Royals load up on pitching with a draft class headlined by a supreme two-way talent
Kansas City looks to replenish the farm.
The 2024 MLB Draft has concluded, with 615 amateur baseball players being given the opportunity to fulfill their ambitions of playing professional baseball. The Kansas City Royals have 20 of these players that they will attempt to sign to professional contracts. If you’re looking for a more high-level overview of the draft class, check out this piece from Max.
This article is for the real sickos. Are you curious about the tenth-rounder’s arm slot? Wondering how the 13th-rounder loads at the plate? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Today we will go in depth on all 20 players drafted by the Royals this year. Many of the players drafted after the first few rounds weren’t scouted by prospect outlets, so the information provided here is what I have gleaned from publicly available film and reports.
In all, the Royals selected three college position players, 12 college pitchers, one college two-way player, one prep position player, two prep pitchers, and one 2023 graduate pitcher that did not go to college.
Round 1, Pick 6: TWP Jac Caglianone, Florida
The general expectation was that Kansas City would take a college player with their first pick, but I am surprised they went with Caglianone. I had not seen him linked to the Royals before the draft, but that might be because mock drafts tended to have him off the board by #6.
Jeffrey Allen Caglianone is possibly the most famous player in this draft class owing to the two-way prowess he has demonstrated with Florida teams that have reached the College World Series each of the last two years. He was announced at the draft as a two-way player. Not that that especially matters — Trevor Werner was announced as a Two-Way Player (TWP) last year and has yet to pitch in pro ball — but it’s worth noting. It makes sense for the Royals to send him out there for a few innings at the complex and see what happens, but I doubt he’s still pitching a year from now.
The hitter version of Caglianone might have the best raw power in this draft class. He has a pretty good feel for the barrel and was not easy to beat in the strike zone this year. The approach needs to be cleaned up as Caglianone swings at damn near everything. He still made a lot of contact that way this year, but he won’t continue running such high contact rates on pitches out of the zone against better stuff in pro ball. He only played first base in college and while his arm seems wasted there, he might not have the range to play the outfield. With his tools and physicality, Caglianone’s ceiling offensively is stratospheric.
MLB Pipeline: 3
FanGraphs: 3
Perfect Game: 3
Baseball America ($): 5
Keith Law ($): 8
Kiley McDaniel ($): 4
Round 2, Pick 44: LHP David Shields, Mt. Lebanon HS (PA)
For the fourth time in their last five drafts, the Royals chose a prep pitcher with their second-round pick. Shields is young for the class — he won’t turn 18 until September — and has plenty of projection left on his athletic, 6’2” frame. He doesn’t have big present stuff, with a fastball in the low-90s, a slider and curveball that show promise but blend together at times, and a mid-80s changeup. He has room to fill out and has only been focusing on baseball for a short time as Shields was also the starting quarterback at Mt. Lebanon until recently, so there is hope that his stuff can improve with more development.
Shields is a smooth operator on the mound, employing an easy three-quarters delivery from the left side with plus on-mound athleticism. He repeats his delivery well and has shown good command for a prep arm. The Royals will hope to coax more stuff out of him, but the strike-throwing ability gives Shields a relatively safe floor.
Shields is committed to Miami (FL).
MLB Pipeline: 41
FanGraphs: 55
Perfect Game: 76
Baseball America: 60
Keith Law: 43
Kiley McDaniel: 75
Round 3, Pick 76: RHP Drew Beam, Tennessee
Beam is a rarity in modern college baseball: a junior with three years of experience in the weekend rotation for an SEC team. He was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2022 when he pitched to a 2.72 ERA in 16 appearances, 15 of which were starts. That was mostly driven by BABIP and strand luck and his ERA rose each of the next two seasons despite improved peripherals.
