What Has Been The Royals' Draft Strategy Under JJ Picollo?

[Philip Ruo]

Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Since becoming the Royals' general manager in 2021, JJ Picollo has overseen four drafts. While every draft is shaped by the talent available, several consistent trends have emerged that may offer insight into how Kansas City will approach the upcoming 2026 MLB Draft.

Position Players Come First

In each of his four drafts, Piccolo has selected a position player in the first round. 

• 2022: Gavin Cross - OF
• 2023: Blake Mitchell - C
• 2024: Jac Caglianone - 1B/P 
• 2025: Sean Gamble - OF
• 2025: Josh Hammond - SS (Prospect promotion incentive pick)

While Caglianone was a two-way player in college, nearly every scouting report projected him as a full-time hitter in professional baseball.

The Royals have consistently invested in premium offensive talent at the top of the draft. With the exception of Cross, these players currently occupy a spot in the top five of the RoyalsKeep prospects rankings, with Caglianone already an everyday starter in the Royals’ big-league lineup.

Pitcher-Heavy Following Round 1

Picollo has consistently favored pitchers in the early rounds after round 1. In the five picks following the first round, 80% of the selections have been for a pitcher. When looking at rounds 2-10, 68% of the picks have been for pitchers. In 2024, the Royals selected seven straight pitchers after taking Caglianone in the first round, highlighted by the current No. 2 prospect, David Shields. The lone exception came in 2022, when Kansas City selected third baseman Cayden Wallace with the second pick before selecting pitchers in the following rounds.

The strategy has already produced several of the organization's top pitching prospects. While none of these pitchers have yet broken into the majors, six of these early-round pitchers are currently in the top 20 prospects.

• #2 David Shields | 2024 Round 2
• #7 Drew Beam | 2024 Round 3
• #11 Michael Lombardi | 2025 Round 2
• #13 Justin Lamkin | 2025 Competitive balance round B
• #15 Blake Wolters | 2023 Round 2
• #16 Steven Zobac | 2022 Round 4

Conscious of Slot Money

Picollo has shown a willingness to sign players above the pick’s slot value, especially when it comes to signing prep players. Five of the six highest draft above-slot bonuses have been to high school players. Three of those went to early-round pitchers, with a couple of late-round players securing larger-than-expected bonuses.

The high-bonus high schoolers are usually funded through early-to mid-round college players going under-slot. Notably, the Royals have signed more players under-slot (32) than they have over-slot (21) to help in redistributing the pool money.

However, not all early-round high school grads commanded an over-slot bonus. When the Royals drafted Blake Mitchell with their first pick in 2023, they signed him for just over $1 million under slot to spread their pool money throughout the rest of the draft class. This was the only time in four years where Picollo spent significantly under the slot value for a top pick, the closest being Carson Roccaforte (2nd round competitive balance, $259k under slot) also in 2023 and Nolan Sailors (4th round, $435K under slot) in 2025.

High-Impact Prep Players

The Royals have not been hesitant in selecting high school players early in rounds. Almost half (7 of 15) players selected within the first three rounds have gone towards high-impact high school players.

Picollo, in general, is not afraid to select high school players. 19 (23%) of selections have been given to high school players. However, if you exclude the first three rounds, the earliest selected high school player was in the 13th round. These selections are typically developmental bets with higher ceilings but longer timelines than the available college players at that stage of the draft. Five of these late-round picks ultimately did not sign with the Royals and opted to play college baseball.

Overall Position Distribution

Positionally, the Royals have favored pitchers with 51 (61%) of their 83 selections. 13 picks have been dedicated to outfields, 9 to shortstops, 5 to catchers, 3 first basemen (including Caglianone, who notably converted to the outfield), 2 third basemen, and 0 second basemen. 

This mirrors the trend of selecting a bat first, followed by a run of pitchers in early rounds. The Royals also are unwilling to commit draft capital towards too many low-upside positions like first and third base.

What This Means for 2026

While every draft is different depending on the players available for selection, Piccolo has left a general outline for how the Royals approach the draft. Expect the Royals to likely select an offensive player with the 6th overall pick, followed by a run of pitchers. The DiamondCentric mock draft has OF Drew Burress slotted as the sixth pick. Keep an eye out for high school players in the early and late rounds, with college players dominating the middle of the draft.

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