Best draft picks in Kansas City Royals history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Kansas City Royals history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Whit Merrifield
- Draft: 269th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Right fielder
- Games played: 1,084
- Career stats: 92 home runs, .281 batting average, .744 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.1

#24. Eric Hosmer
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 2008
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,689
- Career stats: 198 home runs, .276 batting average, .762 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.5

#23. Don Slaught
- Draft: 171st overall pick in 1980
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,327
- Career stats: 77 home runs, .283 batting average, .750 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.4

#22. Jeff Conine
- Draft: 1226th overall pick in 1987
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,024
- Career stats: 214 home runs, .285 batting average, .790 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.5

#21. Danny Duffy
- Draft: 96th overall pick in 2007
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 234
- Career stats: 68 wins, 3.95 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#20. Joe Randa
- Draft: 288th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,522
- Career stats: 123 home runs, .284 batting average, .765 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.4

#19. Ruppert Jones
- Draft: 57th overall pick in 1973
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,331
- Career stats: 147 home runs, .250 batting average, .746 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.6

#18. Paul Splittorff
- Draft: 575th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 429
- Career stats: 166 wins, 3.81 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.9

#17. David DeJesus
- Draft: 104th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,472
- Career stats: 99 home runs, .275 batting average, .761 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.4

#16. Jon Lieber
- Draft: 44th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 401
- Career stats: 131 wins, 4.27 earned run average, 1.28 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 24.2

#15. Mike Sweeney
- Draft: 262nd overall pick in 1991
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,454
- Career stats: 215 home runs, .297 batting average, .851 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.8

#14. Dennis Leonard
- Draft: 42nd overall pick in 1972
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 312
- Career stats: 144 wins, 3.7 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 25.7

#13. Kevin Seitzer
- Draft: 283rd overall pick in 1983
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,439
- Career stats: 74 home runs, .295 batting average, .780 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.8

#12. Mark Ellis
- Draft: 271st overall pick in 1999
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,435
- Career stats: 105 home runs, .263 batting average, .711 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 33.5

#11. Alex Gordon
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 2005
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,753
- Career stats: 190 home runs, .257 batting average, .749 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.4

#10. Tom Gordon
- Draft: 157th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 890
- Career stats: 138 wins, 3.96 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 35.0

#9. Mark Gubicza
- Draft: 34th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 384
- Career stats: 132 wins, 3.96 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 37.4

#8. Willie Wilson
- Draft: 18th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,154
- Career stats: 41 home runs, .286 batting average, .702 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 46.2

#7. Kevin Appier
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 1987
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 414
- Career stats: 169 wins, 3.74 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 54.5

#6. Johnny Damon
- Draft: 35th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,490
- Career stats: 235 home runs, .284 batting average, .785 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 56.3

#5. Bret Saberhagen
- Draft: 480th overall pick in 1982
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 399
- Career stats: 0 home runs, .121 batting average, .319 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 58.9

#4. David Cone
- Draft: 74th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 450
- Career stats: 194 wins, 3.46 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 62.3

#3. Carlos Beltrán
- Draft: 49th overall pick in 1995
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,586
- Career stats: 435 home runs, .279 batting average, .837 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 70.1

#2. Zack Greinke
- Draft: 6th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 586
- Career stats: 225 wins, 3.49 earned run average, 1.17 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 77.5

#1. George Brett
- Draft: 29th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,707
- Career stats: 317 home runs, .305 batting average, .857 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 88.6

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.