Kansas City Royals: 2020 MLB Mock Draft 2.0
By Cody Rickman
Kansas City Royals Mock Draft 2.0
Round 2, pick 41: J.T. Ginn, Starting Pitcher (RHP)
J.T. Ginn is a 6’2”, 192 pound, right-handed starting pitcher out of Mississippi State University. Ginn was a likely first rounder before Tommy John surgery ended his 2020 season in March. Ginn was previously a first round draft choice out of high school being selected 30th overall in the 2018 draft.
- 2019 (NCAA): 3.13 ERA, 1.054 WHIP, 105 K, 19 BB, 1 HR allowed in 86.1 innings
- 2020 (NCAA): 6.00 ERA, 1.667 WHIP, 4 K, 2 BB, 0 HR allowed in 3.0 innings
According to the Draft Prospect Rankings at mlb.com, Ginn has the following future tool grades:
- Overall: 50
- Fastball: 60 (91 – 95 mph)
- Slider: 60 (mid 80s mph)
- Changeup: 55 (mid 80s mph)
- Control: 50
According to the scouting report on Ginn at mlb.com;
"“When healthy, Ginn usually deals at 91-95 mph and tops out at 97 with some of the best fastball life in the 2020 Draft, as his heater will run and sink and bore at various times. His wipeout slider can be just as difficult to hit, combining mid-80s velocity with two-plane depth. He also gets good downward action on his changeup, which shows flashes of becoming a plus offering."
The only reason Ginn is available this late in the draft is due to his Tommy John surgery in March 2020. Ginn possessed some of the nastiest movement and hardest to hit stuff in SEC conference before the injury.
He simplified his delivery upon arriving at Mississippi State and began to show promise in control and command of his wicked stuff. His fastball and slider are incredibly difficult to square up and when his command is on, hitters have a difficult time finding hits. The change-up could be a third plus offering if Ginn is able to find his feel after he recovers from Tommy John.
Ginn is a top-10 talent who should slide in the draft due to durability and injury issues. He is a high ceiling prospect the Royals would be happy to have.
The projections for Ginn are as a number four type starter (4.00 FIP) or high leverage reliever. I believe if Ginn returns to form and improves his durability, he is capable of being a number three type starter (3.30 FIP).