The Kansas City Royals draft class for 2012 includes some players with significant potential. Half of the players drafted are pitchers, with a couple of position players and three outfielders to round out the Royals 10 draft picks.
1st Round Kyle Zimmer 4th Overall (signed $3M)
RHP 6’4″ 220 lbs
University of San Francisco
Zimmer throws 93-96 with a potential plus curve. He’s a former position player who was throwing in the mid-nineties coming out of the Cape Cod League in 2011.
2nd Round Sam Selman 66th Overall Pick (signed)
LHP 6’3″ 185 lbs
Vanderbilt University
Played at St. Andrews High School in Austin. Only pitched 12 innings in his first two years of college at Nashville. He touched 97 in outings at Vanderbilt in 2012.
3rd Round Colin Rodgers 100th Overall Pick (signed $700K)
LHP 6’1″, 180
Parkview Baptist High School Louisiana
Rodgers is a hard throwing lefty who passed on college at Auburn to sign with the Royals.
4th Round Kenny Diekroeger 133rd Overall (Signed)
2B 6’2″, 200 lbs
Stanford University
A second round pick a few years ago, Diekrooger passed on $2 million from the Rays to attend Stanford.
5th Round Chad Johnson #163 Overall (signed $340K)
C 6’1 180 lbs
Galesburg High School Illinois
Johnson led his high school team in total bases, doubles and home runs, as well as several other hitting categories.
6th Round Zach Lovvorn 193rd Overall Pick (signed $275K)
RHP, 6’4″, 205 lbs
Oxford High School Alabama
Pitched on a staff that included Tucker Simpson, a Florida commit, and Jackson Stephens who committed to the University of Alabama.
7th Round Fred Ford 223rd Overall (signed $125K)
OF, 6’5″ 225 lbs
Jefferson Community College
A 2 time All-Regional player as well as a junior college World Series Tournament Team player in 2012. Fred was drafted as an outfielder but played first base for Jefferson. He hit .362 with 28 HR and 47 SB in his two year career with a line of .432 with 13 HR and 32 SB his second year.
8th Rd Alefredo Escalera-Maldonado (signed $50K)
OF 6’2″, 180 lbs
Pendleton High School Florida
The youngest player in the draft at 17 year 106 days old, Alefredo Escalera-Maldonado is fast, with a 6.2 second 60 yard dash. You can also see evidence of power in his thin frame based on the YouTube video below.
9th Rd Daniel Stumpf #283 Overall (Signed $125,000)
LHP 6’2″ 198 lbs
San Jacinto Junior College Texas
San Jacinto is known for their baseball success appearing in the JUCO World Series championship game two out of the last three years. Stumpf was Region Pitcher of the Year and JUCO World Series Pitcher of the Series, putting up a 5 hit complete game against eventual series winners Iowa Western.
10th Rd Alexis Rivera
OF 6’2, 220 lbs
Monteverde High School Florida
This 17-year-old is a former teammate of Francisco Lindor. He started his season strong with a HR off one of top Florida pitching prospect Walker Weikel.
As with any draft, it’s hard to know how the Kansas City Royals draft picks will work out, but there are some contenders to make the big league club over the next few years.
