MLB Draft: 3 who should be on the KC Royals’ short list

Jackson Jobe is a young high school prospect the KC Royals could look at.

Jackson Jobe is a 6-feet-2, 190-pound righthanded pitcher from Heritage Hall High School in Oklahoma who’s committed to Ole Miss. Jobe is also the No.7-ranked prospect at MLB Pipeline and a high school talent whose athleticism allowed him to effectively pitch and play shortstop at Heritage Hall.

Need proof? He was 9-0 with a 0.13 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 51.2 innings in 2021, and hit .469 with seven home runs, 45 hits, 38 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.

Those are prep stats, of course, so there is the known and not insignificant risk that Jobe hasn’t faced even low-level professional players yet. And although some mock drafts have Jobe going to the Tigers with the No. 3 selection, the KC Royals might think twice about taking him in the first round if he’s still on the board because they haven’t had the best of recent luck drafting high school pitchers before the second round (remember Nolan Watson and Ashe Russell?), which probably explains their more recent shift to college hurlers.

However, Jobe has an impressive three-pitch arsenal. He has a changeup, a mid-90s fastball, and a lethal slider:

Although the Royals do have an impressive plethora of young pitching talent, and high school players pose risks inherent to their inexperience, Jobe would be a great arm for the KC Royals to add.