KC Royals snare big bat, good pitching as MLB Draft opens

The KC Royals picked twice during Sunday's opening rounds of the MLB Draft, and had a tough act to follow after grabbing Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone in the first round. Caglianone's stunning power, which our Jacob Milham details in his story about the Royals' first selection, stood out in the baseball powerhouse that is the SEC, and MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers reports that Caglianone says the club plans to use him as a two-way player, a role in which he excelled for the Gators.

Kansas City's second selection of the night may not have been as electrifying, but it certainly shouldn't disappoint Royals fans hoping new amateur scouting director Brian Bridges would pursue good pitching early in the draft. Picking second in the second round, and 41st overall, the club chose David Shields, a left-handed hurler from Mt. Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania.

David Shields could be an excellent addition for the KC Royals

Shields, ranked as the 41st-best prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline (Caglianone ranked third) is only 17, but turns 18 before this season ends. Gatorade named him its Pennsylvania Player of the Year last month, and with good reason — per the company's release announcing the award, he was then 5-0 with a microscopic 0.25 ERA and in 28 innings had 52 strikeouts. And if his prep pitching is any indication, the Royals may not have to fret about his control: only three batters worked him for walks over that same span. Shields also played in Mt. Lebanon's outfield and was hitting .418.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo recently included Shields in his pre-draft list of the 10 best high school hurlers in this year's draft pool and commended his fastball, sweeper, and changeup.

But while it sounds per Rogers like Caglianone is ready and raring to dive into pro ball, will Shields be a different story? His slot value, which the Royals can meet, exceed, or dip under with their offer, is around $2.28 million; time will tell if that, or something in its neighborhood, will be good enough to convince Shields to sign with Kansas City instead of pitching for the University of Miami, where he's committed.

What's next in the MLB Draft for the Royals?

The draft continues Monday and winds up Tuesday. Kansas City has 18 selections left — one per each remaining round — after trading their Competitive Balance A pick to Washington Saturday in the deal that made Nationals reliever Hunter Harvey a Royal. Monday's action begins at 2 p.m. ET and includes Rounds 3-10; the final 10 rounds get underway at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Royals fans can follow the last 18 rounds on MLB.com and the MLB app.

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