Known by his teammates as “QB1” due to his clubhouse leadership and background in football, Beam pounds the strike zone with a riding four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s. His changeup is his best secondary, a mid-80s fader that tunnels well with his fastball. He also throws an average curveball in the low-80s and an upper-80s cutter that he mainly throws to right-handed batters. He doesn’t really have a plus pitch, so coaxing a better breaking ball or more velocity out of Beam will be key to reaching his ceiling. His 6’4” frame still has some room to fill out, which could help in that department.
Beam’s command is his calling card as he walked just 6.5% of batters in his college career. He throws quality strikes and always seemed to be ahead in the count. As a strike-thrower with four pitches and a long track record in the SEC, Beam seems like a safe bet to be a big-league starter someday. He profiles as a back-end starter with mid-rotation potential if the Royals can improve his stuff.
MLB Pipeline: 64
Perfect Game: 59
Baseball America: 41
Keith Law: 76
Kiley McDaniel: 66
Round 4, Pick 105: RHP L.P. Langevin, Louisiana-Lafayette
A Québécois right-hander, Louis-Philippe Langevin began his collegiate career on the JuCo circuit for Wabash Valley College. He pitched sparingly as a freshman, tossing 15 innings in relief with 24 strikeouts and seven walks. He broke out in a swingman role the next season, pitching 58 innings across 22 appearances — including eight starts — with a 2.48 ERA and 92 strikeouts to 29 walks.
Langevin transferred to Lafayette for the 2024 season and put together an outstanding campaign. Working mostly in multi-inning relief, he struck out 39.1% of batters faced while posting a 3.73 ERA in 62.2 innings. Langevin finished ninth in the country with a 1.98 SIERA and earned Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year honors for his efforts.
The main weapon in Langevin’s arsenal is a mid-90s four-seam fastball that plays way above its velo due to its outlier traits. He spins the hell out of the ball and throws it from a low slot, creating a movement profile and approach angle that baffles hitters. Opposing hitters came up empty on a swing 45.4% of the time against the pitch, a ridiculous mark for a pitch that tops out at 96. Langevin also throws a slider and a changeup in the mid-80s but neither are anything special stuff-wise and he doesn’t command either offering too well. He’ll need a more reliable secondary pitch to hold down a bullpen role, but a 70-grade fastball is a good foundation.
MLB Pipeline: 230
Perfect Game: 209
Baseball America: 155
Kiley McDaniel: 206
Round 5, Pick 138: RHP A.J. Causey, Tennessee
The seventh player drafted from the national champions, Causey spent his first two seasons pitching for Jacksonville State. He had a nice freshman season pitching in relief before taking over as the team’s Friday night starter as a sophomore. He struggled some in that role but showed bat-missing ability and decent command. Causey hit a little bit for the Gamecocks as well and had brief stints in the Cape Cod League each of those summers.
Transferring to Tennessee for 2024, Causey ended up starting on opening day for the Volunteers and pitched very well in non-conference play. He struggled some once the SEC schedule started which prompted Tennessee to change their pitching plan, using Causey as a bulk guy following an opener for the rest of the season. He finished the season with a 4.43 ERA in 91.1 innings, but he produced a sterling 125-22 K-BB.
Causey works hitters east-west with a sidearm delivery. His fastball is a low-90s offering with sink that can roll up grounders but gets crushed if it’s not located well. His changeup is his best pitch, a low-80s diving ball that he’ll throw to hitters of either handedness. He also throws a sweepy mid-70s slider that can miss bats in the zone. Causey projects as a reliever that leans heavily on his secondary pitches.
MLB Pipeline: 242
Perfect Game: 340
Baseball America: 435
Kiley McDaniel: 225
Round 6, Pick 167: RHP Tanner Jones, Texas A&M
A teammate of Causey’s at Jacksonville State, Jones spent his freshman season there splitting time between starting and relief. He spent most of 2023 in the rotation and posted a solid 4.67 ERA before transferring to College Station ahead of the 2024 season.
