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Royals Add a Pair of Shortstops, Elite College Arm on Day One of MLB Draft

June 4, 2019

The Royals had three picks on day one of the MLB Draft, including the number two overall selection.With the #2 pick, Kansas City selected Bobby Witt Jr., a shortstop out of Colleyville Heritage High School (Texas). He's the son of Bobby Witt, a pitcher who played 15 years in the

The Royals had three picks on day one of the MLB Draft, including the number two overall selection.
With the #2 pick, Kansas City selected Bobby Witt Jr., a shortstop out of Colleyville Heritage High School (Texas). He's the son of Bobby Witt, a pitcher who played 15 years in the Majors after being drafted third overall by the Texas Rangers in 1985. The Witts are the ninth father-son duo to be drafted in the first round and now hold the record for highest drafted father-son duo as well.
Witt Jr. has already made his own mark of the diamond, being ranked as the second-best prospect in the Draft by MLB.com. He was recently named the Gatorade National High School Baseball Player of the Year after having already won the High School Home Run Derby at last year's All-Star Game and claiming MVP honors at the Under Armour All-America Game. He solidified his status as a top prospect in his senior season, where he hit .500 (63-for-126) with 15 home runs and 44 RBI in 38 games. He is currently committed to play college baseball at the University of Oklahoma.
The Royals used their second-round pick, 44th overall, on Brady McConnell, a shortstop out of the University of Florida. The 6-foot-3 Florida native, who is draft-eligible since he is already 21 after his sophomore season, had a stellar second campaign in Gainesville after missing much of his freshman season. McConnell hit .332 while adding 15 HR and 48 RBI over 59 games for the Gators.
McConnell was previously drafted out of Merritt Island High School (Florida) by the Cincinnati Reds in the 33rd round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He is also the third Florida Gator the Royals have drafted on day one in the last two years.
Kansas City also received the 70th overall selection in Competitive Balance Round B. The Royals used that pick to select Alec Marsh, a junior right-handed pitcher out of Arizona State University. Originally undrafted out of Ronald Reagan High School (Wisconsin), Marsh has put together a stellar career for the Sun Devils, spending the 2019 campaign as the ace of the pitching staff. Marsh tallied a 9-3 record across 16 starts, recording a 3.17 ERA while striking out 92 batters and only walking 33.
The draft will continue on Tuesday with rounds 3-10. The Royals have the second pick in every one of those rounds, starting with the 80th overall selection in Round 3.
The Burlington Royals are the Appalachian League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
The Burlington Royals' season starts on the road against the Bristol Pirates on Tuesday, June 18th. The home opener at Burlington Athletic Stadium is on Monday, June 24th against the Kingsport Mets. Single game tickets are on sale now!