Royals' extra draft pick thanks to Bobby Witt Jr's dominance gifts KC 2-way prep star

The Kansas City Royals have been busy to start Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft. After selecting Sean gamble with their first round pick at No. 23, they found themselves back on the clock five picks later at pick No. 28, the first and only pick in the Prospect Promotion Incentive Round, selecting Josh Hammond.

The reason the Royals received this selection was thanks to Bobby Witt Jr. not only rapidly turning into the cornerstone of this franchise, but one of the best players in all of baseball.

According to the rules of PPI, if a player is a preseason Top 100 prospect across multiple major ranking outlets (MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and ESPN) and wins or is a finalist for a major award before they hot their arbitration eligible years, their organization is rewarded with an additional draft pick the following year.

In this case, Witt finishing as MVP runner-up was why the Royals had two Top 30 selections on Sunday. And because of their good fortune and faith in Bobby Witt Jr. they had the chance to select the talented prep product from North Carolina in Hammond in that No. 28 slot.

KC Royals select Josh Hammond at No. 28 in PPI Round of 2025 MLB Draft

This isn't the first time the Royals have been linked with Josh Hammond, with various different outlets mocking him to them in their first two picks of the draft.

Despite being drafted as a shortstop, Hammond is an athletic two-way talent star, that MLB Pipeline reports that "the consensus was that Hammond was better on the mound". That being said they also reported that Hammond "wants to play every day", hence the focus that has been put on the position side of things.

Draft experts rave about his power, with MLB Pipeline giving him 55 grade power comparisons and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel saying his raw power sits at 65-to-70.

The big sticking point is the fact that some question whether he has staying power at short, but the Royals seem to be giving him a shot with the shortstop announcement from the podium. The folks at MLB Pipeline though describe Hammond's arm and agility as enough to stay on the left side of the infield, just at third instead.

Speaking of his strong arm, even if his desire to play everyday, the fact that he can throw in mid-90s also makes him a great asset in the organization.

I'm not saying he's Jac Caglianone by any means, but the Royals do have a good track record selecting powerful two-way players in recent years. Just some food for thought.