Royals Sign Brett Eibner, Jason Adam

The Royals stayed ahead of the 2010 draft pick signing deadline by signing outfielder Brett Eibner, their second round pick, and Jason Adam, their fifth round pick out of Blue Valley Northwest in Kansas City.

Eibner was originally drafted by the Astros in 2007 in the fourth round but instead opted to to to Arkansas, where he patrolled the outfield and also pitched. Some scouting reports projected he’d be drafted as a pitcher, but the Royals intend to use him in the outfield which he prefers. He signed for $1.25 million.

As a hitter, Eibner is patient enough to take walks and lay off pitches out of the zone, but has also been known to offer at the first strike he sees. He has a quick bat and raw power (evidenced by his 22 homers in 216 college at bats in 2010) and also plays a solid center field. As a pitcher, he could hit the mid-90s, so his arm in the outfield is strong as well. Rangy and athletic, Eibner has a shot to be a top outfield prospect next year. He’ll report to Idaho Falls to start his pro career.

The Royals had to go above slot to sign Adam, a Kansas City product. With college an option, the Royals gave him $800,000 to sign.

Adam is a right handed pitcher and at 6’4″ and 225 pounds, he’s expected to be a future starter. He has a fastball in the low-90s, a strong curveball and is developing a changeup. Baseball America named him the 54th best draft prospect, so by that measure, the Royals got a steal in the fifth round (though they had to pay four times the slot amount). Adam had committed to Missouri, so many teams may have passed on him with the idea that he’d be more likely to go to college. In 41.2 innings for Blue Valley Northwest, Adam had a 2.16 ERA with a 79/7 K/BB ratio. He’ll report to Surprise, Arizona for training.

Kansas City stayed ahead of other teams by signing their first-round pick very early in the process, inking Christian Colon just weeks after the conclusion of the draft. He’s currently in Wilmington in High A batting .258/.309/.356 in 180 plate appearances.

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