Kansas City Royals: Most intriguing picks in 2019 MLB Draft

KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 04: An internal view of the stadium fountains during the MLB regular season game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals, on Tuesday June 4, 2019 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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INTRIGUING DRAFT PICKS – JOHN RAVE, CF (ILLINOIS STATE)

In round five, the Royals nabbed another collegiate player from an Illinois university, this time a center fielder out of Illinois State. John Rave, according to Illinois State athletics’ website, started in all 52 games as a sophomore in 2018 (he was only one of two players on his team to do so).

He was a career .301 hitter in three years with the Red Birds with 22 home runs and 117 RBI. His best year was during 2018 when he batted .347, but he hit more home runs this past year (12 compared to eight the season prior).

The Royals don’t have an official plan at center field in the coming years and the hope is that either Brett Phillips or Bubba Starling can takeover there. Rave is only 21 years old, so he has time to develop in the minor leagues for sure.

Rave could be an under the radar name to watch in the minors and an even more under the radar name to potentially play in center field at the K years down the road. Fingers crossed!

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