2010 MLB Draft: Who Will the Kansas City Royals Select?

Here we are once again. It’s the first week of June and time once again for Major League Baseball’s amateur player draft.

As Royals fans have become accustomed, their team is waiting once again to spend millions of owner David Glass’s money on a top-5 overall pick.

Fans must wonder who GM Dayton Moore will select when it comes time for the Royals to add to their who’s who of recent high draft picks including: Aaron Crow, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas.

So who will the Royals target with the fourth overall pick in tonight’s draft, another top tier arm or a position player who can help this team in the not-so-distant future?

Here are the two most likely players to be getting a call from Moore later this evening:

University of Miami Catcher Yasmani Grandal

The Hurricanes’ backstop has put up solid offensive numbers this season. The switch-hitting Grandal has hit .418 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 201 at-bats this season.

While his power numbers have been impressive, the knock on Grandal’s hitting is that most scouts see a lack of bat speed being a long-term detriment to his success for whichever club selects him.

The last time the Royals selected a collegiate position player was Alex Gordon out of Nebraska in 2005, a player with far fewer flaws in his swing than Grandal who most scouts saw as a “can’t miss” prospect, who has to date...missed.

Grandal is hardly “can’t miss” to most scouts, and with Wil Myers flourishing in the minors for the Royals, he would be a long-term solution at catcher at best.

Florida Gulf Coast University Left Handed Pitcher Chris Sale

The pitcher in this year’s class with the best mound presence is the 6’6” and 175 lb Sale.

A lefty who hits upwards of 94 mph with his sinking fastball. He also has a plus changeup and sweeping curveball, Sale could eventually become a valuable addition to a Royals rotation that has been without a quality lefty for quite some time.

The knocks on Sale have been that he played collegiately at small FGCU in the Cape Cod League, and he has a ¾ delivery that is somewhat unorthodox.

Sale hasn’t missed a game since Little League for any type of injury, and he throws strikes—two qualities that the Royals must find appealing.

His makeup, ability to throw strikes, and pitch quality could land him in the big leagues sooner rather than later. In fact, with three college seasons under his belt, it’s completely possible that Sale could be a part of a rotation that includes former top picks Greinke, Hochevar, and Crow; along with top prospect Mike Montgomery, by Opening Day 2012.

For my money, Sale should be the Royals pick.