(Photo by Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
Their pick came about 40 minutes into the first round of the 2021 Major League Draft Sunday evening, and the choice for the KC Royals boiled down to what early selections always do—draft for need, or take the best player available?
Picking seventh, the Royals obviously opted for need. And shook up everyone by selecting pitcher Frank Mozzicato.
It was, to say the very least, a surprise, and perhaps a shock, considering few people likely saw it coming. Almost every mock draft had Kansas City taking Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker, MLB Pipeline’s sixth-ranked draft prospect, but the KC draft team opted to dip all the way down to Pipeline’s No.