Kansas City Royals: Reviewing debut seasons for top 2017 draft picks

LHP, Jordan Floyd, 10th round, pick No. 300, Kansas State

With the 300th pick in the 2017 MLB draft, the Kansas City Royals selected Kansas State pitcher Jordan Floyd. After growing up in Topeka, Kansas, Floyd has a chance to play in the organization he likely grew up watching. One of several left-handed pitchers on this list, Floyd put together a strange first professional season.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder put up some great numbers and some not-so-great ones. In total, Floyd, who will turn 23 in February, threw 31 2/3 innings between the Arizona League and the Appalachian League. All 16 of Floyd’s appearances came out of the bullpen, giving him little room for error.

He made two successful save appearances, allowing no runs, in his limited time with the AZL Royals. Floyd put up a 2-3 record and a 2.20 ERA with Burlington. However, his other stats paint a different picture. In his 28 2/3 innings, Floyd allowed 35 hits and nine walks to just 18 strikeouts. Opponents hit .294 against him, and he actually recorded more flyouts than groundouts.

At the end of the day, he didn’t allow many runs to score. That’s his job, and he did it well. But some of those stats suggest he got lucky. Allowing an average of three base-runners every two innings and letting opponents hit almost .300 isn’t conducive to keeping runs off the board.