Royals Continue Pitching-Focused Draft With Picks 6-10

[Samuel Cozart]

Image courtesy of © Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals continued their pitcher-heavy focus to start Day 2 of the 2026 MLB Draft. In rounds 6-10, the Royals used four out of five picks on pitchers. That carries on an overall theme for the draft, in which 8-out-of-11 picks by Kansas City have been used on pitchers. 

Round 6, Justin LeGuernic - LHP

In the sixth round of the draft, the Royals selected Justin LeGuernic at 180th overall. LeGuernic is a left-handed pitcher from Clemson. The slot value for the pick is $367,600. He is unranked on DiamondCentric’s Consensus Draft Board and ranked 220th by MLB Pipeline. 

Here’s MLB Pipeline's pre-draft analysis of LeGuernic: 

“Part of a deeper-than-usual New York prep pitching crop in 2023 that also included Brewers supplemental first-rounder Josh Knoth and future North Carolina ace Jason DeCaro, LeGuernic deflected interest from pro clubs to attend Clemson. He logged an 8.62 ERA in his first two years with the Tigers before cutting that mark to 4.69 as a full-time reliever as a junior. Scouts believe he has a lot of untapped potential, so he could go a few rounds earlier than his performance might indicate.

LeGuernic owns one of the more unhittable sliders in the college class, a mid-80s breaker with high spin rates and huge sweeping action. His fastball operates in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph with carry and armside run, though right-handers crush it more than they should. Both pitches added 3-4 mph this spring. He doesn't have much faith in an upper-80s changeup with mild fade that he can't land in the zone often enough to tempt hitters.

Working from an extremely low arm slot gives LeGuernic deception as well as sweep on his slider, though it also hampers his control and command. His quick arm and 6-foot-4 frame have some scouts wondering if he could succeed as a starter in pro ball, though he'd need to do a better job of locating his pitches and refine his changeup. It's more realistic to project him as a slider-happy reliever who can carve up left-handers.”

Round 7, Dylan Vigue - RHP

Kansas City grabbed another pitcher in the seventh round, selecting Dylan Vigue at #209. Vigue is a right-handed pitcher from Georgia. The slot value for the pick is $289,900. He is unranked on our Consensus Draft Board and ranked 201st by MLB Pipeline. 

Here’s what MLB Pipeline has to say regarding Vigue: 

“Scouts have been trying to figure out Vigue since his days as a Massachusetts high schooler, when he could be unhittable at times and unable to find the strike zone at others. That pattern continued in two years at Michigan, where he went undrafted as a sophomore-eligible in 2025. After switching schools, he has had an up-and-down season as Georgia's No. 2 starter and missed a turn in the rotation in late April with forearm tightness.

Vigue gets more horizontal separation between his fastball and slider than almost any pitcher in the college crop. His 93-95 mph sinker reaches 98 with significant armside run, while his mid-80s slider has huge sweep in the opposite direction. He has utilized those two offerings 95 percent of the time this spring, rarely using a low-90s cutter and upper-80s changeup.

Vigue generates plenty of swings and misses with his slider and weak contact with his fastball, but he has great difficulty landing either pitch in the zone on a regular basis. He rarely works past five innings, running up high pitch counts when hitters lay off his slider or he can't command his sinker. He has a strong 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame and a delivery that should provide more strikes, giving hope that he can add a third pitch and succeed as a starter in pro ball, but realistically, he's more of a reliever.” 

Round 8, Hunter Possehl - LHP

In the eighth round, the Royals selected Hunter Possehl, their fourth pitcher of the day, at #239. Possehl, towering at 6 '8”, is a left-handed pitcher from Florida Gulf Coast University. The slot value for the pick is $233,400. He is unranked by both DiamondCentric and MLB Pipeline. 

In two seasons at FGCU, Possehl had a 4.14 ERA and 1.506 WHIP in 87.0 innings pitched. He tossed 67.1 of those innings in 2026, where he had a 3.21 ERA and 1.322 WHIP. His 2026 performance was rewarded with Second Team All-ASUN honors. 

Round 9, Camden Johnson - SS

In the ninth round, the Royals broke their streak of taking pitchers, selecting Camden Johnson at #269. Johnson is a shortstop out of national champion Oklahoma. The slot value for the pick is $207,900. Johnson is unranked on our Consensus Draft Board, but is ranked 116th by MLB Pipeline. 

Here’s MLB Pipeline’s write-up on what could be a steal by Kansas City: 

“Johnson's athleticism and potential to play shortstop could make him the first player drafted from Oklahoma's national championship team. A transfer from Wichita State, he's one of the few Sooners whose performance didn't drop precipitously in Southeastern Conference action. He's one of the twitchiest and fastest players in the college ranks.

Johnson displays a good feel for the barrel from the left side of the plate, but chases too many non-fastballs out of the zone. He doesn't miss strikes and employs a line-drive approach. He has average raw power and is driving the ball more than ever, but he hasn't shown much pop with wood bats in summer leagues and may top out at 10-12 homers per season.

A consistent plus-plus runner, Johnson can get from home to first in less than four seconds at his best and is an accomplished basestealer. He shows average arm strength at third base, where his fluid actions lead to the belief that he could handle shortstop in pro ball after seeing occasional action there for the Shockers. He also could become a dynamic center fielder or valuable super utilityman.” 

Round 10, Grant Fontenot - RHP

It did not take long for the Royals to go back to another pitcher, selecting Grant Fontenot at #299. Fontenot is a right-handed pitcher out of LSU. The slot value for the pick is $195,600. Fontenot was unranked by both DiamondCentric and MLB Pipeline. 

Fontenot spent two seasons in Baton Rouge, preceded by one season apiece at McLennan Community College and Texas. In his three NCAA seasons, Fontenot registered a 4.10 ERA and 1.531 WHIP in 48.1 innings pitched. In 2026, he clocked a 4.18 ERA and 1.577 WHIP in 32.1 innings pitched. 

In high school, Fontenot was ranked the No. 1 prospect in Louisiana by Prep Baseball Report. 

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