Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Earlier this week, we asked how you felt about the Royals’ 2026 amateur draft
The plurality, 41%, of you felt indifferent about the draft. I wonder how much of that is because it’s just really difficult to tell how good an MLB draft is less than a week later and how much is because of some other reasons, of which there are many. I’m encouraged that 29% of respondents felt the Royals did pretty well, but amused that 27% felt the Royals did poorly. That close difference seems to highlight the “win” of the Indifferent voters. Only 3% of you felt the Royals had an excellent draft, and I think that’s fair because I’m not convinced that there was such a thing to be had as an excellent draft in 2026.
When the Royals took Bobby Witt Jr. second overall in the 2019 draft, it was a franchise-altering move. It was also only available to them because they had a top-two pick in a draft that was distinguished by its two best prospects. It would have been an excellent draft for the team even if no other picks worked out. Now, obviously, the Royals got a bunch of other players in that draft who reached the bigs, including Vinnie Pasquantino, Tyler Tolbert, and Michael Massey. Honestly, that’s almost a stratospherically good draft. But we couldn’t have known so many of those guys would work out as well as they have at the time.
Zion Rose is a guy who could be very good; I know I mentioned Keith Law being high on him when I posted the original question, but he expanded since then and insisted that Rose was a top-10 pick offensive talent held back by poor defense. But he’s not a generational talent in the sense that Witt was. So it’s hard to immediately feel amazing about this draft. Hopefully, by this time next year, we will see not just Rose making huge strides, but also, hopefully, at least a handful of the other guys moving through the system. Maybe if we held the poll again, then, that 3% could rise a bit.
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