Did the KC Royals miss the chance to draft the next potential Bobby Witt Jr?

By many accounts, the Kansas City Royals came out of Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft with a lot to be excited about. They drafted a pair of talented prep prospects in Sean Gamble at pick No. 23 and Josh Hammond at pick No. 28 in the first rounds. Then the rest of their night was defined by some solid picks from both the collegiate and prep ranks to nab a trio of crafty arms in Michael Lombardi at pick No. 61, Justin Lamkin at pick No. 71 and Cameron Millar at pick No. 97.

As solid a job as J.J. Picollo and the Royals' front office did to open the this year's draft, there was a pick made before Kansas City even remotely came on the clock that drew quite the familiar player comparison.

With the 14th overall pick on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Rays scooped up high school shortstop Daniel Pierce, who some on the MLB Network draft night panel compared to current Royals franchise cornerstone, Bobby Witt Jr.

KC Royals missed out on prep shortstop who MLB Network analyst compared to Bobby Witt Jr.

During MLB Network's draft coverage, former big leaguer and current Team USA manager for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Mark DeRosa made the comparison between Witt and Pierce.

"He has that look in his eye," said DeRosa.

It's certainly high praise for the 18-year-old to have people stack him up against the reigning AL MVP runner-up. Even if it's not a perfect comp it's definitely not the worst comp in the world by any means.

Witt is known for his all-around ability. He's a top-tier hitter that can challenge for a .300 AVG on any given season, has punishing power, possesses blistering speed on the basepaths and is one of the best defenders in all of baseball.

Now, obviously Witt has refined his skills as he's developed since being the second overall pick back in 2019, but it's even easier to see why DeRosa made this comp when you compare Witt's pre-draft scouting report from six years ago and Pierce's form this year.

As a Texas prepster out of Colleyville Heritage, Witt had a 50-grade hit tool, 55-grade power tool and then 60-grades in his running, arm and fielding tools, according to MLB Pipeline's assessment.

Fast forward to this year's draft and the Rays have quite the well-rounded shortstop prospect in Pierce. The only difference between him and Witt in Pipeline's tool grading system is their hit and power grades are flip-flopped. Pierce is more of an all-around hitter than a power hitter, earning a 55-grade hit tool and 50-grade power tool. But his running abilities, arm and fielding all warranted 60-grades.

While it's certainly high praise, it's always a bit unfair to put the pressure of an MVP-caliber player on an 18-year-old kid just getting his start in professional baseball. The proof will be in the pudding on what Pierce can achieve in this Rays' system , however it's easy to say Tampa has a very good prospect on their hands.

Even though Kansas City may have been mocked to select Pierce in some mock drafts leading up to Sunday, I don't think they'll be overly upset that he was off the board by the time they came on the clock. After all, they netted some excellent first-round talent themselves in Gamble and Hammond.

And at the end of the day, comps are great, but the Royals can confidently say they have THE Bobby Witt Jr. and not the potential one. They'll take that reality everyday of the week.