Spending most of the season in Texas A&M’s rotation, Jones had a promising run in non-conference but struggled to miss bats and pitch deep into games once SEC play started. His role diminished as the season progressed and he pitched just 13.1 innings after the start of May. He finished 2024 with a 6.33 ERA in 48.1 innings, striking out 47 batters and walking 19. Despite the underwhelming numbers Jones showed flashes of more, including a 7.1 inning scoreless start against Vanderbilt in mid-April.
Jones has a long arm action and his high three-quarters slot makes his mid-90s fastball play downhill. He struggled to hold his velo deep into games, sitting around 92 with the pitch later in outings after starting 95-97. He also throws a tight mid-80s slider that too often finishes up in the zone, an upper-80s cutter that blends together with the slider, and a low-80s changeup that he’ll throw to hitters of either handedness. Jones should get a chance to start but profiles in middle relief if his stuff ticks up in the bullpen.
Baseball America: 484
Round 7, Pick 196: RHP Dennis Colleran, Northeastern
A thoroughly New England kid, Colleran graduated from a Massachusetts High School and went to pitch in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League before heading to Northeastern. In a league that included future day-one picks Kaelen Culpepper and Ethan Anderson, Colleran excelled and was named the Top Pitching Prospect on the circuit. He struggled with command in his freshman spring, walking 22 batters in 22 innings. He hurt his UCL that April and underwent Tommy John, forcing him to miss the 2023 season. He returned to the FCBL in the summer of ‘23 and also spent some time in the Cape Cod League.
In the spring of 2024, Colleran showed improved command with a 46-18 K-BB in 40.2 innings, but he was home run prone and finished the season with a 7.97 ERA.
Despite not turning 21 until August, Colleran is already pretty filled out physically at 6’3”, 225. He throws an upper-90s fastball that tends to sink, and hitters seemed to have little trouble picking it up out of his hand. With his low three-quarters arm slot, it could play better in the zone with more backspin. He also throws an upper-80s slider that is inconsistent but flashed plus and a mediocre mid-80s changeup. Colleran is an arm-strength relief prospect with back-end potential.
MLB Pipeline: 207
Perfect Game: 351
Baseball America: 327
Kiley McDaniel: 184
Round 8, Pick 227: RHP Nick Conte, Duke
The last four years have been tumultuous for Conte. As a freshman at Duke in 2021, he pitched just ten innings and was wild, but showed potential with 15 strikeouts. He would never eclipse the ten innings he pitched for the Blue Devils that season. That summer he continued missing both bats and the strike zone in brief cameos in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and on the Cape. Conte made just three appearances for Duke in 2022 but showed impressive stuff in a return to the NECL and struck out 38 batters in 22 innings, albeit with 25 walks as well.
After undergoing a non-Tommy John elbow repair surgery that forced him to miss the 2023 season, Conte returned in 2024 but again pitched sparingly for Duke. He returned to the NECL after the season and has thrived, punching out 24 of the 43 batters he has faced while issuing just two walks.
This summer in the NECL, Conte has flashed some of the best fastball velo and spin rates on the circuit. Although he stands just 5’10”, he pumps it in there in the upper-90s with ride and has tickled triple digits. He also throws a slider/cutter that sits around 90. Conte has back end of the bullpen stuff but will need considerable command improvement to get there.
Round 9, Pick 257: C Canyon Brown, North Carolina A&T
Brown started behind the dish for the Aggies all three years that he was in school, putting up roughly average offensive numbers in his first couple seasons. He showed off good on-base skills in the Northwoods League last summer, walking 21 times while striking out 20 in 174 plate appearances. Brown leveled up offensively this spring, hitting .310/.414/.492 in 239 plate appearances.
Nobody controlled the running game better than Brown this year, who led the nation in catcher-throwing runs while gunning down 27 of 57 base stealers this spring. He has a quick transfer with a 70-grade throwing arm, as well as solid hands and actions that should enable him to be at least an average receiver.
Offensively, Brown is a much more limited player. With a simple, quiet setup at the dish, he’s shown decent on-base skills but has a fringy hit tool and raw power. Brown profiles as a defensively-minded backup catcher.
