This is why the Royals are excited about their Day 3 picks 

KANSAS CITY -- After the Royals opened the 2023 MLB Draft with two high-risk/high-reward picks in prep catcher Blake Mitchell at No. 8 overall and prep righty Blake Wolters at No. 44 overall, they followed on Day 2 with a well-balanced mix of position players and pitchers.

• Royals select high school catcher Blake Mitchell at No. 8

On Day 3, Royals leaned into what they thought was the depth in the later rounds.

College arms.

• Kansas City tabs Wolters, Roccaforte to round out Day 1

The Royals started the day with a college outfielder, then picked up six college pitchers before ending their Draft with high school bats. Signability questions always come into play on Day 3, so the Royals had to find the right fit as rounds ticked on.

• Draft Central | Draft Tracker | Day 1 analysis | Day 2 analysis | Day 3 analysis

“We did our due diligence, trying to find high school guys that were maybe a fit, and didn’t line up probably the way we wanted -- a couple players were close,” scouting director Danny Ontiveros said. “But we got guys that we targeted and felt good about, so all in all, it worked out.”

Here are two more takeaways from the Royals’ Draft haul:

First two picks on Day 3 stand out
The Royals followed a similar script from last year on Tuesday, getting a ton of value in Round 11 with a college player who still had eligibility. Last year, they drafted OU pitcher David Sandlin in the 11th round, now their No. 30 prospect and rising.

• Every Royals pick on Day 2 of the MLB Draft

This year, they took Tennessee outfielder Jared Dickey in the 11th round.

Ranked the 115th Draft prospect on MLB Pipeline, Dickey batted .328 with 12 homers in 63 games this year. The 21-year-old redshirted his freshman season, then posted a 1.174 OPS in ‘22. Though his numbers weren’t as loud this year, scouts considered him one of the best pure hitters in the Southeastern Conference. He profiles best in left but has experience catching, so the Royals could explore that route.

Batting from the left side, Dickey can barrel the ball and does a good job managing the strike zone with excellent hand-eye coordination. The Royals have a good relationship with him, given he played on their scout team when he was in high school in Mount Juliet, Tenn.

“We were really attracted to the bat, and we wanted to add another bat into our system,” Ontiveros said. “So right off the first pick, we felt like, ‘OK, we got the bat we wanted to get on Day 3.’”

Ontiveros also mentioned 12th-rounder Logan Martin, a righty from Kentucky who dealt with injuries during his senior season this spring. Ontiveros believes Martin, who opened the season as Kentucky’s Friday night starter, wouldn’t have made it to Day 3 if he had pitched the full season in the SEC.

“The first two picks we got, we were just extremely proud to get them,” Ontiveros said. “We were thrilled we got off to a great start.”

Prep players round out Draft
Just like last year, the Royals finished their Draft with three high school players they hope to sign away from their college commitments:

• Round 18: C Stone Russell, IMG Academy (Fla.), committed to the University of Florida
• Round 19: OF Donovan LaSalle, Barbe (La.) High School, committed to Oklahoma State University
• Round 20: SS Blake Wilson, Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) HS, committed to the University of Washington

All were unranked by MLB Pipeline but offer high upside. Russell’s father, John, was drafted in 1982 by Philadelphia and played 10 seasons in the Majors from 1984-93. John managed the Pirates from 2008-10, was Buck Showalter’s bench coach in Baltimore for eight years and is the current manager of Seattle’s Triple-A club.

His son, Stone, was drafted as a catcher, but he’ll likely play all over the infield like he did at IMG and is slated to do at Florida. Ontiveros said Russell reminds him of Reds rookie Spencer Steer, whom Ontiveros watched in high school.

“Spencer hadn’t really filled out, there weren't plus tools, but the instinct level and the field of play was already there,” Ontiveros said. “You were just waiting for some other things to come. Extremely good bat-to-ball, and that’s what was attractive [about Russell].”

Now the Royals will turn their attention to signing those players. Players picked in rounds 11-20 can sign a bonus worth up to $150,000 without counting toward a team’s available bonus pool. Teams can offer more than $150,000 if they have bonus pool money remaining by signing any of their top-10 round picks for less than the slot value assigned to their pick number. Last year, the Royals signed two of their three final picks (Milo Rushford and Austin Charles).

“We’re going to give it our best shot,” Ontiveros said. “The dynamic is a little different this year, but we’re going to give it our best shot and hopefully be able to sign one or two of them, at least.”