We knew this year’s draft would be unpredictable. What was not anticipated was arguably the best pitcher would fall into KC Royals’ lap.
All the talk and predictions from pundits, including those here at Kings of Kauffman, I dare say no one would have told you that Austin Martin and Asa Lacy would both be available with the fourth pick. Alas, that was the wonderful dilemma the KC Royals were faced with on Wednesday night.
The Royals chose to take another dominant starting college pitcher, a throwback to the 2018 draft when they selected three of those in the first round. Lacy comes with some major street cred having decimated Division I hitters that last three seasons.
Site expert Jordan Foote recently wrote about Lacy and had this to say:
"Lacy made 15 starts as a sophomore and won eight of them. Posting a 2.33 ERA with a whopping 130 strikeouts in just 88.2 innings, he was outstanding. He then came back even better to start 2020, going 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA in four starts to open the season before play was suspended. – kingsofkauffman.com"
The reactions from experts on Twitter were swift and generally glowing praise for the selection:
The Royals select Asa Lacy with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. He’s a Texas A&M lefty starter viewed by some as the best pitcher in this entire draft. Fastball. Slider. Changeup. Another great college arm for a club that has a ton of ‘em.
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) June 10, 2020
The Royals take Asa Lacy, the top left-hander in the Draft. Comparisons to Blake Snell. Royals must be thrilled he fell to them. Four-pitch pitcher with overpowering stuff.
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) June 10, 2020
The AL Central will learn to fear the #Royals rotation some day (and some day, very soon).
— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) June 10, 2020
Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, Kyle Bubic, Jackson Kowar and now ... Asa Lacy.
The comparison of Lacy to big league pitchers started rolling in:
The #Royals take Texas A&M LHP Asa Lacy with the 4th overall pick in the #MLBDraft. You can never have too many arms and Acy has drawn comparisons to Los Angeles Dodger pitcher, Clayton Kershaw.https://t.co/DKaL3kA5Sz pic.twitter.com/i6CSHAPLz6
— 610SportsKC (@610SportsKC) June 10, 2020
I looked for negative feedback on Lacy but it was tough to find. The real issue seemed to be why the Miami Marlins would pass on him:
Surprise from the Marlins in the first round of MLB Draft. They pass on Austin Martin and Asa Lacy to take RHP Max Meyer from Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/lLaOjkbZCR
— Will Manso (@WillManso) June 10, 2020
MLB teams going with value picks early. Max Meyer the first pitcher taken as the Marlins pass on Asa Lacy and Austin Martin?
— Brian Perroni (@Perroni247) June 10, 2020
Time will tell, but this appears to be a best-case scenario pick for the Royals. Having the top pitcher available rated by many sites fall to you in the fourth spot just does not happen. He will join the already deep pitching prospects in the minors who could become a nightmare for opponents rotation in the very near future.