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?

C Blake Mitchell

There are only two first-round catching prospects in this year's draft. The Royals could well be interested in one, namely catcher Blake Mitchell. The Texas native plays a position with notorious volatility in the first round, but wow the tools are evident.

Mitchell's left-handed swing features a nice combination of bat-to-ball skills and potential power. Because his hands are quick, he has elite bat speed for a prep hitter, which should enable him to develop a good deal of pull-side power as he matures as a hitter. He recorded exit velocities in the high 90s, reaching 102 mph, and he possesses obvious raw power to go along with an approach at the plate that should only help him further.

He won the award for best player in the state of Texas in both his junior and senior years, solidifying his position as one of the top high school players in the United States. He has a strong floor in every aspect of his game, including the ability to potentially transition back to pitching if he is unable to continue his career as a catcher, even though the risk is obvious for all catchers at the prep level.

Mitchell's athleticism translates well behind the plate, sporting a pop time of 1.86 seconds last summer. Scouts say that time has only improved since then too. His lightning-fast reaction time should equip help him stick behind the dish for years to come. The Athletic's Keith Law also helps this projection (subscription required), linking Mitchell to Kansas City in his most recent mock draft.

RHP Noble Meyer

Pitcher Noble Meyer is MLB.com's highest-rated player on this list, but the high school player is polarizing among Royals fans. Check out Royal Farm Report's thoughts on Meyer for exhibit a.

The Oregon native is committed to playing for the Oregon Ducks, a huge get for the PAC-12 program. Meyer already stands at 6'5", towering over most of his high school competition. The senior is already touching triple digits but sits above 95 MPH consistently with his four-seam fastball. Meyer exhibited his full arsenal at a Perfect Game showcase, including a two-seam fastball, slider, and changeup that baffles hitters.

Meyer'spitch arsenal is insanely polished for a prep pitcher. The righty's fastball is already exceeding 2,400 RPM, an elite trait for any pitcher. He has avoided injury throughout his career thankfully, leaving little obvious concerns that are outside of Meyer's control. Joe Doyle, an independent scout, said that Meyer is performing well in the draft interviews, a trait that signals the "good guy" trait that the Royals historically chase.

Royals fans' hesitancy lies with the team's terrible track record of developing pitchers, especially the prep arms they draft. Frank Mozzicato and Ben Kudrna are holding their own, but they are not without their flaws. The organization revamped the hitting development before the pandemic, and have more of an emphasis on the pitching side now. If the team wants to prove fans wrong, drafting and developing Meyer would be a great story for this new front office.