I led the Royals mock draft through the first three rounds, then handed the reigns off to adschofield for the final two.  Overall, I thought we had a tremendous draft, as we picked up a handful of premium high-ceiling arms to go along with our surprise 1st round pick, the polished catcher Matt Wieters.

1st round: Matt Wieters, C, Georgia Tech

I went back and forth on the decision between Wieters and Rick Porcello, and in the end I decided to play it safe with Wieters.  I have no doubt that Wieters will be at the very least a league average catcher in the show, with the potential to be a perennial All-Star.  Porcello was tempting, but overall I feel this draft class was loaded with high-ceiling prep arms and I thought I could pick up some nice talents later on.

2nd round: Nick Tepesch, RHP, MO HS

I ended up going with the local boy at the 66th pick with Nick Tepesch out of Blue Springs, MO.  He is your power righty with a projectable frame and has shown a great fastball/curve combo.  He has reached the mid 90's, and I believe the velocity will gain a few ticks as he matures.  While I like the pick, Tepesch was roughly my 4th or 5th choice at this spot, and I was really counting on Dan Duffy or Neil Ramirez being available.  

3rd round: Julian Sampson, RHP, Wash HS

Sampson was my #1 target for this spot, and I actually gave consideration to taking him a round earlier for fear that he wouldn't be here.  I absolutely love this guy as a prospect and feel he is underrated.  Long, projectable frame, loose arm action, low 90's gas that should improve in time, and a great feel for his breaking stuff.  I feel his potential is throught the roof.

4th round: Kevin Rhoderick, RHP, Ariz HS

This is when adschofield took over, and I was pleased when I saw this pick.  Rhoderick is another power arm to add to our farm system, but his stock is lower than his stuff warrants due to the bias against short pitchers (Rhoderick is 6 feet tall).  Excellent arm action, low/mid 90's velocity, good feel for his secondary stuff.  Hopefully adschofield can share his thoughts on Rhoderick later on.

5th round: Drake Britton, LHP, Texas HS

Another great pick by adschofield, and Britton filled the southpaw void in our draft.  Britton is another underrated prospect that isn't getting the love he deserves due to BA not placing him in their top 200.  Britton mixes a heavy, low 90's fastball with a nasty curve and was impressive during a showcase run last summer.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I think we did a tremendous job of achieving our main priority, which was injecting the farm system with elite, high-ceiling talent.  Wieters should fly through the system, while the four HS pitchers will be able to take their time and develop properly to aid in achieving their true potential.  The focus on upside players is a high-risk proposition, but it is what a small-market franchise needs to do in order to find a few diamonds.  

Thoughts?