Kansas City Royals: Offseason Prospect Watch, Sam McWilliams

In the 26th slot on MLB Pipeline’s list of top 30 prospects in the Kansas City Royals organization is their Rule 5 draft pick, Sam McWilliams.

Sam McWilliams is a right handed pitcher who began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was traded first to the Arizona Diamondbacks and most recently to the Tampa Bay Rays. He was the second pick of the Rule 5 Draft by the Kansas City Royals.

The Statistics

His 2018 season was spent between Advanced A ball and Double A. He began with the Visalia Rawhide in the Diamondbacks organization before spending time with both the Montgomery Biscuits and Charlotte Stone Crabs in the Rays minor league system.

Overall in 2018, the starting righty went 7-9 with a 4.38 ERA. That is slightly higher than his overall career ERA of 3.77. He pitched 137.2 innings during the 2018 season, and hitters averaged .270 against him.

Sam McWilliams Scouting Report

MLB Pipeline predicted he will make his MLB debut in the 2019 season. That isn’t completely out of the question, but there are a lot of other talented hurlers in the organization.

As far as grades are concerned, they graded him as a 45 overall. His fastball is his strongest pitch, grading out at a 55, followed by his slider at 50, and his changeup at 45. His control is a 50 grade. He has both a two-seam and four-seam fastball. The two-seamer sinks in the low-90s, and his four-seamer hits the mid-90s.

MLB Pipeline also posed the question if McWilliams is truly suited for a starting role. He does throw strikes, but he struggles at times with locations.

Following the Rules

It’s possible they will give him some big league time, though, as they have to keep him on the active roster throughout 2019. Rule 5 regulations state that he must stay on the active roster or else be exposed to waivers and offered back to the Tampa Bay Rays for half his draft price.