Kansas City Royals: Diving into each of draft picks

With the 76th pick, OF Tyler Gentry

The Royals took their second position play of four picks, taking Tyler Gentry from Alabama. The one thing that stands out is something MLB Prospect Pipeline wrote.

"He shows the ability to hit for both average and power if he maintains his plate discipline."

The Royals have not been a team known for its power. Gentry is thought to have some raw power to his swing while having a solid swing rating.

As a freshman at Walters State Community College, Gentry hit .379/.472/.729 with 32 extra-base hits, including 18 homeruns. This caught the eye of Alabama and Gentry transferred for his sophomore year. His continued success against the SEC, which is considered one of the best, if not the best, baseball conference, isn’t something to take lightly.

Even though it was an abbreviated season, he increased his slugging percentage from .552 to .750 and improved his plate discipline, drawing 10 walks compared to just 10 strikeouts over 17 games.

Why you should be excited about Tyler Gentry

In an interview with Alec Lewis of The Athletic, Royals’ area scout Travis Ezi acknowledged the power potential that Gentry has. He said that watching him hit and seeing his power reminds him of former big-leaguer Jason Bay. When you look at Bay’s career numbers, he hit .266/.360/.481 with 240 doubles, 30 triples, and 222 homeruns over his 11 years.

However, if you look at his “prime” six years splits, Bay hit .280/.375/.519 with 186 doubles, 22 triples, and 181 homeruns. He also nearly had five years of at least 25 doubles and 25 homeruns. If Ezi is right and the Royals go another Jason Bay, then the Royals’ will get great value for a third-round pick.