KC Royals: Dayton Moore’s top first round draft picks

Moore locked in another key KC Royals championship ingredient with the third pick in 2008.

By selecting another high school infielder the following season, Moore managed to set the Royals’ corner infield positions for several years. Eric Hosmer also debuted in 2011 and settled into the lineup by producing well from the beginning.

A couple of off years in 2012 and ’14 did not slow Hosmer down much. He also brought an infectious “never say die” attitude that resonated throughout the clubhouse.

When you look at his overall stats, he finished in the top 10 in team categories of runs scored, hits, total bases, home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, and intentional bases on balls.  He also captured four Gold Gloves along the way.

Hosmer makes a case for being Moore’s best overall first round pick. That puts him in line with pre-Moore players like Kevin Appier, Willie Wilson, and Johnny Damon.

We never really knew you

An extra pick in the first round of the 2013 draft went to college pitcher Sean Manaea out of Indiana State. He pitched very well his only full season in the KC Royals organization, striking out 146 in just over 121 innings in High-A ball.

He was off to another great start in 2015 before the Royals shipped him to the Oakland A’s. While it may seem frustrating to lose a talented player who’s produced a 39-31 record, 3.85 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP in five big league seasons, the fact he was traded for World Series hero Ben Zobrist eases the pain.

It would be interesting to see how Manaea would blend in with the current group of Royals. Just because he never saw major league time as a KC Royal doesn’t diminish the great pick Manaea was.

Despite obstacles 2020 brought to baseball, this recent draft pick was able to excel.

The KC Royals had three first round picks in 2018, with Brady Singer being the first selected at the 18th slot. He was also the first to make the major leagues after he tore through the minors with a 1.19 WHIP in 26 starts in 2019.

Singer managed to better that performance last season with a 1.17 WHIP in 12 big league games while striking out 61 batters in 64.1 innings pitched. Combine that with a 2.73 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in his last five starts and it’s easy to see why he leads a top-notch draft class from 2018.

It will take several more years for Singer’s career to play out but at this point, it appears that he’s easily a great pick by Moore. The team has not had a first round starter to hang its hat on since Zack Greinke in 2002. This pitcher should end that drought.

Witt Jr. should make his KC Royals mark soon

The final player for consideration is an infielder from Colleyville, Texas whose father was also a big league player. Bobby Witt Jr. was the second overall pick in 2019; because COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 minor league season, we only have his statistics from 37 games in Rookie ball to use, which is an incomplete metric.

What we do know is that Witt ranks as mlb.com’s eighth-best prospect in the entire Major Leagues, a very impressive feat. At 6-feet-11 and 190 pounds, this righthanded hitter has tools that continue to grow and impress.

Initially a shortstop, the speculation is that Witt will soon fill a hole at the hot corner for the Royals. He’s only 20 years old, so it may be another year before we get to see how he competes in the big leagues, but with a strong spring and explosive start in the minors he might force a decision.

It’s not often that the KC Royals have a Top 10 overall prospect; if he can live up to his potential, Witt will end up being one of the better picks in Moore’s reign.

That wraps up our list of best first round picks by Moore over the last 15 years. Baseball is notorious for early selection busts, but there have been smart choices during his time in charge.