Royals Predicted To Bring 'High-Upside' Third Baseman To Kansas City

In a flash, the Major League Baseball Draft has arrived.

On Sunday, the 30 clubs will add a slough of new talent to their organizations, and the Kansas City Royals have two of the first 28 selections. Whether they go with high school or college talent, it's a major opportunity to strengthen a farm system that currently doesn't grade out all that well against its competition.

Teams tend not to prioritize positions when it comes to making their first-round picks. The Royals just want big bats they can add to their lineup someday, and one recent mock draft sees them adding a highly intriguing young slugger.

On Thursday, Tyler Jennings and Jared Perkins of Just Baseball predicted that the Royals would select Josh Hammond, a third baseman from Wesleyan Christian H.S. (NC), with the 23rd pick in Sunday's first round.

"Josh Hammond fits the mold of what the Royals have prioritized in recent drafts: high-upside athletes with loud tools and positional versatility," wrote Jennings and Perkins.

"With two first-round picks at 23 and 28 and over $7 million in bonus pool money to work with, Kansas City could target Hammond as a potential over-slot play who brings premium bat speed, the ability to stick on the left side of the infield, and an 80-grade makeup."

Though it's hard to ever truly predict how a high schooler will translate to the professional ranks, nearly every report on Hammond raves about his makeup, as his father, Joey, is the head coach at High Point University.

And the fact that he throws up to 96 miles per hour on the mound certainly doesn't hurt either. That cannon plays best at third base, and the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Hammond should have the big bat to produce there.

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