Kansas City Royals: Five round 2019 MLB Mock Draft
By Cullen Jekel
Round 4, Pick 109
Selection: Dasan Brown, OF, Abbey Park (Ont.) High School
Others Considered: Karl Kauffmann, RHP, Michigan & Cade Doughty, SS, Denham Springs (La.) High School
In the fourth round, with pick 109, I have the Royals taking a high-school outfielder from Canada currently committed to play collegiate ball for Texas A&M: Dasan Brown, who ranks as MLB Pipeline’s no. 103 prospect. Brown is “the best Canadian prospect in this class by far,” as that site notes. Further, he’s fast: his speed rates as a 70. That’s clearly the 17-year-old’s strong suit as he’s still otherwise quite raw.
If the Kansas City Royals can afford to grab a player here in the fourth round and be patient with him, it should be Brown. From MLB.com:
"Teams that love players with premium athleticism and a ton of ceiling are likely going to look at Brown in the first three or four rounds. It might take some time, but the payoff could be huge."
TX: 2019 Dasan Brown of Ontario Blue Jays
— Prospect Wire (@ProspectWire) July 23, 2018
Beats out this ground ball to SS. Runs a 3.97 to 1B #uncommitted @Program15BB @ftrstarsseries pic.twitter.com/E1zI8BL8RF
Another high school player available here is shortstop Cade Doughty out of Louisiana. As a senior, he led his team with 20 extra-base hits, a .505 batting average and an on-base percentage of .625. 2080 Baseball ranks him as their number 94 prospect. MLB Pipeline ranks him slightly lower, at number 109, noting that the 18-year-old:
"…is an advanced hitter…showing nice feel for the barrel while employing a compact, quick right-handed swing. He has a controlled approach that mainly produces line drives but he also has room to add 20 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-1 frame."
Then there’s Michigan Wolverine Karl Kauffmann. I mean, dude’s got the right surname to be drafted by this organization even if he’s got an extra “n” in there. He’s ranked 99th by 2080 Baseball and 110th by MLB Pipeline.
The 6-foot-2 junior went 8-6 this season with a 2.86 ERA across 97.2 innings that included 15 starts and one relief appearance in which he earned a save. He struck out 86 hitters while walking only 26, holding opposing hitters to a .220 average. Thanks to his collegiate career and three-pitch arsenal, MLB.com notes he has a “relatively high floor.”