MLB Draft Day 1 Recap: Royals Surprise With Rose, Pick Up Three Intriguing Arms

It was an interesting first day of the MLB Draft for the Kansas City Royals. Tied to prep players like Eric Booth Jr. and Jacob Lombard, and college players like Drew Burress and Jackson Flora, they surprised everyone by selecting Zion Rose, an outfielder from the University of Louisville.

Rose was the 26th-ranked draft prospect in Jamie Cameron's Mock Draft on Diamondcentric. Many experts thought that the Royals would be in play for Rose at No. 30, their Competitive Balance A pick. However, drafting the 21-year-old outfielder at No. 6 was seen as a reach, especially with Boot and Burress still on the board. 

Was Rose a bad pick, or did the fans' expectations that the Royals would select Burress or Booth overwhelm them? And how did his selection affect the Royals' other selections on Day One?

Rose Brings Contact-Heavy and Athletic Profile to Outfield (At Underslot Value)

The reality is that the Royals need help in the outfield.

Sean Gamble is the Royals' highest-rated outfield prospect at No. 5, but he's in Low-A ball, and he may be a guy who moves slowly as he continues to develop and adjust to professional pitching (he's been hitting well since June 1st). Carson Roccaforte and Asbel Gonzalez are Top-10 prospects, but they have their share of flaws that could hold them back (strikeouts for Roccaforte; power for Gonzalez). Beyond those three? There are no other outfielder prospects in the Royals' Top 20 at Royals Keep.

Thus, Rose not only changes that but is also a player who could move quickly through the Royals' farm system, given his experience with the Cardinals. 

Last year, the Royals' first-round pick missed time with an injury and played only 36 games, 30 fewer than his total in 2025. However, despite only getting 173 plate appearances, he slashed .421/.491/.646 with a 1.137 OPS and 147 wRC+. He also stole 24 bases on 27 attempts and hit six home runs. For context, in 301 plate appearances in 2025, Rose hit .310 with a .948 OPS, 109 wRC+, 13 home runs, and 31 stolen bases. 

In terms of his strengths, the Louisville outfielder shows incredible contact skills and can draw a walk. He had a 1.27 BB/K ratio last year, highlighted by an 8.7% K rate, a career best. 

Rose makes contact, hits line drives, steals bases, and shows strong defense in the corners, which is impressive, considering he initially came to campus as a catcher. 

Even though he wasn't a "projected" Top-10 pick, Rose checks off many of the boxes the Royals value in position players. That goes beyond the draft, as Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins were also examples of veteran players with profiles similar to Rose's. 

The good thing with Rose is that he likely will sign underneath the expected slot bonus of $7.7 million at pick No. 6. Hence, the Royals not only got the outfielder with the profile they wanted, but they also were able to save some money that could be spread out on bonuses given out to other selections in this draft. 

Rabe, Slightom, and Yehl Are High Upside Arms (Helped by the Rose Selection)

At pick No. 30, the Royals selected Taylor Rabe, a 21-year-old righty from Ole Miss. Rabe is not only a big arm (6'5), but he demonstrated excellent command (7.00 K/BB ratio) and ability to strike batters out (34.2% K%). In 17 appearances (11 starts) and 76.1 IP, he posted a 3.55 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 3.75 FIP. 

Rabe's ranking was a bit all over the place before the MLB Draft. Cameron had him ranked No. 36 at Diamondcentric, and MLB Pipeline ranked him 40th. However, Baseball America was a little more optimistic about his outlook, ranking him 26th. Thus, Rabe could be seen as a good-to-great overslot selection, depending on the ranking. Regardless, there's mid-rotation upside with Rabe at the very least, and he could be a pitcher who could move quickly, something they need considering the dearth of quality starting arms in Double-A and Triple-A. 

As for their second-round pick, Jack Slightom is a bit more of a project. He just turned 18 in April, and he's an Illinois prep product who will likely begin in the Complex League this year and advance to Low-A ball in 2027. However, he's the pitching prospect that could be a success story, much like David Shields, our No. 2 prospect at Royals Keep.

Here's what Cameron said about Slightom in his Mock Draft article:

This is another pick who will likely sign an overslot deal, much like Rabe. Rose's expected savings paved the way for two high-upside, high-cost selections like Rabe and Slightom. 

Yehl, the Royals' third-round selection, won't be an overslot deal. If anything, he'll probably agree to a deal below the expected $872.9K slot bonus. However, the 22-year-old is a polished and proven lefty who can move quickly and strike out guys in bunches. In 18 starts and 97 IP, Yehl posted a 2.13 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 4.07 FIP, 27.9% K%, and a 4.31 K/BB ratio. He was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after missing all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery.

Yehl's professional outlook is still a little hazy. Some believe he can be a middle-to-bottom-of-the-rotation starter, while others believe he carries some reliever risk (hence his falling to the third). Nonetheless, Yehl is a quality arm that can help the Royals quickly, which is a benefit considering their starter and bullpen struggles in Double-A, Triple-A, and even the Major Leagues. 

How Would We Rate Day One?

In the fourth round, the Royals selected Dominic Battista, a prep outfielder from Illinois who ranked outside most experts' Top-100 lists. This selection was likely a cost-saver (i.e., under-slot). Still, Battista has some athleticism and tools, and his draft stock was primarily hurt by a hamate injury that forced him to miss 10 games in his senior year at Oswego East High School. If fully healthy, he could've been a 2nd or 3rd-round selection.

Battista is a University of Illinois-Chicago commit, and the Royals had success with Luke Pelzer, a UIC product, in last year's draft. Pelzer is hitting .342 with a 136 wRC+ in High-A Quad Cities, and he'll likely move up to Northwest Arkansas after the All-Star Break. 

Overall, there's a strong balance of talent from Day One of the MLB Draft for the Royals. They selected proven guys who can move quickly (Rose and Rabe), some prep guys with upside (Slightom and Battista), and a big arm with big stuff who could develop into a starter with the right pitcher development in the next year or two. That's a Day One to be happy about, especially for a Royals farm system that needs help in Double-A sooner rather than later. 

At the same time, the Royals' Day One feels a little underwhelming. 

The Royals could've drafted a big, high-upside guy with star potential at No. 6. That could've been a college guy like Burress or a prep one like Booth or Lombard. And yet, they chose the "cheaper" option in Rose. It's not a bad selection by any means, because Rose has all the tools to be a successful outfielder for the Royals. Plus, Rose has the intangibles and makeup to develop quickly in the farm system.

Joe Doyle talked about Rose maybe being the best "sleeper" pick in this draft and could surprise a lot of folks who criticized the Royals for drafting Rose at No. 6. 

And yet, it feels like the Royals could've done a better job of drafting for "more" upside, especially in their first two selections. Thus, this Day One feels like a passing grade, but not much more, unfortunately.

Day One Grade: C+

Check out our 2026 mock draft board, updated regularly, and with detailed player write-ups!