Royals Select Prep Outfielder Dominic Battista With 119th Pick

[Kevin O'Brien]

In the fourth round, the Kansas City Royals selected Dominic Battista, an outfielder from Oswego East High School in Illinois. Selected 119th overall, Battista is committed to the University of Illinois-Chicago. 

Battista missed some time due to a hamate injury, but he's been widely hailed by scouts for his toolsy and athletic profile. Here's what Prep Baseball said about him back in a write-up last August. 

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A lean athlete standing at 6-foot, 157-pounds, the left-handed hitter was a big winner during the workout portion of the event; running a 6.57 60, reaching 90 mph from the outfield, and averaging 92.2 mph off the bat (T99 mph) during batting practice. He has a hitterish presence in the box, shows an advanced understanding of the strike zone, and showed minimal swing and miss in the zone. A willing and aggressive base-stealer, Battista also grabbed five bags in the three games during the event. To round out his stellar performance, Battista continued to play advanced defense in centerfield that our staff has become accustomed to seeing in the past. A high-level player who could garner pro interest next spring.

Battista will be a project of sorts, as he is currently 18 and won't turn 19 until October. Prep Baseball ranked him the 6th-best player in Illinois and the best outfielder in the state as well. The Royals are now done for the first round, having made all four of their picks. A complete review of Day 1 of the MLB Draft will be posted on Royals Keep later this evening. 

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