advantage they can get to stay relevant. Selecting Jones here and meeting his price would help in that regard.
Right now, Jones is a better hitter than he is a pitcher, at least according to MLB Pipeline’s 20 to 80 rankings. His hit is a 50 while his power, run, and arm are at 55. His fastball and curveball also rate as 55, but his control is at a slightly below-average 45.