Royals hope McWilliams is next Rule 5 gem

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Can Rule 5 Draft pick and right-hander Sam McWilliams be the next Brad Keller for the Royals?

Club officials hope for a similar success story.

"There's certainly a lot of upside there," general manager Dayton Moore said of McWilliams.

Trying to match the success of Keller, a Rule 5 Draft pick from the previous offseason, will be a tall order for McWilliams. Keller wound up as the Royals' Pitcher of the Year in 2018.

But McWilliams comes with a similar resume. Like McWilliams, Keller had not risen about Double-A when the Royals selected him. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn't stay on the 25-man roster for…