KC Royals face unfamiliar territory, horrible history drafting outside top 20 in 2025

This area of draft has never been the Royals' forte.
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The MLB Draft has its quirks, but like other major sports leagues, some fundamentals remain the same: bad teams pick early, top talent goes fast, and every draftee is a future franchise savior—until they’re not.

It’s understandable why baseball’s draft draws fewer eyeballs than the NFL or NBA’s—many of the names called won’t impact a big-league roster for years, if ever. That makes Kansas City’s current position rather unique. The Royals are one of the rare teams from the 2024 class to already have their top pick, first baseman Jac Caglianone, on the 26-man roster. But that opportunity came from another top-10 pick, the result of yet another losing season. In 2025, Kansas City doesn’t have that luxury.

The KC Royals have a horrible narrative in this spot for the MLB Draft

Drafting later in the first round is usually a welcome problem—a byproduct of winning. But for Royals fans, it’s unfamiliar territory. Kansas City hasn’t picked this low in years, and doing so introduces new challenges: scouting precision, bonus strategy, and a dramatically reduced margin for error. Sure, you can point to Mike Trout (25th overall) or Aaron Judge (32nd) as proof that franchise legends can be found late. But players like that are the exception, not the rule—especially when looking at Kansas City's own draft history.

Name

Year Drafted

Pick

Position

bWAR with Royals

Career bWAR

Games with Royals

Highest Level Reached

John Simmons

1969

23

SS

0

0

0

N/A
(never signed in 1969, or drafted again)

Mike Jones

1977

21

LHP

-0.1

-0.1

71

MLB

Buddy Biancalana

1978

25

SS

-1.1

-1.6

293

MLB

Atlee Hammaker

1979

21

LHP

-0.3

9.5

10

MLB

Dave Leeper

1981

23

OF

-1.2

-1.2

19

MLB

Gary Thurman

1983

21

OF

-2.2

-2.8

325

MLB

Tony Clements

1986

24

SS

0

0

0

Triple-A

Jason Pruitt

1991

30

RHP

0

0

0

High-A

Sherard Clinkscales

1992

31

RHP

0

0

0

High-A

Johnny Damon

1992

35

OF

17.3

56.3

803

MLB

Juan Lebron

1995

22

OF

0

0

0

Triple-A

Matt Burch

1998

30

RHP

0

0

0

Double-A

Chris George

1998

31

LHP

-0.7

-0.7

47

MLB

Mike MacDougal

1999

25

RHP

2.4

3.8

162

MLB

Jay Gehrke

1999

32

RHP

0

0

0

High-A

Jimmy Gobble

1999

43

LHP

1.7

1.5

235

MLB

Mitch Maier

2003

30

C

1.5

1.5

359

MLB

Matthew Campbell

2004

29

LHP

0

0

0

High-A

J.P. Howell

2004

31

LHP

-0.3

7.8

15

MLB

Mike Montgomery

2008

36

LHP

0.5

5.9

16

MLB

Sean Manaea

2013

34

LHP

0

14.9

0

MLB

Foster Griffin

2014

28

LHP

-0.2

-0.1

6

MLB

Chase Vallott

2014

40

C

0

0

0

High-A

Ashe Russell

2015

21

RHP

0

0

0

Rookie

Nolan Watson

2015

33

RHP

0

0

0

Triple-A

Jackson Kowar

2018

33

RHP

-2.6

-2.4

39

MLB

Daniel Lynch IV

2018

34

LHP

2.8

2.8

104

MLB

If Royals fans weren’t already skeptical of late first-round picks, they might be now. For every Johnny Damon, there’s a Chase Vallot, Ashe Russell, or Sherard Clinkscales. Damon became a fan favorite in Kansas City and a household name on the East Coast, starring for the Yankees and Red Sox on championship-caliber teams. In contrast, many of these picks never cracked the majors—or made brief, forgettable cameos.

Sean Manaea stands as a distant second to Damon in terms of career success. Though he never pitched a game for Kansas City, he was a pivotal trade chip in the 2015 deal for Ben Zobrist—a key piece in the Royals’ championship run. Manaea has since carved out a respectable MLB career, recently finishing 11th in NL Cy Young voting in 2024 with the Mets.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jackson Kowar. Once a top prospect and beacon of hope for the Royals’ pitching development, Kowar never found his footing. Whether his struggles stem from mechanics, confidence, or the missteps of former pitching coach Cal Eldred, his brief MLB stint is best left in the rearview mirror.

Kansas City’s track record with late first-round picks is, bluntly, one of the league’s worst. The bWAR column doesn’t lie. As the 2025 draft nears, the Royals will pick at 23rd and 28th overall—a golden opportunity to flip that narrative. Fans can hope for a fast riser. A future All-Star. A quietly productive big leaguer. Anything to counter a history littered with busts and what-ifs.

Because while drafting early gives teams a better chance at landing a star, true organizational growth comes from hitting on picks across the board—especially when you're no longer drafting at the top.