MINNEAPOLIS -- The newest members of the Royals organization are already well acquainted with each other.
The Royals selected right-handed pitcher Ashe Russell 21st overall and Nolan Watson 33rd overall in the first round of Monday's Major League Baseball first-year player draft. Kansas City selected Azusa Pacific University right-hander Josh Staumont with the 64th pick.
Watson's Lawrence North High School team eliminated Russell's Cathedral High School in the Indiana baseball tournament, winning 5-3 on May 30. If not for the loss, Russell could still be playing. Instead, he went to New York for the draft.
The pair also played on the same travel team, the EvoShield Canes, which won the World Wood Bat Association World Championship last year.
Russell features a fastball in the mid-90s and a self-proclaimed "swing-and-miss" slider in the low to mid-80s. Russell -- at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds -- was ranked by ESPN as the No. 30 overall prospect and No. 14 by Baseball America.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore compared Russell to Angels right-hander Garrett Richards, saying he had a "lot of power." He also said it was purely coincidence that both first-round picks came from Indianapolis.
As a senior, Russell went 5-1 with a 1.02 ERA with 67 strikeouts and nine walks in 41 innings. He earned both Perfect Game All-American and Under Armour All-American honors and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana twice. Once committed to Notre Dame, Russell has signed with Texas A&M.
"It's going to come down to family decisions," Russell said of his upcoming choice. "I just want to play baseball and continue my career."
Go Royals ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/xdW4rELGaV
— Ashe Russell (@AsheRussell_) June 9, 2015
Russell becomes the Royals' first right-handed pitcher taken in the first round since Kyle Zimmer in 2012. He is also the first Kansas City top pick from high school since outfielder Bubba Starling in 2011. This is the second straight season the Royals have selected pitchers as both of their first picks.
Watson has a low-90s fastball to go along with a curveball, slider and changeup. The 6-2, 195-pounder has signed with Vanderbilt. He was ranked the No. 56 prospect by Baseball America and No. 50 by ESPN.
In his senior season, Watson went 6-1 with a 0.68 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings. Moore said Watson was one of the most polished high school arms this year.
Both pitchers would be in low A Lexington next year, Moore said, and progress through the minors at a normal rate.
The slot value for the No. 21 overall pick is $2,184,200. The No. 33 pick -- received as compensation for the loss of James Shields to the Padres -- is worth $1,825,200. Kansas City's total draft pool amounts to $7,206,700.
Over the weekend, Moore said the club would simply take the best player available instead of trying to fill needs in the organization. The team's No. 21 pick is the lowest first selection for Kansas City since 1986.
"You want to be able to do that," Moore said of drafting low. "That's when you rely on the good area scouts, who know the players, identify who really wants to play, who has a passion and a heart to play our game because those are the players who ultimately make it.
"When you're picking down low, obviously some of the high premium talent isn't there, but that's when good scouting comes in."
Last year, the Royals took Brandon Finnegan in the first round with the No. 17 overall pick. Finnegan, a left-handed pitcher out of TCU, became the first player ever to pitch in both the College World Series and the World Series in the same season. He has appeared in five games for Kansas City in 2015 and is currently at Triple A Omaha.
Moore said college players typically arrive in the majors faster, but high school prospects have higher ceilings because of the assumed room for improvement.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
