Royals select Jack Slightom with No. 56 overall pick

[Andrew Wright]

The Kansas City Royals selected Jack Slightom with the No. 56 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The slot value for that selection is $1,721,700. Slightom is a Cincinnati Bearcat signee but is likely to sign with Kansas City rather than taking the college route. 

A three-sport athlete, Slightom wasn't serious about full-time baseball until his senior season. He certainly locked in and showed his potential, posting a 7-0 record with a 0.38 ERA, the best in all of Illinois high school baseball. Here is what our draft expert Jamie Cameron had to say about Slightom.

"Jack Slightom is a cold-weather arm out of Illinois, currently committed to Cincinnati, who has surged up draft boards towards the end of the cycle. A projectable righty at 6'4, 200 pounds, he's made strides in the last 12 months and should flourish in a pro system after splitting time between baseball and football in high school. Slightom has some interesting release traits with a lower arm slot and above-average extension. It's a run and ride fastball that has been as high as 98 mph, but will likely sit in the 93-95 mph range, a significant step forward from his junior year. Slightom's primary breaking pitch is a sweeping slider that could use more firmness. He's also shown capacity for a changeup with tumble and fade."

Slightom is the second pitcher selected by Kansas City in the first round of the draft, joining Ole Miss right-hander Taylor Rabe. Slightom will join a top prospect list that already contains 17 of its top 30 as starting pitchers.

If the fastball velocity can be paired with the offseason command, Slightom has a chance to rival the success that the Royals front office expects Rabe to have.

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