The Kansas City Royals are prepared for a high-octane 2025 MLB Draft.
And for good reason. The Royals will select twice within the first 30 picks. KC holds the No. 23 and No. 28 selections after making the postseason last year. The latter selection is a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick as a result of Bobby Witt Jr. finishing second for the 2024 American League MVP Award.
“Whatever I’ve got to do at 23 and 28, I will do to make the Royals a better organization,” scouting director Brian Bridges said. “Those are very important picks. I don’t see me going under slot, and I don’t see me going crazy over slot. We will be aggressive in the MLB Draft for sure.”
The 2025 MLB Draft will be conducted on July 13 in Atlanta. It will be spread across two days during the All-Star Break. Day 1 includes Rounds 1-3 and the competitive balance selections.
First round coverage will begin at 5 p.m. Central on ESPN and MLB Network. Day 2 coverage features Rounds 4-20 and will be streamed on MLB.com starting at 10:30 a.m. Central on July 14.
Bridges will conduct his second draft with the organization. His previous track record includes stops with the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants. Last season, Bridges selected Jac Caglianone with the sixth overall pick.
He also took a chance on high-level prep prospect David Shields and a host of collegiate pitchers. Shields eschewed signing with the University of Miami and has a 2.43 ERA in eight games with Single-A Columbia this season.
Caglianone, of course, is currently with the Royals. He made his MLB debut in June after dominating the minors.
“You never know how the MLB Draft goes until it starts,” Bridges said. “You know, our two choices last year were (Bryce) Rainer or (Jac) Caglianone. And we got him.”
How is the 2025 MLB Draft different?
Bridges expects the 2025 draft to be heavy on prep shortstops. That spot, which requires elevated athleticism, is among the most valuable in baseball. Expect multiple organizations to be looking that way.
“It’s really the strength of the draft,” Bridges said.
The Royals will convene early next week to set their big board. Bridges expects the group to line up around 80 draft-eligible players in the early rounds. KC also has pick No. 61 in the second round and No. 71 in the Competitive Balance Round B.
From there, the Royals have a singular pick in each round from 3-20.
“That first day is very important to our organization,” Bridges said.
What do the Royals need? The Royals could use some bats. The club has struggled to score and the minor-league system may look to add more options. Right now, there are intriguing prospects in the lower levels.
It’s possible Bridges could look to a high-level prep bat or an established collegiate position player. There is flexibility to pursue both with KC having two top-30 selections.
“The most important part is lining up the first 30 (players) because we have two picks in the first 30 selections,” Bridges said. “So as long as you line those up right, you are going to get two of them.”
Bridges is plenty familiar with the overall scouting landscape. He has deep roots scouting the Southeast and that afforded him the opportunity to draft Austin Riley, Craig Kimbrel and Jason Heyward with the Braves.
Now with the Royals, Bridges intends to be aggressive in keeping top prospects in the area close to home. The Royals found success in drafting local products Noah Cameron and Carter Jensen in recent years.
