Kansas City Royals: Last Four 1st-Round Draft Picks and a Christian Colon Update

The Kansas City Royals have a farm system that continuously churns out all-star caliber talent.  They have a scouting department that has, year after year, selected players capable of contributing.  More often than not, the Royals strike gold.

Led by assistant general manager-scouting/player development J.J. Picollo, his senior advisor Mike Arbuckle and scouting director Lonnie Goldberg, the Royals have hit paydirt often with their first-round picks. 

Granting a three-year window for player development in the minor leagues, the Royals hit on seven picks from 2002 to 2008.  Headlined by names like Zach Greinke, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer, Picollo and his crew have chosen wisely.

Now, let’s take a brief look at the last four first-round picks for the Royals.

2012: Kyle Zimmer

It is very early in his professional career, but Zimmer has pitched fairly well.  Playing for the Single-A Kane County Cougars outside of Chicago, Zimmer has shown promise.

He has started five games for the Cougars and while he is lasting just under five innings per start, his strikeout numbers are there.  He has fanned 26 in 23.2 innings while walking just seven.

His best was against the Clinton Lumber Kings when he struck out 10 in 6.1 innings.  Focusing on mechanics is going to be a key for Zimmer.

2011: Bubba Starling

Currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Royals' system and No. 24 overall by Baseball America, Starling, who plays for the Burlington Royals, is flat-out producing.

In only 204 at-bats, Starling is batting .277 with 10 home runs, 32 RBI and an OPS of .882. 

One knock on him is that he strikes out too much and already has 63 this season, but patience is something that can be taught while ability after contact is not. 

2010: Christian Colon

Ranked as the No. 51 prospect in the country by BA, Colon is earning his stripes.  He continues to ascend the minor league levels, recently earning a promotion to Triple-A Omaha after batting .289 in 73 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

One area of concern for Colon is his fielding.  He has already kicked the ball around 53 times since being drafted and if he wants to advance to the next level, he needs more than just an effective bat.  With a tendency for coming out of his defensive position too early and erratic throws, Colon has some work to do.

Update from the Royals official team site:

Dick Kaegel and Vinnie Duber write that "Colon will likely miss the rest of the season after being hit in the face with a foul ball last week while playing for Triple-A Omaha.

"Colon, the team's first-round Draft pick in 2010, was injured by his own foul ball last Monday in Tucson. It was just his fifth game for the Storm Chasers after spending most of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He was 7-for-17 with a home run and five RBIs for Omaha.

"According to Scott Sharp, the Royals' director of Minor League operations, Colon has no vision issues."

2009:  Aaron Crow

Crow, who struggled as a starter in the minors is already on the big league roster and is contributing as an effective relief pitcher, although that was not what the Royals thought they were drafting.

This is not a listing of all the talent the Royals have in the minors, but it is a reason to be hopeful.  The future is bright Royals fans, but then again, isn’t it always?