Kansas City Royals: 2020 MLB Mock Draft 1.0

The Kansas City Royals have the numbers 4, 32, and 41 picks in the upcoming MLB amateur draft in June 2020. With everything that has happened this spring, it is even more difficult to project who the Royals should take.

The Kansas City Royals have high draft picks coming off another 100-loss season. Since the Royals are a small market ball club, they get one “competitive balance pick” following the first round (and compensation round) of the amateur draft.

In total the Royals make four selections in the June MLB amateur draft in the top 80. We will project the Royals picks at number 4, 32, and 41 in this article for the June 2020 MLB Amateur Draft.

Based on the 2019 MLB amateur draft slot values, the Royals will have about $14 million to sign each of their draft selections in June. This year’s draft will be significantly different than prior years as the MLB has power to limit the draft to as few as five rounds and move the draft date back to July.

With the Professional Baseball Agreement proposal agreed upon by MiLB, Minor League Baseball is expected to reduce from 160 to 120 minor league teams. How this ultimately affects the Kansas City Royals organization is unknown. The proposal is likely to eliminate teams outside of the AAA, AA, A+, A, and rookie levels (Arizona, Gulf Coast, and Dominican Leagues).

Here are the predictions for the Royals selections at numbers 4, 32, and 41:

#4 draft pick overall – Nick Gonzales Second Base (pick value $6,664,000)

Nick Gonzales is a 21-year-old, 5’10”, 190 lb., right-handed hitting second baseman out New Mexico State University. He’s been labeled a “pure hitter” and after his 2019 performance in the Cape Cod summer league many scouts are starting to believe in the ridiculous hitting numbers, he has accumulated in the high desert of Las Cruces, New Mexico home of the New Mexico State University.

• 2020 stats (NCAA): .448/.610/1.155 with 3 2Bs, 1 3Bs, 12 HRs, 21 BBs (10 Ks), 4/5 SBs in 58 ABs
• 2019 stats (NCAA): .432/.532/.773 with 19 2Bs, 4 3Bs, 16 HRs, 45 BBs (30 Ks), 7/10 SBs in 220 ABs
• 2019 stats (Cap Cod): .351/.451/.630 with 14 2Bs, 4 3Bs, 7 HRs, 20 BBS (22 Ks), 6/6 SBS in 154 ABs

According to the Draft Board at fangraphs.com, Gonzales has future value of 50 (out of 80), with the following future tool grades:

• Hit: 60
• Power (game): 50
• Power (raw): 55
• Speed: 40
• Fielding: 45
• Arm: 45

Translating the 80-grade scouting scale into statistical productions makes Gonzales look like .280 hitter with about 15-18 home runs per year. He is capable of stealing 10-15 bases and providing slightly above average defense at second base. If you apply one standard deviation to the scouting grades (+/- 5 on the scale), Gonzales is likely to produce at his peak somewhere between a .270 – .290 batting average and 12 – 22 homers.

Gonzales was putting up video game numbers before the 2020 NCAA season was cancelled. His success in 2019 both at the NCAA level and the Cape Cod league project Gonzales favorably as an offensive force. In the video I’ve seen of Gonzales, I liked the short-compact swing, the pitch selection, and he shows he’s solid making defensive plays to his backhand.

Gonzales offers tremendous value at the number 4 overall pick and according to Jonathan Mayo at mlb.com, in his latest mock draft Gonzales should be available at pick number 4. Johnathan Mayo has RHP Emerson Hancock out of the University of Georgia going to Royals at pick number 4.

Hancock has a particularly nasty arsenal of stuff at his disposal and I would be fine with this pick as well, but Gonzales has the potential to hit above .300 with solid power (35 doubles and 15 home run potential) and on-base numbers at the MLB level. The Royals as an organization will need to replace Whit Merrifield’s exceptional production at some point and Gonzales represents the best potential to do so.

Teddy Cahill and Joe Healy at baseballamerica.com recently ranked Nick Gonzales number 23 in their Top 25 Best Players in Cape Cod History in a list that included players such as Frank Thomas, Mo Vaughn, Thurman Munson, and Jason Varitek. Exceptional performances in the Cape Cod league typically foretell future MLB success.

Nick Gonzales is the right pick for the Kansas City Royals at number 4 overall and could be a .300 hitter in the MLB with solid gap power numbers. I highlighted what Nick Gonzales could project to be at his peak when the Royals are ready to compete for another World Series title.