Royals Projected to Land Potential Superstar in MLB Draft

This year’s MLB Draft is LOADED so the Royals really can’t go wrong with their No. 6 overall pick when the draft begins Sunday, but some selections are certainly more exciting than others.

Keith Law of The Athletic wrote up a mock draft this week, and he mocked West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt going to Kansas City, which would be a home-run draft pick for the Royals.

Kansas City’s window of contention opened this season, and Wetherholt is the perfect pick to open it even wider.

JJ Wetherholt Would Be a Draft Day Steal for Kansas City

Typically, most teams selecting early in the MLB Draft would simply take the best available player, or a player who fits a very specific team need.

Wetherholt has the unique distinction of fitting well into both categories – a player who could become a superstar for a team desperately in need of an offensive jolt.

"“I’ve heard the Royals are leaning pitching if it lines up that way, and prefer college to high school; if they go prep, it’s more likely Bryce Rainer than Griffin. That said, Wetherholt getting here would be a gift, as he came into the year as the most likely 1-1 candidate (and could still go there). If he’s gone, my bet is it’s Burns or Smith, preference unknown.”"

- Keith Law, The Athletic

He’s a player who’s been projected to go as high as No. 1 overall by some MLB insiders, and he would be a perfect complement to Bobby Witt Jr. both in the field and the lineup.

You must be asking yourself, ‘What’s the catch?’ Why would a potential No. 1 pick fall so far?

There are a few factors at play.

Wetherholt suffered a Grade 3 hamstring strain four games into this past season and was forced to the bench for a little over six weeks.

However, he recovered nicely, going on to finish his junior season with a .331 batting average, .472 on-base percentage and 30 walks to 17 strikeouts across 124 at-bats for a Mountaineers team that finished in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

And this is no fluke, either.

Wetherholt jumped up draft boards last year with a sophomore season for the ages. 

He hit an eye-popping .449 with a .517 on-base percentage (!!) with 16 home runs, 24 doubles and just 22 strikeouts over 225 at-bats. 

Aside from his injury, the only reason he could fall to No. 6 is the fact that this draft class is so chock-full of potential star talent. 

Of course, that means there are other viable options. 

If Wetherholt is gone, Kansas City would be plenty happy with prospects such as: Wake Forest pitcher Chase Burns, Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith, Texas A&M outfielder Braden Montgomery, Florida 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone or Wake Forest 1B Nick Kurtz.

But Wetherholt would be the best-case scenario. The fit isn’t perfect, as the Royals already have their shortstop of the future. But he would certainly be a big-time, long-term upgrade over Michael Massey or Maikel Garcia, and a bat that could fit perfectly ahead of Witt Jr., Sal Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino.

He would be a low-cost alternative to boosting the lineup – allowing Kansas City to avoid dipping into the coffers for another offseason of big spending -- locking in a lineup complement for Witt Jr. for years to come.

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