Baseball America: 341
Round 10, Pick 287: LHP Nate Ackenhausen, LSU
A burly lefty from Oklahoma, Ackenhausen began his career at Eastern Oklahoma State College. He quickly proved too good for the JuCo circuit. In his freshman season, he posted a 1.61 ERA in relief, striking out 56 batters while walking 11 in 28 innings. He was just as good in the rotation next year, tossing 58.2 innings with a 1.84 ERA and 89-14 K-BB. In between, he dominated the Appalachian League with an 0.66 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.
Ackenhausen transferred to LSU for the 2023 season. He would play an important bullpen role for the national champions, posting a 3.52 ERA in 30.2 innings, mostly in multi-inning relief. He threw six scoreless innings against Tennessee in an elimination game in the College World Series. Despite improved peripherals in 2024, Ackenhausen’s ERA rose by two runs in a swingman role for an LSU team that largely struggled on the mound. He threw 43 innings this spring with a 5.65 ERA, striking out 59 batters and walking 22.
Taking the mound at 6’2”, 255 lb, Ackenhausen creates downhill angle on his pitches with his tall-and-fall delivery and high three-quarters arm slot. He leans primarily on a slider that he’s demonstrated feel for manipulating, showing both an 81-84 mph slurve and a tighter slider that sits 85-87. His fastball is an unremarkable offering sitting mostly in the low-90s, ticking up a bit in shorter relief stints. Ackenhausen looks like a slider-heavy reliever.
Round 11, Pick 317: RHP Zachary Cawyer, TCU
A Fort Worth native, Cawyer started his collegiate career at McLennan Community College. After missing most of his freshman season due to injury, he made up for lost time with a 3.14 ERA in 48.2 innings split between starting and relief. He struck out 53 batters and walked 21. He transferred to TCU ahead of the 2024 season.
Pitching in a multi-inning relief role, Cawyer threw pretty well for the Horned Frogs but saw his ERA inflated by a few blowup outings. He finished the season with a 5.20 ERA, striking out 39 batters while walking 21 in 36.1 innings of work. After TCU missed the NCAA Tournament, Cawyer headed to the MLB Draft League and dominated, striking out 16 while allowing just nine baserunners across 13.1 scoreless innings.
Cawyer stands at 6’3” and throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. I cannot verify any velos for him as the TCU games I’ve found film for didn’t have a radar gun on the broadcast for some reason. Visually, I identified three distinct pitches. He throws a fastball that tends to sink which was reportedly up to 96 last autumn. He also mixes in a big curveball and a tight slider/cutter. The pitch mix gives Cawyer a chance to start but his future is more likely in the bullpen as a groundball specialist.
Round 12, Pick 347: RHP Tommy Molsky, Oklahoma State
For two years at Penn State and on the Cape, Molsky had the unfortunate double whammy of being very hittable and very wild. After pitching in the rotation as a freshman, he pitched mostly in relief as a sophomore and got worse. He transferred to Oklahoma State for the 2024 season and figured things out in Stillwater, limiting the free passes while doubling his strikeout rate to 33.7%. Molsky mostly pitched in multi-inning relief and ended up playing a key role for the Pokes, including starting in the Big XII Championship Game against Oklahoma. He finished the spring with a 4.83 ERA in 41 innings.
Coming in at a lean 6’1”, 180, Molsky attacks hitters from a low three-quarters arm slot. His fastball sits 92-94 up to 97 and tends to run armside, really tying up right-handed hitters when he throws it inside. He has two secondaries that move in opposite directions but with little velo separation, showing a tight slider and a changeup that are both in the mid-80s. Molsky profiles as a righty specialist out of the bullpen.
