Kansas City Royals: Twelfth rounder Rylan Kaufman signs

The Kansas City Royals signed their twelfth round draft pick, Rylan Kaufman, today. Kaufman was one of seven players drafted from his junior college in the 2018 MLB Draft.

Rylan Kaufman stands at 6’4″. The lefty pitcher was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the twelfth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.

In his freshman season at San Jacinto College-North in Texas, Kaufman had a record of 7-1. If the college name sounds familiar, it’s because the junior college has a famous attendee: Roger Clemens. As aforementioned, there were also six other players from the school who were drafted in 2018.

In his 53.2 innings pitched, he struck out 59 and yielded an ERA of 2.18. The southpaw was drafted out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 31st round, but he chose to adhere to his college commitment.

He wasn’t one of their top draft picks, but he is a good signing. The deadline to sign draft picks is July 6, with the exception of those who were college seniors. The Royals still have three of their top seven draft picks left to sign, including Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar.

Room for Improvement

Though he is tall, he may need to add some more muscle to his current 190 pound frame. He’s also just 19 years old, meaning he is still developing his pitches. In his year of JUCO play, he saw a jump in his fastball velocity from high 80s to low 90s.

He also features a curveball and a changeup. Kaufman signed for $722,500. Kaufman will have to work his way through the minor league system, which will help with his development.

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Especially with the rebuild, the Kansas City Royals are a good fit for Rylan Kaufman. He’s a young pitcher willing to put in the work to develop. It will still be a few years, but it’s likely Kaufman will earn himself some chances at Kauffman.