Potential 2020 MLB Draft crushes for the KC Royals

The blistering numbers this Louisville Cardinal posted his last two seasons in college show a bright and perhaps sudden future in the big leagues.

Much attention has been put on the pitching draft picks Dayton Moore and his team made in 2018.  In fact, many could be on the KC Royals roster this year or next.

Reid Detmer may be ready to join them very soon if he is chosen by the team.  He made tremendous strides from 2018 to 2019 lowering his ERA by over 2 points while posting a 13-4 record. He also recorded one less walk from the prior year even though he threw nearly 60 more frames.

He dominated 2019 with a WHIP under 1.00 and whiffed an unbelievable 167 batters in just 113 1/3 innings.  Opponents batted a measly .177 off of Reid.  As impossible as it sounds, 2020 looked to be even better.  In just four starts his ERA was 1.23 and he struck out 48 batters in 22 frames while issuing only six walks.

"While Detmers’ fastball sits mostly in the 90-92 range, his plus curveball – which has been called the best in all of college baseball – clocks in between 73-77 mph, making his heater tougher to hit. “It’s a big league curveball,” one scout said. – mlb.com"

While the 2020 draft class will most likely not yield the type of arms the Royals grabbed in 2018, Detmer could be ready to join that class or just a year behind if Kansas City were to draft him.  Having a high-caliber southpaw on the team would be a valuable weapon against tough left-handed hitters in the American League Central.

While few expect these players to be in the top 4 picks during next week’s amateur draft, they are very solid players who could impact the KC Royals relatively quickly.