Round 13, Pick 377: 3B Sam Kulasingam, Air Force
A former teammate of Paul Skenes’, Kulasingam played over 200 games in his four years at the Air Force Academy. After seeing limited action as a freshman, he broke out in 2022, slashing .411/.487/.683 in 310 plate appearances and finishing second in the country in batting average and doubles (26). He earned Mountain West Player of the Year honors over Skenes before a solid stint in the NECL over the summer. Kulasingam’s 2023 encore was even better: a .426/.537/.655 line, finishing third nationally in average while in a tie for first with 28 doubles. He once again was the Mountain West Player of the Year before a productive summer back in the NECL.
Toronto selected Kulasingam in the 17th round of last year’s draft, but he did not sign due to military commitments that would prevent him from playing pro ball until 2024. He returned to the academy for his senior season and had a down year, hitting .323/.416/.498 with his BABIP losing 100 points and his walk rate being cut nearly in half.
Between summer ball and the Mountain West, Kulasingam has played every corner position as well as some second base. He was announced as a third baseman, but he saw most of his collegiate action at first base, so we’ll see how long he can stick at the hot corner.
Kulasingam would have an atypical profile for first base. He’s slight of frame at 6’2”, 185, and he is hit-over-power, having finished his collegiate career with just 26 home runs despite playing in very hitter-friendly conditions in the Mountain West. A switch-hitter, he has a relaxed, open setup from both sides of the plate. Kulasingam loads very shallow before uncorking a top-hand dominant swing geared for line drive contact. The approach is very good as he rarely chases, and he’s incredibly difficult to beat in the strike zone. Corner infielders without power are a tough profile, so the path to the 40-man roster for Kulasingam involves unlocking more power and/or defensive versatility.
Round 14, Pick 407: RHP Kyle DeGroat, Wallkill Senior HS (NY)
A strong athlete that used to play shortstop for Wallkill, DeGroat has seen his stuff tick up since moving to the mound full-time. With his 6’ flat height and drop-and-drive delivery, he creates a great plane with his fastball even with a true three-quarters arm slot. The pitch sits 92-94 with arm side run and has been up to 97. He also mixes in two distinct breaking balls, with a sweeper in the low-80s and curveball in the high-70s that both flash plus spin. DeGroat has shortened his arm action this year and repeats his delivery well. He’s a plus on-mound athlete and has not used as many bullets as many prep pitchers have by draft day. This is a fastball-driven profile that should make for an interesting developmental project.
DeGroat was committed to Texas but has already announced his intention to sign.
MLB Pipeline: 239
Round 15, Pick 437: LHP Tyler Davis, Mississippi State
Starting his career in 2021 at VCU, Davis was successful in a multi-inning relief role. He was even better in the starting rotation as a sophomore, posting a 3.60 ERA in 60 innings with 63 strikeouts and 21 walks. He transferred to Mississippi State for the 2023 season and, much like the rest of State’s staff that spring, struggled immensely. Davis walked 21 batters in 22.2 innings en route to a 9.13 ERA. He improved tremendously in his second year in the SEC, striking out 41 batters and walking just 14 in 35.1 innings with a 2.80 ERA. For most of the year, he was even better than those numbers implied as six of the 11 runs he allowed all season came in his final outing, a meltdown against Virginia in which he failed to record an out.
Davis attacks hitters from a high three-quarters slot with a low-90s fastball that plays downhill. He also mixes in a slider that sits 83-85 with sweep. A report from 2022 suggests he throws a changeup but I cannot find film of it. Davis is a low variance, command-over-stuff reliever.
Round 16, Pick 467: RHP Andrew Morones, Cal State Fullerton
When Morones walked off the mound after a tough outing against Cosumnes River on March 3, 2020, he could not have known that he would not take the mound there again for almost two years. San Joaquin Delta College would play just three more games before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season. The Mustangs would not play a 2021 season, but Morones still got some work in the Northwoods League that summer. Finally getting a full college season in 2022, he pitched 33 innings with a 5.18 ERA, striking out 40 batters. He would put together a short but effective run in the Appalachian League that summer.
