Advertisement
Advertisement

How the Royals Won the Post-Draft Signing Period with Loyalty and Good Karma

Advertisement

Loyalty and respect go a long way, but that’s a challenging lesson to remember when managing a business under the watchful eye of an almighty MLB owner.

That said, the Kansas City Royals thrust themselves into an ethical dilemma and emerged with a decision that hurt the owners’ pockets but aided the players during a time of hardship and grief.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of the MLB’s organizations thinned out their farm systems by releasing thousands of players. However, the Royals were not one of those teams.

Advertisement

As general manager Dayton Moore explained, every baseball player is an important part of the game, whether they are a top prospect at the highest level of affiliated ball or a washed-up journeyman at the lowest level.

Moore’s announcement drew positive publicity from fans, executives, media, past and present players, and even staff from other teams who praised him for his level-headed approach and incredible decision. Social media came to a quick agreement that Major League Baseball needs more executives like Moore.

Advertisement

With that decision made, the Royals continued to prepare for the MLB Draft. They made six selections in the draft and were able to sign all of them. They also inked deals with seven of the best undrafted free agents available.

The Royals’ loyalty to their players was a huge factor in their quick signings and surely played a massive role in attracting top free agents after the draft.

The team’s selections who quickly put pen to paper are left-handed pitcher Asa Lacy (No. 4), shortstop Nick Loftin (No. 32), right-handed pitcher Ben Hernandez (No. 41), outfielder Tyler Gentry (No. 76), left-handed pitcher Christian Chamberlain (No. 105) and right-handed pitcher Will Klein (No. 135).

As for the undrafted crop, Kansas City agreed to deals with right-handed pitchers Chase Wallace and John McMillon, left-handed pitcher AJ Block, outfielder Tucker Bradley, catchers Kale Emshoff and Saul Garza, and infielder Matt Schmidt.

Advertisement

Wallace checked in at No. 440 on Baseball America’s draft prospects leaderboard while Emshoff was No. 174 and Garza slotted in at No. 379. McMillon donned the 357th position in the ranking while Bradley was 317th. Block was listed as the site’s 20th-best undrafted senior. That leaves Schmidt as the only non-ranked prospect (per Baseball America’s analysis), capping off a solid draft class and incredible signing period.

No other team boasted such a successful group of undrafted signings.

The Kansas City Royals are not the best team in baseball. Their player development department is solid but certainly not exceptional. Kansas City is also a fairly small market compared to other teams in the league.

Still, the Royals have proven that success and fame don’t tell the whole story. What started as an attempt to be equal and fair led to dominance in a unique and competitive signing period.

Aided by good karma and straightforward respect, the Kansas City Royals used the month of June to construct a formidable farm system for an organization guided by terrific principles.

Advertisement

Check us out on our socials:   
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk 
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk

Advertisement

Share this:

MLB baseball - Arizona Fall League
Latest News

Arizona Fall League to Get Underway

The Arizona Fall League is set to get underway on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. Now entering its 32nd season, the league is a chance for top prospects to continue to hone and improve their skills. These prospects will get the opportunity to play with and against other rising stars from all over MiLB.

Read More
MLB Astros Mauricio Dubon bunting
Latest News

Bunting in MLB has Declined

Bunting in MLB has declined. Moreover, it has some wondering if this unique way to get a hit or move a runner up will become a thing of the past. There is a time and a place to lay down the bunt for a hit or to move the runner along, but managers today are using it less and less.

Read More

One Response

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Browse by Category:
Advertisement
Advertisement

Visit ChiefsBlitz.com for
hard-hitting KC Chiefs coverage.