Kansas City Royals frustrated by MLB Draft Lottery results. Here are the implications
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Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo was frustrated. He needed to come to terms with his club being slighted once again.
For the second consecutive year, the Royals drew a less desirable position in the Major League Baseball Draft Lottery. The Royals were awarded the sixth overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.
It will be the Royals’ first lottery selection. However, KC had higher aspirations after finishing with the second-worst record in baseball. As a result, the Royals were given their league-best 18.3% odds for the No. 1 pick.
“You know, it’s two years in a row that we dropped slots,” Picollo said. “Last year we dropped three slots. This year we dropped four. It’s pretty significant.”
Perhaps just as significant, the Royals will pick behind the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox. Both American League Central rivals had lesser odds to win the No. 1 pick. The Guardians emerged with the top selection.
The White Sox will select fifth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Last season, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins jumped ahead of the Royals.
“You go into that thing thinking you might get the first pick, which is a little bit of a dubious honor,” Picollo said. “But, you know, the season’s over and you want the best opportunity to select the best players. We dropped four slots, so it’s frustrating. It’s the system in place. There is nothing we can do about it.”
The Royals will also select behind the Cincinnati Reds (2nd), Colorado Rockies (3rd) and Oakland Athletics (4th) in the draft. The Rockies and A’s also had an 18.3% chance of winning the lottery.
KC is still eligible for the 2025 draft lottery. Per the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams that receive revenue-sharing payouts can’t have lottery selections for more than two years in a row.
Still, Picollo noted the Royals will feel a financial cost in a different way.
“It’s gonna be about a $2.5 million difference based on last year’s numbers, and that’s pretty significant,” Picollo said of the financial difference between the second and sixth draft slots.
The draft slot difference may impact which players the Royals can target. Teams generally configure their draft selections based on their slotted value. The Royals now must re-evaluate their new position through draft scouting.
Royals scouting director Brian Bridges is up for the task. He brings a wealth of baseball experience and was recently with the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants.
Bridges agreed with Picollo. He added the financial difference could reach $3 million between draft slots. The official slot numbers will be released at a later date.
“Either way you look at it, you’re gonna have a loss of two players that can be premium-type players that you would have a chance to sign if you had the money,” Bridges said. “But the staff is going to do a great job and will fill that void.”
Bridges mentioned good players are still available with the sixth pick. The Royals have benefited in the past. KC took veteran pitcher Zack Greinke with the selection in the 2002 MLB Draft.
The Royals hired Bridges after Danny Ontiveros was promoted within the organization. Bridges has extensive knowledge of the Southeast recruiting area. He also is excited to scout across the country for talented prospects.
Early indicators are that the 2024 MLB Draft is strong on collegiate position players. Bridges added that the high-school pitching class is also formidable. The Royals will have a chance to select a good player at No. 6 overall.
“There’s a group of probably 40 to 50 guys, some are gonna go one way and some are gonna go the other,” Bridges said. “The college position players are probably, you know, as you heard on the broadcast, they’re probably at the top of the draft.”
The Royals have ample time to scout the 2024 MLB Draft. While Tuesday’s draft lottery was not a desirable outcome, the Royals know the exact position they have been afforded.
“There’s frustration right now, but by the end of tonight, you move on,” Picollo said.
Here is how the first 10 picks will unfold in next year’s MLB Draft:
Cleveland Guardians
Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies
Oakland A’s
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Angels
Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals
The Tigers, will pick No. 11, followed by the Boston Red Sox (12), San Francisco Giants (13), Chicago Cubs (14), Seattle Mariners (15), Miami Marlins (16), Milwaukee Brewers (17) and the Atlanta Braves (18).
