Why KC Royals MLB Draft strategy isn't tunnel vision

The KC Royals selected North Carolina A&T catcher Canyon Brown in the ninth round of the MLB Draft Monday afternoon. Aside from the somewhat catchy name and the fact he can hit, the pick won't attract much national attention — after all, the names of 256 players were called before his, and MLB Pipeline didn't include him on its long list of Top 250 draft prospects.

But the pick, made by the Royals in the ninth round and the club's next-to-last selection of Day 2, was significant nonetheless. Brown was the first non-pitcher chosen by the Royals in this year's amateur talent grab bag. Counting as we should two-way player Jac Caglianone, the spectacular two-way player the Royals jumped on with their first pick (sixth overall) Sunday, Kansas City selected eight straight pitchers before detouring to Brown.

And after choosing him, they immediately picked another pitcher (more on that in a moment).

Tunnel vision? Too narrow a focus?

Hardly.

The Royals are justified in taking so many pitchers

That the KC draft team, a unit led by new amateur scouting director Brian Bridges, are opting for a pitching bonanza is no surprise. The Royals have struggled for years to assemble a core of prime-cut pitchers, and even their pitching-heavy 2018 draft class, which included Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch IV, Jackson Kowar, Jonathan Bowlan, and Austin Cox, hasn't come close to meeting expectations.

Deep statistical analysis isn't necessary to prove how subpar KC's pitching has for too long been — Royals fans, and the team, have suffered years of inconsistent rotations and nerve-wracking bullpens. The fix, of course, is to find better pitchers, and that's precisely what Bridges and his crew are trying to do during this three-day draft.

Besides Caglianone and second round pick Drew Shields, who are the pitching eggs the Royals have put in their draft basket through Round 2?

Let's find out...