Drew Waters will never get a better chance than this

I’ve been intrigued by Drew Waters the player and his skillset since the Kansas City Royals traded the 35th pick in the 2022 draft to acquire him. Waters was considered a Top 100 prospect from 2019-2021, and even though his prospect star had dimmed by the time the Royals acquired him, I’ve found it easy to envision and dream about the type of player Waters could become if he puts it all together at the major league level. The 26 year-old is a switch-hitting outfielder with enough pop to not get the bat knocked out of his hand, along with some solid plate discipline. He’s a good athlete; Statcast had his sprint speed in the 84th percentile in 2023 and 69th percentile in 2024. He’s also a good enough outfield defender that the Royals are willing to play him in center field in the spacious outfield that is Kauffman Stadium. He’s probably a below average center fielder, but an above average corner outfielder, which the Royals happen to be in short supply of right now.

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