Royals draft eight more, including Big 12 Player of the Year Cody Jones
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Royals selected four more pitchers Tuesday in the First-Year Player Draft, just one night after their first three picks were hurlers. Kansas City also took three outfielders and an infielder.
After taking high school pitchers with their first two picks Monday evening, the Royals chose six college players with their eight selections Tuesday. The draft concludes Wednesday with rounds 11-40 beginning at 11 a.m. CT.
Kansas City drafted outfielder Anderson Miller out of Western Kentucky with the No. 98 overall selection, the first pick of the day for the club. Miller was recruited as a two-way player for the Hilltoppers, but performed primarily as an outfielder after undergoing shoulder surgery during his freshman season. Miller slashed .335/.404/.475 for Western Kentucky while appearing in all 57 games for the Hilltoppers.
In the fourth round, Kansas City picked left-handed pitcher Garrett Davila. Davila, a high school pitcher from North Carolina, threw a perfect game as a senior this season on his way to an 8-0 record and 0.11 ERA. His fastball hangs in the low 90s and he was slated to attend Tennessee.
The Royals took two collegiate outfielders with their next two selections: Roman Collins from Florida Atlantic and Cody Jones from TCU. Collins spent the first two years of college at Des Moines Area Community College, earning national Player of the Year honors along with All-American accolades. With FAU, he slashed .288/.383/.476 with a team-high 59 RBIs.
Jones was named the Big 12 Player of the Year this season and his Horned Frogs are still alive in the NCAA Tournament, headed to Omaha for the College World Series. He stole 31 bases this season to go along with a .371/.474/.500 slash line.
Tall left-handers Andre Davis and Joey Markus were next for the Royals in the eighth and ninth rounds, respectively. Davis is 6-foot-6 while Markus is 6-foot-7. UAB right-hander Alex Luna was Kansas City's final selection of the day in the 10th round.
Here is a full listing of 2015 Royals draft picks:
Round (overall pick). Name, Position, School
1 (21). Ashe Russell, RHP, Cathedral HS (Ind.)
1 (33). Nolan Watson, RHP, Lawrence North HS (Ind.)
2 (64). Josh Staumont, RHP, Azusa Pacific University
3 (98). Anderson Miller, OF, Western Kentucky
4 (129). Garrett Davila, LHP, South Point HS (N.C.)
5 (159). Roman Collins, OF, Florida Atlantic
6 (189). Cody Jones, OF, TCU
7 (219). Gabriel Cancel, SS, Padre Anibal Reyes Belen HS (Puerto Rico)
8 (249). Andre Davis, LHP, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
9 (279). Joey Markus, LHP, Indian River State College
10 (309). Alex Luna, RHP, UAB
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