Transferring to Fullerton ahead of the 2023 season, Morones didn’t throw in the autumn and pitched sparingly in the spring, throwing just 7.2 wild innings. He returned to the Northwoods League that summer and was excellent in 16.1 innings, posting a 2.76 ERA. He pitched more than ever in 2024, tossing 33 innings for the Titans. Morones struck out 45 batters but finished the spring with a 5.18 ERA. He has since been bullying hitters alongside Cawyer in the MLB Draft League, striking out 22 hitters and allowing just 13 baserunners across 14 scoreless frames.
Morones throws from a true three-quarters arm slot with notable head whack at the end of his drop-and-drive delivery. He throws his four-seamer 91-95 with good carry and a bit of armside run. He also mixes in a high-80s cutter and a promising but inconsistent low-80s curveball. Morones is a pure relief prospect.
Round 17, Pick 497: LHP Dane Burns
Following an unconventional path, Burns was committed to Mississippi State but blew out and had Tommy John during his senior year of high school. He decided to take a gap year to rehab and has seen his stuff tick up over the spring. He has been pitching in the NECL this summer and has struck out 16 batters in 9.2 innings but has also walked six and allowed 14 hits. His fastball has reportedly sat 94-96 and been up to 97. He also throws a low-80s sweeper, an upper-80s cutter, and a low-80s changeup. Burns is a lanky 6’4”, 195, and comes at hitters with a true three-quarters slot that he’ll sometimes drop. With limited track record coming off Tommy John, this is a tip-of-the-iceberg developmental prospect.
Round 18, Pick 527: OF Corey Cousin, Slidell HS (LA)
An athletic dynamo with a wiry 6’0” frame, Cousin played the outfield as well as third base in high school and was up to 90 on the mound. He sets up open in the right-handed batter’s box with his hands up by his head. He takes a big leg kick and has a pretty noisy load with his hands, but he keeps them shallow and short to the ball. It’s a bottom hand dominant swing that generates decent loft. The Royals will again look to sign a toolsy Louisiana high schooler away from his college commitment after failing to do so with Donovan LaSalle last year.
Cousin is committed to Oklahoma.
Round 19, Pick 557: LHP Dash Albus, Abilene Christian
Albus spent his first two college seasons pitching in a swingman role at Temple College with a solid showing in the Sunflower Collegiate League in between seasons. He put up a 6.16 ERA in his first two years but posted a 3.75 in summer ball. He transferred to his hometown Abilene Christian ahead of his junior year. Despite a stellar 31-7 K-BB, Albus got hit hard, allowing 37 hits including seven homers while posting an 8.39 ERA.
Listed at 5’11”, 185, Albus drops and drives on his easy delivery and throws with a high three-quarters slot. He throws what looks to me like a sinking fastball, a vertically-oriented slider, and a changeup with a bit of fade. As far as the velo on any of those, your guess is as good as mine.
Round 20, Pick 587: OF Carter Frederick, Oklahoma
After redshirting his freshman season at Auburn, Frederick transferred to Snead State College and got two full seasons of playing time. He put together an outstanding freshman campaign with a .379/.490/.692 batting line in 210 plate appearances as Snead State reached the JuCo World Series. He was even better in 2023, hitting .463/.572/.863 in 222 plate appearances.
Frederick transferred to Oklahoma ahead of the 2024 season but suffered a hamate injury that limited him in the fall. Healthy by the spring, he got regular playing time as mainly a DH early in the season and played well, batting .343/.400/.543. Unfortunately, he broke his thumb in mid-March and ended up missing the remainder of the season. He’s bounced back to play seven games for the Portland Pickles in the West Coast League, hitting .462/.571/.615 there.
At 6’4”, 235, Frederick is a physical presence in the right-handed batter’s box. He stands square with his hands up high, loading with a short stride and little movement with his hands, though I did see him take a bigger leg kick in an at-bat this summer. He has a two-way background, having pitched some for Snead State and in the Perfect Game Collegiate League in 2021. Frederick has done nothing but hit whenever he has been able to take the field and profiles in a corner outfield spot.