3 prep players KC Royals could take in 2023 MLB Draft

MLB Draft season is always a special time. Anything is possible for the nation's top baseball prospects ahead of the July 9 draft and several lives will be changed. The KC Royals sit at eight overall in the draft, with a litany of several routes. Could the team take an under slot approach? That route during the 2021 MLB Draft netted the team Frank Mozzicato and Ben Kudrna, two top-five prospects in the Royals system. Could they take the best player available approach? After all, a player tumbling out of the top five would be a welcomed gift for the Royals, who have one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball. Royals fans will have to wait and see.

Questions surround the KC Royals ahead of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Something that we need to remember though: this will be Royals general manager J.J. Picollo's first draft leading the organization. He is a different person than Dayton Moore, making his approach all the more important to follow. Just some food for thought.

I am not on board with the Royals taking a prep player at eighth overall. Picollo keeps talking about getting trade assets that help the team now or are close to MLB-ready. Drafting most prep players flies in the face of that, with even the best high schoolers being three to four years away from The Show. That is not to say that drafting high school players fits the Royals' mold well. After all, some have more upside, are more malleable than college players, and most importantly, are usually cheaper to sign. Many mock drafts tie the Royals to college players, but a risky prep addition is not out of the question.

The Royals could very well draft a high schooler for those reasons and more in July. if they have their mind set on a prep player, who are the three I think they would focus on?