2016 Draft Report Card: Kansas City Royals

BEST PURE HITTER: Some teams liked OF Khalil Lee (3) more as a lefthanded pitcher, but he impressed the Royals scouts with his bat speed and feel to hit. SS Nicky Lopez (5) showed excellent ability to put the bat on the ball at Creighton. He doesn’t drive the ball with much authority butrarely strikes out.

BEST POWER HITTER: 1B Chris DeVito (8) hit 16 home runs for New Mexico last spring and added nine more for Rookie-level Burlington to lead the B-Royals this summer. He has plus raw power with strength and leverage but faces questions about his bat speed.

FASTEST RUNNER: OF Nick Heath (16) is a 70 runner on the 20-to-80 scouting scale. OF Cal Jones (6) is a plus runner.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Lopez was more notable at Creighton for his glove than his bat. He is an athletic shortstop who has a shot to remain at the position long-term as an average defender.

BEST FASTBALL: RHP A.J. Puckett’s (2) low-90s fastball that touches 94 plays a little better than its average grades because he locates it well. RHP Anthony Bender (20) has a more pure arm strength than Puckett with a fastball that touches 95 mph regularly. LHP Richard Lovelady (10) earns above-average grades with his 92-94 mph fastball.

BEST SECONDARY PITCH: Puckett’s changeup flashes above-average. RHP Dillon Drabble (17) flashes an above-average slider and RHP Grant Gavin (29) shows an above-average curveball at times.

BEST PRO DEBUT: OF Kort Peterson (23) hit .347/.437/.545 for Rookie-level Burlington. Lopez hit .281/.393/.429 while playing a solid shortstop for that same Burlington club, helping lead them to a playoff spot.

BEST ATHLETE: Lee was a two-way option out of high school as a lefthanded pitcher with a 91-93 mph fastball in addition to above-average speed and good burst. Jones (6) was his school’s high school quarterback in addition to being a speedy center fielder.

MOST INTRIGUING BACKGROUND: Puckett survived a serious car accident during high school that left him in a medically-induced coma for two weeks. He pitches with metal plates in his skull.

CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS: Puckett doesn’t project as more than a No. 4 starter, but he has already spent significant time in low Class A and should head to high Class A to start his first full season.

BEST LATE-ROUND PICK: Peterson is an excellent athlete with plus raw power, but he struck out too much to ever get to his impressive tools in college. Peterson’s tools are that of a potential regular, so if the Royals are able to fix his swing-and-miss issues, they could have a steal.

THE ONE WHO GOT AWAY: The Royals signed all but three of their picks. OF Luke Bandy (32) is a speedy outfielder who signed with Dallas Baptist. OF Kameron Misner (33) is a projectable outfielder who is attending Missouri.