Hunter Patteson Validates Royals’ Faith With Early Breakout
One of the Royals’ more pleasant surprises has been 24-year-old lefthander Hunter Patteson.
The Royals drafted him out of Central Florida in the fifth round in 2022. This year at Low-A Columbia, he struck out 51 and walked eight through 47 innings to go with a 3.83 ERA.
Patteson’s stock was rising prior to the 2022 draft thanks to improved control. As a UCF junior he walked just five batters in 29.2 innings. The year before he had walked 5.7 per nine innings.
But Patteson’s breakout college season ended early with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.
The Royals remained interested. Patteson had been on the their radar since 2021, and area scout Daniel Guerrero—now the Royals’ international scouting director—observed the southpaw’s fastball improving during the fall preceding his junior season.
“He was on top of the ball a little bit better,” Guerrero said, “and he was getting some good ride . . . up to 94 (mph).”
By spring 2022, Patteson’s fastball was topping out at 97 mph. His command helped him generate weak contact. This pre-injury improvement was enough to convince Guerrero that drafting Patteson would be a worthwhile risk.
“I just pushed for him and believed in his ability to bounce back,” Guerrero said. “You’ve got to trust your gut sometimes—and what you’ve seen in short stints—and that he would be able to get back to that.”
Patteson relies on a three-pitch mix highlighted by a 90-94 mph fastball, a slider and changeup. His 23.0 K-BB% ranked fourth best among Carolina League qualifiers.
After being drafted by the Royals, Patteson got back on the mound about a year later in June 2023. He debuted in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and reached Columbia for one start.
Royals farm director Mitch Maier attributes Patteson’s success this season to finally having a normal and healthy offseason leading into his first full season.
“Hunter has really done a great job this year,” Maier said, “showing the plus stuff and command that we selected him for.”
