KC Royals Draft: Checking in on club's top 5 picks from 2024

Kansas City Royals fans didn't have to wait long last year to learn who the club would take with its first selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Six picks in, and quite pleased to find him still on the board, the Royals grabbed Jac Caglianone, making the University of Florida star their most exciting pick in several years.

But this year, the wait will be longer — Kansas City won't get a shot at the combined college and high school talent pool until deep into the first round when they pick in the 23rd slot. So, fans tuning in when the draft kicks off at 5 p.m. CDT Sunday will have some time to kill before they find out who the Royals consider their best bet for the future. And when the 20-round draft ends Monday afternoon, the longer wait to see how the 2025 draft picks perform begins.

In the meantime, and as Kansas City draft aficionados eagerly await this season's draft, checking in on the top five Royals picks from 2024 seems in order.

No. 1 KC Royals pick Jac Caglianone didn't take long to reach the majors

Some first-round selections don't start their pro careers until the following season, but Caglianone dove right in, playing 29 games at High-A Quad Cities and another 21 in the Arizona Fall League before beginning his winter break.

Then came 2025 and a rapid rise up the organization's ladder. Caglianone rewarded the Royals for the non-roster invitation to spring training they gave him by hitting .500 with a 1.776 OPS, three homers, and seven RBI in 14 Cactus League games, then earned a promotion to Triple-A Omaha with a .322/.394/.553, nine home runs, 43 RBI performance in 38 games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
His 12 games at Omaha were so successful — in only 12 contests, he homered six times, drove in 13 runs, and hit .319 with a .370 OBP, and 164 wRC+ — that KC called him up June 1.

Unfortunately, things at the major league plate haven't gone so well for Caglianone. After going 0-for-4 in Saturday afternoon's 8-3 loss to the Mets, he was slashing only .142/.193/.268 in 34 games. Nevertheless, he seems to be in the big leagues to stay.

No. 2 KC Royals selection David Shields is pitching nicely at Columbia

Kansas City finished up its first-day draft business last year by selecting prep pitcher David Shields in the second round. A left-hander highly touted by the Royals, Shields didn't begin his pro journey until this season when he gave up four runs in four innings in a May Arizona Complex League contest.

But that's where his early trouble ended. Promoted to Single-A Columbia a week later, he's boasting a 2.45 ERA and is 2-1 in 10 starts through Friday. Ranked by MLB Pipeline as Kansas City's seventh-best prospect, he's struck out 39 and walked only nine in 36.2 (1.99 BB/9). Don't be surprised if he makes it to High-A before the season ends.

No. 3 KC Royals pick Drew Beam is in the Quad Cities rotation

Pitchers dominated the first several Kansas City picks, and Beam was one of them. The Royals made him the first half of the pair of University of Tennessee hurlers to make KC's top five (more on that in a moment) when they took him in the third round.

Beam, KC's 13th-best prospect per Pipeline, didn't throw a professional pitch until this season. A member of Quad Cities' rotation since this season started, he surrendered two runs in four no-decision innings against Fort Wayne Friday night, and is 4-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 starts.

Although he's been charged with eight runs in 7.2 innings this month, he posted ERAs of 3.20, 2.88, and 2.77 in April, May, and June, respectively.

No. 4 KC Royals selection L.P. Langevin is just starting to pitch

Unfortunately, the Kansas City organization hasn't seen much of Langevin, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette right-hander they chose in the fourth round. He didn't play in the minors after signing last summer, then started this season on the Injured List.

Fortunately, though, Pipeline's No. 26 KC prospect is back at work. Sent to the Complex League on a rehab assignment July 1, he's pitched three times and has yielded two runs on three hits, and walked four with four strikeouts, in 3.2 innings.

Langevin's latest outing came Tuesday against a Rangers' ACL club. He gave up one run, one hit, two walks, and fanned two in 2.1 innings.

No. 5 KC Royals choice A.J. Causey is making himself known

Wondering who among Kansas City's 2024 draft class might make it to the majors sooner rather than later? Causey might be your man.

The right-handed reliever who joined Beam as one of the Tennessee pitchers the Royals took in the first five rounds, Causey opened his career at Quad Cities this season and wasted no time opening eyes — over 28 relief appearances, he went 8-2 with a 1.49 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, five saves, and 48 strikeouts in 42.1 innings.

That superb performance earned Causey a July 8 promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where in one appearance he pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four against Midland. He probably won't make it to Kauffman Stadium this season, but a spot in the 2026 KC bullpen could be in his future.